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On difficulties and trust in body psychotherapy for couples
11 באוגוסט 2020
On difficulties and trust in body psychotherapy for couples
Each couple therapy process starts with a certain difficulty – a crisis for the couple, or a real crossroads – over the question whether to separate or to stay together - and how?
When a couple comes to therapy in the clinic it’s usually following an accumulation of difficulties. It’s been going on for quite a while, and maybe it took time until they realised the need for therapy. Sometimes once partner pushes for it and the other agrees.
It can result from a specific crisis, from an obvious trigger like a crisis of trust, betrayal, financial difficulties or problems with the children. In many cases though, it’s a bit of everything - life, routine, career, personal fulfilment, life- and age-transitions, the children, the couple’s parents, their financial situation, sexuality and desire, and of course – each one’s behaviour patterns, and communication difficulties stemming from differences in character.
For every difficulty that couples bring with them to the clinic - and it makes no difference which tensions, pressures, and crises are reflected in the armour surrounding them - I have the experience, belief, tools and confidence to help, to illuminate matters, to help the couple see more than their individual and couple difficulties and weaknesses.
In the therapeutic process we use joint work to melt the armour
(URL) and to gain access to what lies below: to what connects them, each partner’s qualities, resources and healing sources for their couple relationship. From that point, we’ll find a shared way for enhancement, connections, for love, and for better discourse.
In every new couple-process, the connection between couple therapy and body psychotherapy is enriching, meaningful and exciting, and for over 15 years it’s been an important personal mission for me.
I would like to invite you to learn about that connection through workshops and further study courses
for therapists. And of course I invite you to a process of personal enhancement as therapists - to learn body psychotherapy for couples in a Zoom course opening in November 2020. It will be conducted in English, for a target population of therapists worldwide.
A few words about the couple therapy course
The course targets psychotherapists and therapists with experience from different spheres who are interested in working with couples and acquiring tools and know-how from the body psychotherapy world - techniques of awareness, conversation, movement, touch, and breathing.
In a journey of experiential and theoretical learning, we’ll study the complexity of couple therapy, which requires encompassing ‘four people’ in the therapy room: the couple, the couple relationship, the therapist, and of course the referential ties between all of them.
The learning process will give the individual therapist tools for coping and for couple therapy, together with personal enhancement and empowerment.
This is the fifth session of the course for body psychotherapy therapists, and I’m grateful for the privilege to teach it again for students and therapists (and for other clients as well).
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Magic happens when 36 couple therapists (a number considered lucky in Judaism) meet during a full day in Neve Shalom, for a conference - professional training and a captivating encounter of professionals (couple therapists, individual therapists, trainers and teachers) from the field of body and mind psychotherapy. It creates a profound connection between all the participants, and at every level. And that was exactly the feeling at the Spiritual Centre in Neve Shalom, a sense of connection, togetherness, and community - a feeling that transcends words. A huge and deep thank-you to everyone who took part (a relatively good proportion for a therapists’ event ... between male and female - 14 men and 22 women). Thanks to Tal Hakim, Yael Chen Yemini, and Shachar Erez for their fascinating lectures which left us all longing for more, and a big thank you to Yotam for his major assistance in creating the meeting and to his partner - the lovely Kai, who handled yesterday's wonderful culinary aspect. And I’m deeply grateful... for this was one of the most exciting and meaningful encounters I have ever experienced. Wishing health, happiness, love to us all 💙 Gabriel
After a long year of Corona, with some concerns that it’s still here, and not leaving us so quickly ... I find myself having many thoughts, reflections, and feelings about the transitions I experienced this year – from Zoom sessions, to sessions with physical-body-presence. Last Thursday, July 1, I had two exciting and interesting live, physical meetings... in Tel Aviv. A lunchtime training session for participants from Israel, from an international couple therapy course via Zoom - Naama, Gideon, Dina, Yonatan, Erenssa, and Ruthi (six out of 24 participants from eleven countries). Then in the evening professional training for therapists, at the Lighthouse Centre, sponsored by the Israeli Body Psychotherapy Association, on ‘Couple Resonance in Couple & Individual Therapy’. I really enjoyed and was thrilled by those two non-Zoom encounters ... ⭐Since March 2020, we all grew accustomed to zigzagging between Zoom sessions and to clinic sessions. ⭐ Over that year, I taught and trained 22 first-year students at Reidman College, helped by three wonderful assistants - Ziva, Shirel and Sylvina. At first our classes were via Zoom, then in three rooms in a hybrid way, and now to everyone’s joy, in Semester 2 we’re back to one classroom in the college. ⭐ ⭐At Haifa University, it’s been an exciting and meaningful year, with much of the training happening at the Hakomi Centre (many thanks to Keren and Ido Tsarfati), for the seven outstanding students who graduated the master’s degree in the Mind-Body Psychotherapy track, and facilitating a Somatic Psychotherapy course, over Zoom, for second-year students. ⭐That transition from Zoom sessions, to whole and physically present body sessions, let us grow and develop further. We were able to fine-tune our personal and professional abilities as people, therapists, and teachers in a fascinating field of therapy, and a wonderful way of life – body psychotherapy 🔥 ⭐ Now freedom is just around the corner - really close. Next week is the end of a two-day course in Neveh Shalom with first year body psychotherapy students at Reidman College, and further professional training for therapists world-wide (in English, via Zoom) – the Secrets workshop on July 11. 💎 Wishing us all great July-August holidays 🙏 health, happiness, and love 💙 – and a wonderful day, Gabriel
After a highly challenging and complex year, a new school year will begin soon. It brings with it new kinds of excitement alongside concerns about Zoom and Covid, all familiar options for me. Despite them and our complex current situation – I’m happy to resume teaching. Starting next week i will be teaching at: Haifa University in the master's degree track, specializing in integrative body-mind-spirit psychotherapy, in the second and third years. On 5 November 5 a training course is set to start, training therapists in couple therapy using Body Psychotherapy. It will be given in English, via Zoom, and twenty therapists from nine countries will participate. From mid-November, at Reidman College, this year I’ll be accompanying first-year students in the Body Psychotherapy track. At the start of every year, there are always so many expectations and curiosity about working together with students and therapists in their learning, training, personal and professional development process. This year, more than ever, we’ll be needing lots of strength, flexibility, creativity, and belief. I’d like to wish good luck and a captivating school-year to all the students, lecturers, colleagues, and friends in the field. Have a wonderful year 🙏 Gabriel
פוסטים אחרונים
מתוך הפודקאסט ׳הסכת הכרית - פסיכו דהרמה׳ היום נפגשנו עם גבריאל שירז, מטפל פרטני זוגי וקבוצתי בפסיכותרפיה גופנית, מדריך ומורה להכשרת מטפלים פרטניים וזוגיים בארץ ובאירופה. שוחחנו על הדרך בה הגוף מבטא את עולמנו הרגשי, בייחוד דרך מודל ה'סגמנטים', כפי שהתפתח בעולם הפסיכותרפיה הגופנית. כיצד העיניים והמבט מהווים חלק בלתי נפרד מהיקשרות אינטימית? כיצד הפה נוגע הן במתח והן בטעם החיים? כיצד הגרון והצוואר מהווים שער לביטוי (ולעומסים)? על הלב- הפיזי והרגשי כאחד, ועל הדברים שאומרת הבטן- ובעיקר, כיצד נוכל, באמצעות חיבור בלתי אמצעי לגופנו, להרפות, לשחרר ואפילו להנות מהחיים? הפרק מלווה בהקלטת מדיטציה לחווית הסגמנטים בהנחיית גבריאל. להאזנה לפודקאסט ב-Spotify לחצו על ה-Play
כאשר כ-80 מטפלים זוגיים ו/או פרטניים מתכנסים ביחד ליום שלם ב 24.11 מבוקר עד לילה בשדות ים ( במרכז הימי ליד הים ) - הרבה דברים טובים מתרחשים ואכן הייתה עבור כולנו חוויה עוצמתית, מרגשת, מצחיקה, מלמדת, מעשירה ומעל הכל - חוויה של ביחד - בכנס השלישי של טיפול זוגי ממוקד גוף נפש רוח ביחד שאנו זקוקים לו ורוצים אותו בתור מטפלים.ות תודה לדינה בן יקיר, ג׳ודיתה בן דוד, אריה בורשטיין והדר שולשטיין אלרום. על סדנאות מרתקות עם תרגולים חוויתיים מעולים שהעשירו אותנו בכלים נוספים לטיפול הזוגי. תודה לנעמה אור ודניאל קישינובסקי על סדנת הומור ביחסים, שריגשה והזכירה לנו כמה חשוב לצחוק ביחד. תודה לגברת רביע (דניאל) שהצחיקה ורגשה אותנו עד דמעות. תודה מיוחדת ליותם עבו - על הסיוע בארגון והפקה של ההשתלמות מקצועית / כנס. ותודה ל 80 מטפלים ומטפלות מרחבי הארץ שהגיעו , תרגלו, נשמו , שתפו ויצרו ביחד מפגש מרתק נהניתי מאוד להנחות סדנה על פיסול צרכים ורצונות אישיים וזוגיים וריגש אותי מאוד שהכנס היה ב 24.11 יום ההולדת שלי, כך שהייתי מוקף באנשים מקסימים ואוהבים. תודה על כל הברכות המרגשות. לא נותר אלא לצרף תמונות ולחכות לכנס הבא במאי 2023. מאחל לכולנו יום נפלא גבריאל
מתנצלים על רעשי הרקע בדקות הראשונות
- כוח החיים -
ערב לכבוד 100 שנים להולדתה של גרדה בויסן
בויסן, פסיכולוגית, פזיותרפיסטית, מאמהות הפסיכותרפיה הגופנית ומפתחת הגישה הביודינמית.
את הערב ינחו ענת בן-ישראל וגבריאל שירז, תלמידיה הישירים של בויסן באנגליה.
ענת וגבריאל ישתפו על חווית הלימוד עם גרדה, על האישיות הייחודית שלה ועל הדרך בה פיתחה את גישת הפסיכותרפיה הביודינמית
