EFA Posts
test 04-2025
EFA-Newsletters past
Dear Focusers,
With this newsletter we wish you a healthy and prosperous year 2025!
We would like to inform you about several interesting EFA developments:
Joining the 2025 EFA gathering in Belgium in September
From Wednesday 17th to Sunday 21st of September
The EFA gathering takes place – 5 days/4 nights – in the beautiful retreat center Koningsteen in Kapelle-op-den-Bos in Belgium.
The gathering starts Wednesday night 17th of September with a dinner (18.30 hrs) and ends Sunday 21st after lunch (13.00 hrs).
THE REGISTRATION/BOOKING starts on MARCH 1st!
The primary purpose of the annual EFA gathering is for European Focusers to connect and inspire each other, and to create European work relationships.
The programme will be co-created at the beginning of the gathering. Any ideas, proposals or travel plans from participants can be given/seen on the Communication Platform.
In the October EFA Newsletter you can read the experiences of the 2024 gathering.
THE VENUE LOCATION
The venue is located between Antwerp and Brussels, outside the beautiful town of Mechelen (9 kms). On the website www.koningsteen.be/ you will see pictures of the location and the green surrounding fields where it will be a pleasure to stay.
THE ACCOMMODATION IN KONINGSTEEN
The venue has 20 bedrooms with 43 beds. Some shared rooms have 2 beds and other 3 beds. We promote the use of sharing your room, so more people can stay at the venue. If you do not know with whom to share, we will do some match-making.
THE REGISTRATION/BOOKING
On March 1st you will find the registration/booking form on the EFA website and you can book your participation and accommodation. You can indicate your room choice on the registration/booking form.
For more detailed information about the location and prices please go here to the EFA website.
We hope you will join us in Belgium! Welcome!
The Carrying Forward Activities
The Interest Groups
Here as a reminder of the titles and contact info of the existing as well as the envisioned interest groups. For details, click here
- Teachers Group
Facilitated by: Amona and Ria, every second Monday of the month, 19 hrs CET.
Please inform Ria to receive an invitation/link.. - Environmental-Centered Experiencing / Climate Change
Please email Teresa as the facilitator.. - EFA Certifications (Freda)
- Free Creative Sweet Spot (Freda)
- Flowcusing
Focusing & Flow, meet 3 or 4 times per year (Olaf) - Conscious Connecting
Non-violent communication + U Process/Otto Scharmer (Eveline). - Bringing young people to EFA
How to ensure Focusing is passed on from the Elders (Danny & Olaf) - How would that Focusing City look like? (Monica)
- Social Oriented Focusing
How to bring Focusing into our daily actions (Yehudit)
In the next EFA newsletter we would like to include updates from (the initiators of) each interest group. What’s been happening? Has something carried forward? Would you like to offer an update to EFA members via our newsletter? Please let the steering group know by replying to this email.
The Discussion List
So far, few people have signed up for the EFA discussion list . We invite you to subscribe for the discussion list as it is a simple way for EFA members to communicate with each other. Sign up and share your interest or topic or request and … Sign up here
Peter Afford (UK) joins the Steering Group
After the stepping back of Fiona Parr, we have now a new member from the UK in the Steering Group. Peter has been involved a long time in meeting with other European Focusers before the European Focusing Association officially formed its mission in 2017.
The last two years Peter participated in the annual EFA gatherings and expressed his liking to contribute to carry EFA forwards and be part of the steering group. We welcome Peter heartfully and are looking forward to his participation!
Hejo Feuerstein’s 80th birthday-present
Hejo, one of the founders of the European Focusing Association’s mission and who left the steering group last year, celebrated his 80th birthday last month.
His friends, colleagues and staff offered him a book (in German) that presents selected fundamentals, potentials and new application contexts of Focusing and experiential psychology in overviews by various authors. The book is available here.
At the end of the book it includes a word of appreciation (in English) by EFA (complied by Fiona Parr and Ruth Hirsch) with an overview of the history of EFA. You can read an excerpt here and for all of it, see the EFA post here.
“… We’re remembering a number of times when many of us Focusing colleagues met for a weekend to collaborate and create something together. We each spoke about our vision for EFA and what was important to us. Hejo spoke movingly about Germany’s recent history and how it brought a heavy burden for the German people. He felt that EFA could be a way forward, bringing hope and healing. He has said that EFA is like a peace project, embodying a real need for collaboration for Europeans to work together. This is what inspired many of us to contribute to the project….”
If you have something you want to share via the Newsletter, please let us know.
We wish you all a prosperous year 2025!
The EFA Steering Group
Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler, Ruth Hirsch, Dietmar Steinbach, Ria van Hage, Cornelius Gehrig, Lucy Hyde, Peter Afford
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1st Feb 2025
Short History of the European Focusing Association (EFA) and Appreciations of Heinz-Joachim Feuerstein
European Focusing Association - EFA
EFA Posts Uncategorized
Fiona Parr and Ruth Hirsch – for EFA – January 2025
What is the EFA?
The EFA is a European network for Focusers to develop Focusing and the Experiential Approach through collaboration, openness and mutual support. An informal organization with no hierarchy, Board or Director, EFA is open to all European Focusers. It has a Steering Group which holds the primary responsibility for organizing the next events. This group offers support to projects, but does not actually lead the EFA.
The EFA dream (from the report of the Loutraki EFA conference in 2018)
The First EFA Conference (2018) may be regarded as bringing closer the fulfillment of a dream held by a group of European coordinators who came together in 2009 [at Hejo’s home in Gengenbach] to plan a Focusing ‘academy ’where those of us in Europe could ‘cross borders ’and learn from each other, ideally working together in a cooperative and non- hierarchical way. This is not easy to achieve. For centuries, there have been wars and conflict in Europe, and there remain many challenges. We have to struggle to understand each other on a continent where there are 24 official languages and where, despite English being the most commonly used language between nationalities, the vast majority of us are not native English speakers. Our cultural assumptions and our instinctive ways of relating to each other and dealing with difficult situations are very different. Focusing takes us beyond these differences. As one German participant, who has lived his whole life in the shadow of World War II, said of a very moving interaction with one of the Israeli participants: ‘It’s not just about building one bridge, but about building many bridges between nations.’
History of EFA Meetings
EFA members met for the first official meeting in Pforzheim in 2010 and met in person almost every year since. The intention of these gatherings is to interact with one another, share, play, learn from each other, create, build connections, plan projects together, and have fun. To date, we’ve met in Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, UK, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, and during the pandemic, online on Zoom.
Some EFA activities
- Organized and hosted the International European Focusing Conference in 2018 in Loutraki, Greece.
- Published two-volume compilation of articles on “Senses of Focusing” to explore issues that emerged at the 2018 Loutraki conference. This work aimed to create space for those whose first language is not English. Non-native English speakers constituted roughly half of the contributors.
- Developed a European Oriented Focusing Coaching Training program appropriate to the multi-cultural and multi-lingual European context.
- Hosts annual meetings for members to get together and collaborate across borders.
- Created an interactive website https://efa-focusing.eu, and Facebook pages.
- Ongoing monthly online Group on teaching Focusing in Europe.
- Monthly online member’s meetings.
Appreciations
Besides being one of the visionaries and founding members of EFA, Hejo has brought special and unique qualities to EFA, laying a solid foundation for an enduring legacy for the future. Following are some appreciations from EFA members that demonstrate some of Hejo’s contributions.
In an unassuming way, Hejo stands up for an open, non-hierarchical space while holding a strong vision for how we might interact.
Living process
Hejo has the courage to let go of the normal structures that we often rely on at the expense of authentic relating. He holds out for a living process in a Focusing way; holding space for what’s going to come through. He does this by stepping back and leaving space for others in a soft and kind way.
Spontaneity
Hejo has a deeply unwavering faith in leaving space for spontaneity, for things to happen organically – the opposite of clinging to rigid structures or protocols. What he wanted and stood by was very important to him, and he transferred this to the EFA. This has meant a lot to him, and he’s given an enormous amount. He also brings a quality of authentic modesty to his way of sharing what he believes in.
Multi-lingual communication
Many also remember how, at the conclusion of gatherings, at the point when we were winding down, Hejo would surprise the group by bringing up the important subject of how we were going to work across the language barriers in Europe. It was an urgent question that cut through any sense of complacency at the end of the meeting and inspired us to revisit this important issue.
One member commented that he makes a living room for the other and always does this in a modest way. It takes enormous strength to stand back in the way that he has.
History
We’re remembering a number of times when many of us Focusing colleagues met for a weekend to collaborate and create something together. We each spoke about our vision for EFA and what was important to us. Hejo spoke movingly about Germany’s recent history and how it brought a heavy burden for the German people. He felt that EFA could be a way forward, bringing hope and healing. He has said that EFA is like a peace project, embodying a real need for collaboration for Europeans to work together. This is what inspired many of us to contribute to the project.
As a tribute to how important it has been to Hejo to allow participation by non-native English speakers we include a few appreciations from colleagues in their native languages.
In Dutch: Dank je wel Hejo Feuerstein, jouw drijvende levensenergie blijft stromen vanuit de wortels van de Europese Focusing Associatie (EFA) door de aderen van de boom naar waar het nu bloeit.
In Finnish: Hejo, sinun lämpösi ja huumorintajusi ovat koskettaneet meitä kaikkia – kiitos ja kaikkea hyvää jatkoon!
In conclusion, one member wrote: Thanks to Prof. Dr. Hejo Feuerstein`s sustainable engagement, the European Focusing Network began to flower and is more and more blooming. I remember meeting for the first time in Liege and the founding of the network and how it slowly took shape, followed by meetings in London, Spain, Greece, and Tübingen, Greece, and a few times in Italy. In all these steps, Hejo was the driving force keeping the project going and developing. Now the European vision of Focusing flows through an engaged ongoing group of people and will hopefully ignite even more European inter- living…
With deeply felt thanks and heartfelt-good wishes for his life in the 80th.
EFA-Newsletters past
Dear Focusers,
With this newsletter we would like to look back with you at the last annual EFA gathering and moving forward to the future, to the next gathering in Belgium.
Looking back on the 2024 EFA gathering in Achberg, Germany
In September, 31 members from 11 European countries came together for 5 days to create and enjoy our annual EFA gathering near Lake Constance at Humboldt Haus, a retreat center in Achberg, Germany. Gendlin himself offered Focusing workshops here between 1992 and 1997. Regina Juergens made the connection to this place for us. Everything there felt supportive: the pleasant meeting rooms, the delicious buffets, the Focusing energy stored in the walls and the beautiful natural surroundings with an occasional stunning view of the snowy Alps.
Together we were enjoying ‘The Waves of Life, sensing and thinking freshly’ for 5 days.
On the first day, Heidrun Essler once again worked her magic by guiding us calmly and clearly through the process of creating the programme together. After that, we enjoyed a rich mix of interest groups, discussions, workshops, presentations, sharing and experientials. We also took time twice a day for partner Focusing and small “home groups”. This format created a perfect balance: we were able to share new ideas and insights and then digest and integrate what we learned in our Focusing times, making what we had received our own through personal reflection. The somewhat rainy week gave us plenty of time to hang out together, chat, sing, dance, sleep, and much more.
When it came to the question of how to carry EFA forward, we tried out a new format, a four-table journey, similar to what some of you know as a “World Café”. With pre-set topics: Future EFA gatherings, Website, Finance, and Open Space, everyone had the opportunity to talk about each topic and brainstorm ideas in small groups. It was fun, creative, effective, and much appreciated by many. Hopefully, many of us will feel called to put some of these wonderful ideas into action.
The sharing of our experiences, participants’ feedback:
At our monthly EFA online meeting, held just two days after our gathering, we shared what was particularly valuable to each of us from our time together. The flavour of what’s growing in the European Focusers’ associating shows in the feedback from participants. Just a couple of impressions shared here. You can find everybody’s feedback on the website here.
Heidrun: The gathering felt like Focusing and interacting the Focusing way the whole time. It feels like something fell into place for us as European Focusers. It’s unique in how it is not like a conference, where one runs from one workshop to the next. We have reached a point, where Focusing exchanges around themes can happen in a different, beautiful way.
Rosella: The 2024 EFA gathering has had for me a quality of attentive care and support for each other. I connected with participants I hadn’t encountered in the previous gatherings. A thoughtful structure and an imaginative way of allowing people to unfold their own creativity. The venue was beautiful and the meals really healthy: I enjoyed every minute!
Ria: I was so amazed and happy to see – on the first morning when we all co-created the program – how many happenings were offered, it was like a busy energetic beehive. With such a diversity of workshops, topics and other activities that it was difficult to choose where to go and enjoy ‘the honey’!
The co-creating of the programme with all the happenings:
On the first morning and during the following days we created the programme together.
You can find the resulting Happenings that took place here on the website.
The Carrying Forward Sessions:
During the ‘carrying forward sessions’ all kinds of new ideas and initiatives were brought forward. We invite you to have a look here.
Interest Groups:
Many new ideas for interest groups have emerged and we have now added a short description to each group. We invite you to contact the initiators if you are interested in joining or co-creating with them. Take a look here.
Fiona Parr’s stepping down from the Steering Group
Fiona Parr, who has been part of EFA and the steering group since ‘the beginning’, announced during the 2024 gathering that she is stepping back from the steering group. After so many years she thought it would be time for others to carry forward in the role of steering group member. The very very long applause after the announcement showed how Fiona was valued and appreciated by all of us for all she has contributed for so many years. Her response to the long applause was representative of her being: modest, dedicated and ’shy’ with all the attention she got.
We, the EFA steering team, will miss her greatly and we thank her so much for all she contributed and for who she is.
Moving to the future…
The 2025 EFA gathering will take place in Belgium from 17th to 21st September 2025.
In 2025 the EFA gathering takes place – 5 days/4 nights – in the beautiful retreat center Koningsteen in Kapelle-op-den-Bos in Belgium. WELCOME! And SAVE THE DATE!
The primary purpose of the annual EFA gathering is for European Focusers to connect and inspire each other, and to create European work relationships.
All information can be found on the EFA website here. The start of registration to participate will be announced later. We invite you to join us in Belgium at this beautiful place! Welcome!
The 2026 EFA gathering that will take place in Scotland from 23rd to 27th September.
Information will follow in due course on the EFA website. SAVE the DATE!
If you have an idea of where to meet in 2027 please contact us!
For now, we wish you a beautiful autumn time!
Warmly
The EFA Steering group
Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler, Ruth Hirsch,
Dietmar Steinbach, Ria van Hage, Cornelius Gehrig, Lucy Hyde
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EFA-Newsletters past
Annual EFA Gathering in Achberg, Germany, 25 – 29 September 2024There has been an enthusiastic response to this year’s gathering at Humboldt Haus, near Achberg, Germany. Thirty-three people from nine countries have signed up! All the bedrooms within Humboldt Haus are now booked, however the venue can accommodate many more people as day guests. There are various accommodation options locally, so join us for an enjoyable, inspiring, enriching time together! It’s taking place from 25 – 29 September, and you can find all the details on the website here. Theme: Surfing the Waves of Life – Sensing and Thinking FreshlyVia the Google document on the webpage, you can add your wishes, ideas and suggestions. Perhaps you’d be interested in a discussion group, a shared exploring, or leading a workshop? Let us know You can read a little bit about our recent annual gatherings in Bassano Del Grappa, northern Italy, here, to see what people have appreciated and enjoyed about getting together with other Focusers. Everyone is welcome – please join us! EFA Members’ Meeting The next EFA members’ meeting is happening on Thursday 1 August at 6pm GMT, 7pm CET, and 8pm in Greece, Israel and Finland. We often have a theme to sense into and share. Do you have a theme you would like to explore this time? Please contact Fiona if you are not on the list to get the Zoom link: If you have not yet joined the EFA discussion group yet, you can do so here. Warmly Fiona Parr, Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler, Ruth Hirsch, |
EFA-Gatherings past
In September, 31 members from 11 European countries came together for 5 days to create and enjoy our annual EFA gathering near Lake Constance at Humboldt Haus, a retreat center in Achberg, Germany.
Gendlin himself offered Focusing workshops here between 1992 and 1997.
Regina Juergens made the connection to this place for us.
Everything there felt supportive: the pleasant meeting rooms, the delicious buffets, the Focusing energy stored in the walls and the beautiful natural surroundings with an occasional stunning view of the snowy Alps.
Together we were enjoying ‘The Waves of Life, sensing and thinking freshly’ for 5 days.
At our monthly EFA online meeting, held just two days after our gathering, we shared what was particularly valuable to each of us from our time together. The flavour of what’s growing in the European Focusers’ associating shows in the feedback from participants.
You can read more about the Gathering further down – but first we share what participants said about it in their own words:
Heidrun:
The gathering felt like Focusing and interacting the Focusing way the whole time. It feels like something fell into place for us as European Focusers. It’s unique in how it is not like a conference, where one runs from one workshop to the next. We have reached a point, where Focusing exchanges around themes can happen in a different, beautiful way.
Bruna:
It has become much clearer what we are looking for, what we want to build together. It felt like a very flexible structure of workshops, interest groups, exchanges, and home groups where I was free to enjoy whatever I wanted.
Lucy:
It was a healing and resourcing experience for me, supported by the quality of Presence that was there. It was the feeling of a well-making shared Presence.
Sari:
I loved our four-table structure for carrying EFA forward on some basic topics: gatherings, website, finance, and open space. Everybody was beautifully involved, it felt like the “World Café” we had done in the past, and some interest groups emerged from it.
Regina:
It is the third time I joined the EFA gatherings, and I will come back next year (-: It was so easy to propose a workshop or to join a workshop. I enjoyed my daily Qigong offering; it is so much nicer when others join. I enjoyed the direct bodily contact with people and being in nature. I liked the format with the four tables for carrying forward EFA, it felt like a coming together to find the best possible way forward together. Speaking English was a challenge for me. I know that one Focusing partnership will remain from this gathering (smile).
Teresa:
EFA has become a strong being, an identity. The four tables format will go into history! It was vivid and joyful. Usually having a hard time with online meetings, it feels so good to meet in person and be in the same room together. Sharing amongst colleagues is inspiring, to belong to the EFA Focusing community is very precious to me.
Rosella:
The 2024 EFA gathering has had for me a quality of attentive care and support for each other. I connected with participants I hadn’t encountered in the previous gatherings. A thoughtful structure and an imaginative way of allowing people to unfold their own creativity. The venue was beautiful and the meals really healthy: I enjoyed every minute!
Hejo:
We moved from structure-bound to a more open structure. Just being there and seeing what wants to happen, spending time together. There are projects and one can join if one wants to.
Ria:
I was so amazed and happy to see – on the first morning when we all co-created the program – how many happenings were offered, it was like a busy energetic beehive. With such a diversity of workshops, topics and other activities that it was difficult to choose where to go and enjoy ‘the honey’!
Amona:
I loved everybody’s wholehearted, considerate engagement, which – it seems – has a lot to do with the current open structure that we have developed. Just enough to stimulate everyone’s creativity, but not too much or too rigid that wouldn’t allow spontaneous ideas. In particular, it felt good how we playfully considered the question “How do we want to carry EFA forward?”
Day 1: Information about the current situation in the whole group.
Day 2: Topic tables, spinning ideas in small groups.
Day 3: Summary of ideas that came from the topic tables and a fresh exchange about them in the whole group.
I felt surprisingly rejuvenated after our gathering, even though it was kind of non-stop (-:
Ruth:
For me, these gatherings keep getting better. This was the richest one is so many ways: the participants, the quality of conversations, workshops, gatherings. It was a privilege to be a part of it!
Peter Afford:
Many thanks to you all and especially the steering group for an excellent and very enjoyable few days together in a beautiful setting. I think the steering group put a lot of thought and effort into it – this is appreciated!
I hope you have all re-adjusted to normal life, it can feel like quite a shift to make.
Here more about the form of the Gathering
On the first day, Heidrun Essler once again worked her magic by guiding us calmly and clearly through the process of creating the programme together. After that, we enjoyed a rich mix of interest groups, discussions, workshops, presentations, sharing and experientials. We also took time twice a day for partner Focusing and small “home groups”. This format created a perfect balance: we were able to share new ideas and insights and then digest and integrate what we learned in our Focusing times, making what we had received our own through personal reflection. The somewhat rainy week gave us plenty of time to hang out together, chat, sing, dance, sleep, and much more.
When it came to the question of how to carry EFA forward, we tried out a new format, a four-table journey, similar to what some of you know as a “World Café”. With pre-set topics: Future EFA gatherings, Website, Finance, and Open Space, everyone had the opportunity to talk about each topic and brainstorm ideas in small groups. It was fun, creative, effective, and much appreciated by many. Hopefully, many of us will feel called to put some of these wonderful ideas into action.
HAPPENINGS AT THE GATHERING
On the first morning and during the following days we created the programme together. Here are the Happenings that took place.
Environmental-Centered Focusing: interest group to share experiences around climate change and the environment. Facilitator – Teresa.
Making a bouquet: experimental workshop / sharing using creative methods / drawing linked to clearing a space. Facilitator – Rosella.
Pattern makers & constant restructuring: reading the final chapter of Gendlin’s ‘Focusing’ together and having a Focusing, sensing conversation about carrying forward, creating new structures, unstructuring. Facilitator – Amona.
Flowcusing: interest group reflecting, sensing into, sharing experiences of the intersection or crossing of ‘flow’ and Focusing. Facilitator – Olaf.
Climate change dialoguing: Felt sense dialogue around the theme of climate change. Facilitator – Peter.
Focusing with images: working with portraits for a different way of Focusing. Facilitator – Silvia.
Focusing without content: Demonstration and exercise of a Focusing conversation with ‘what is not spoken’, where the speaker senses an issue without sharing the story. Facilitator – Christiane.
Travelling and coming home: a workshop of sensing and thinking freshly around the theme of going away and coming home. Facilitator – Ria.
How to name it?: experiential sharing in a group how it is called when we cross Focusing with ‘something else’. Facilitator – Freda.
Focusing research: interest group about research into Focusing attitudes and felt sense literacy. Facilitator – Danny.
Dreams: workshop / demonstration of dreaming and Focusing, how we dream even when we don’t remember dreams. Facilitator – Teresa.
Spiritual bypassing: interest group looking at narrow complexity and spiritual bypassing. Facilitator – Haik.
Exploring illness: a sharing group exploring marginality, otherness and othering for people with long-term health conditions; interpersonal relationships and how to be in the world. Facilitator Lucy VP.
Smartphones & Focusing: interest group around Focusing in the age of smartphones and instant catching of our attention. Facilitator – Danny.
A Focusing window for Ukraine: a sharing and interest group on how can Focusing be present during war, how we can cultivate crumbles of life during the war to a Garden of Inner Peace. Facilitator – Gosia.
Changes groups: starting Changes groups. Facilitator – Regina.
During free times / outside ‘workshop hours’:
Sitting in the stillness: early morning exercise every day of silently sitting in the stillness with Silvia.
Qi Gong: before breakfast each day indoors or outside with Regina.
Walking in the countryside with Eveline.
Dancing in the evenings with DJs Thomas & Amona.
Music and singing in the evening with Amona & Heidrun.
EFA CARRYING FORWARD
During the ‘carrying forward sessions’ Fri, Sat, Sun all kinds of new ideas and initiatives were brought forward.
Members can see the same content but with names of each person who made the suggestion. Log into your members’ acount and then find the link: “Member Documents”
Website / Facebook / Social Media
- A number of people have offered that they can help with website support
- Contribution from all members invited for articles, etc to be added to the website.
- Contribution from all members invited to become involved in starting / sharing in discussions in the EFA Facebook forum group
- EFA email discussion list – members invited to use this also for discussions / sharing (not just Facebook forum).
- Is it possible for members to include EFA logo on their own websites, and for the logo to be a clickable link to EFA’s site
- Would ‘certification’ by EFA demonstrate that a member is embedded in the EFA community?
Finances
- Discussion of potential donation of scholarship for members who might not otherwise be able to come to a Gathering. Suggestion that this can work by linking up those who want to offer, and those who can’t afford, so they can arrange a direct transfer between them.
- Request for communication of ongoing cash balance after a Gathering – this might influence whether people decide to donate more.
- Last will & testament? Lottery winnings? – this is difficult at the moment without a formal organisational structure, but things can still be arranged between specific people. One can name an individual in one’s will who should get such and such amount of money to be used for such and such.
- Retirement home / community for Focusers? Or Multigenerational Living Community.
Future gatherings
- 2025 Belgium gathering.
- BFA summer school – August 2025 – this is an international gathering, details are on the BFA website
- Suggestion to put all national gatherings on the EFA website
- Would it be possible to make audio recordings of Happenings for when people are unable to attend (i.e. when we want to go to 2 happenings that are at the same time)?
- More communication that it’s possible to come to only part of the Gathering (Freda) – BUT – this can affect the feel of the Gathering as a whole
- Suggestion to consult with members about the best date
- Could the Gathering be structured to have longer workshops (2-3 hours) AND having a strong theme with opportunity to shape Happenings around this?
- 2026 Gathering in Scotland – to check whether we can stay before / after Gathering dates (meals before or after gathering visitors?)
- 2025 Gathering in Belgium – we can stay the Mon/Tue before and until the next day Monday, 10am.
- Are there too many events in 2026 (TIFI, person-centred, EFA)?
Open space
- See interest groups here
- Qi Gong – to be a regular offering at EFA gatherings
- Give space to one of the original principles of EFA, that nations cooperate and collaborate
- EFA creating sweet spot: quarterly offering to the community for members to learn more about how to bring forward felt-sensing through various creative ways, in English and German
Annual EFA Gathering 2024: Humboldt-Haus in Achberg, Germany
September 25 to 29, 2024
The primary purpose of Annual EFA Gatherings is for European Focusers to connect and inspire each other, and to create European work relationships. Those from other parts of the world are also welcome to join.
THE VENUE
Humboldt-Haus in Achberg is well known amongst German and Swiss Focusers as various Focusing groups have been offered here by Eugene Gendlin. Some say, that’s the place through which Focusing came to Germany.
You can see more information here: https://humboldt-haus.de/
If it interests you to translate the website to your language, go to Google Translate and on the right side of the top ribbon select “websites” and post https://humboldt-haus.de into the field, click translate > Voila. (Words on images remain German).
THE POOL WAS OPEN FOR THOSE WHO DARED TO SWIM IN SEPTEMBER
ACCOMMODATION
All prices included three meals
Single room €103
Small twin room €83 per person (140cm bed or two single beds)
Large twin room €89 per person
Your own mobile home €63, second person €56
Camping €56 (your own tent) per person
Once all rooms were taken, Humboldt Haus recommended places to stay in the village of Achberg.
SURROUNDED BY BEAUTIFUL NATURE (and people)
MEALS
All meals were vegetarian or vegan and served buffet style. Great quality and comfortable spaces. (-:
BUFFET, THREE TIMES DAILY – DINING SPACES INSIDE & OUTDOORS
Diets, gluten-free, or lactose-free meals
Upon request. Surcharge: €7 per day (breakfast €2, lunch €3, dinner €2).
ADDITIONAL COST
Every participant brought €65 in cash for the contribution to the workshop rooms.
EFA-Newsletters past
Dear Focusers
Annual EFA Gathering in Achberg, Germany, September 2024
There has already been an enthusiastic response to this year’s gathering at Humboldt Haus, near Achberg, Germany. Thirty-three people from ten countries have already signed up!
While all the bedrooms within Humboldt Haus are now booked, the venue can accommodate many more people for our workshops and meals. There are various accommodation options locally, and Humboldt Haus will organize your lodging at comfortable walking distance for you! We’d love you to join us for an enjoyable, inspiring, enriching time together!
It’s taking place from 25 – 29 September. You can find all the details on the website here.
Your input is highly valued! You can add your wishes, ideas, and suggestions via our 2024 Gathering communication platform. Perhaps you’d be interested in a discussion group, shared exploration, or leading a workshop? Your ideas can help to shape our gathering, so please let us know.
We are also inviting ideas for a theme, which can invite a background atmosphere for our gathering or even concrete ideas for what and how we might create or share something. Please add your theme ideas to our online communication platform.
Our recent annual gatherings in Bassano Del Grappa in northern Italy have been a testament to the warm and welcoming atmosphere we strive to create. You can read a little bit about them here, to see what people have appreciated and enjoyed about getting together with other Focusers. Everyone is welcome – please join us!
Warmly
on behalf of the Steering group
Fiona Parr, Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler, Ruth Hirsch,
Dietmar Steinbach, Ria van Hage, Lucy Hyde
EFA Posts
EUROPEAN FOCUSING ASSOCIATION (EFA) WEBSITE
https://efa-focusing.eu/resource/instructions-for-the-efa-website/
Instructions for:
- Becoming a member
- Adding content
- Signing up for the newsletter
- Signing up for the discussion list
- Translating the website
HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF EFA
- Sign up for membership https://efa-focusing.eu/community/become-a-efa-member
- Wait for membership confirmation by email. This may take a few days, it is manual!
HOW TO SET UP YOUR PROFILE
- Once you have been approved as a member, set up your account and create your profile https://efa-focusing.eu/register
- You are now able to add content: articles, research studies, video links, your workshops/events… you need to have the copyright for text, images, and videos
- For detailed instructions how to add content on the website, read on.
HOW TO EDIT YOUR WEBSITE PROFILE & ADD CONTENT
To make changes to your profile, please log in to your account by clicking “Log in” on the upper right blue area or by clicking menu > login, or click here: https://efa-focusing.eu/login
You will land on the “My Account” page. Click any of the links to add/change or delete your content. After you have made changes to your content, apply changes by scrolling to the bottom of the page and click on “save” or “publish”.
HOW TO GET BACK TO THE “MY ACCOUNT” PAGE
Scroll all the way up on any page and click on the “Welcome back <your first name> ” link in the blue colored area on the top right. This will take you to the ” My Account” page https://efa-focusing.eu/my-account. Edit your content as mentioned above.
DETAILS ABOUT EDITING YOUR CONTENT AND SETTINGS
Please use texts and images on the EFA website that are available for public use, e.g. those licensed under Creative Commons, or royalty-free images from websites like https://www.pexels.com/. You can also use images you have taken yourself, or ask someone the use of their own photos for this purpose. All people who show on your photos need to have agreed to you in writing, that you are allowed to use the photo in public (for promotional purposes). You cannot upload PDF files. To create a PDF file from articles members have posted, right-click on any page, select “print” then in the printer-choice dropdown-menu select PDF and save.
Post content in your language
You can enter your workshops/events as well as your resources, articles etc. in your own European language. Visitors to the site can then filter resources and events by language.
For the public, only filters for the languages for which at least one entry exists will be visible.
EFA members directory listings:
When website users look at the EFA members directory without ticking any extra search options, all EFA members appear in the directory who have answered “yes” to the option “Make my profile publicly visible” in their profile. You can say separately yes or no to include your phone or email in your public profile.
Members who said no to this option will not appear for website visitors, however, logged-in, EFA members can still look at the profile of all members.
Website visitors will be able to sort members by a list or see members on a map.
The List View
The directory listing is in a randomized order (every day a new random order is generated by the website) and can be also reordered by website users alphabetically or with any of the filters on the left-hand side. Your profile will show up in all the search options, which you ticked in your profile.
The Map View
If you want to be visible on the map you need to add your location, and best also your post code in your profile. To do so, click: “Edit my membership profile” on your “my-account” page. Enter your town and postcode, at the top of the map. Once you have done this, the map in your public profile will show a red marker at your chosen location. On the frontend (as visitors will see it), you might have to clear your browser’s cache to see the changes, or open an incognito window.
Visitors can search EFA-members by country, town or postcode. The chosen location will show as a little round dark shadow on the map and the member’s list to the left of the map will sort itself by distance to this location.
HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE DISCUSSION LIST
- Sign up for the discussion list: https://efa-focusing.eu/news/discussion-list
- You will receive an email within seconds and need to click the link in the confirmation email to complete the process
- You can then send an email via discussion-list@efa-focusing.eu to all those who have also signed up for the discussion list.
HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
https://efa-focusing.eu/news/newsletter/
You will receive an email within seconds and need to click the link in that email to complete the process (check your spam folder).
HOW TO TRANSLATE THE WEBSITE TO YOUR LANGUAGE
Simply click the Google “Select Language” field on the top blue ribbon > Choose your language. Every time you land on a new page, it takes a moment to again translate the new page to your language.
EFA-Newsletters past
Dear Focusers,
In the newsletter this month:
- Report of the EFA gathering in Bassano del Grappa, October 2023
- Minutes from the General Assembly October 2023
- Notice of 2024 gathering in Achberg, South Germany
- Monthly meetings
News from the 2023 EFA gathering
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28 members from 8 European countries plus the US and Australia gathered for sharing, learning, Focusing and conversation in a wonderful venue in the beautiful old town of Bassano del Grappa, Northern Italy. Lucy van Praag found the venue for us, and liaised with them about creating a menu suitable for our needs. Heidrun Essler beautifully facilitated the co-creation of a programme of happenings for our days together.
We had ‘happenings’ of workshops and presentations, interest groups and experiential explorations, and there was space for personal reflections and integration though partner Focusing and meeting together in small ‘home groups’. There was plenty of unstructured time for conversations and connections over coffee and drinks in the bar, during shared mealtimes, and walks.
More people attended the gathering this year. It really feels like we are growing our community. You can see photos from the event and get a flavour of the gathering by following this link.
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General Assembly
Here is a link to the minutes of General Assembly
Notice of 2024 gathering in Achtberg, South Germany
We are delighted to announce that next year’s gathering will be on 25 – 29 September 2024 at Humboldt-Haus in Achberg, South Germany. Regina Jürgens had taken on to research about two venues in Germany, and this venue perfectly matches what we need. Full details including how to book, are on the website. Here is the link.
Monthly meetings
The monthly Members meetings are continuing on the 1st of every month, at 7pm – 8pm CET. The next meeting is on Friday 1 December. The format of this group is appreciated by the attendees. We have an attunement at the beginning, and then see what emerges from that. It’s an open, heart-felt space. Everyone is welcome. If you want to come to the meeting for the first time, please let Fiona know and she will send you the link.
Warmly
on behalf of the Steering group
Fiona Parr, Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler, Ruth Hirsch, Dietmar Steinbach,
Hejo Feuerstein, Ria van Hage
.
EFA-Newsletters past
Dear European Focusing colleagues,
We are excited to let you know, that 20 people have already signed up for our Annual EFA Gathering, October 25 – 29 2023, in Bassano, Italy. This year’s theme is:
Belogning beyond borders
listening beyond
For details and information on how to participate in EFA upcoming events.
Our idea is that we can hold this year’s theme as a background atmosphere to support and inspire us to co-create our time together- our sharings, workshops, meetings, and more.
The New EFA Website
38 of you have signed up to be a member. So far, 28 of you have a publicly visible profile. You might want to check if you have made yourself visible, not just to the members but to anyone visiting the site.
More features have been added to the website:
EFA-members-directory
Visitors can now choose to see EFA-members on a list or a map. If you want to be visible on the map you need to add your location in your profile. Visitors can search EFA members by location and by doing so the member’s list (to the left of the map) will sort itself by distance to this location. Find more detailed instructions here.
Translate the website to your language
1. Click “Language” on the top blue ribbon > Then, one line above that, below the url, select your language from a drop-down menu. Every time you land on a new page, again select the language from the drop-down menu. Find more detailed instructions here. Or..
2. Right-click on PC/control-click on Mac on any page > From the drop-down menu select “translate…” > In the little window that opens on top, click the three dots and select any language from the drop-down menu. Every time you land on a new page, do the same.
>> If you know a better, free website translation tool, please let us know.
Post content in your language
You can now enter your course/events as well as your resources: articles/theses/videos, in your own European language. Website visitors can then filter resources and events by language. Find more detailed instructions here.
Please let European, non-English speaking Focuser friends know about these language features and invite them to become an EFA-member.
EFA Discussion list
Very few of you have joined the discussion list. This is a nice way for all of us to share topics and questions of interest with one another. Sign up here.
Warmly,
on behalf of the Steering group
Fiona Parr, Sari Pekki, Amona Buechler, Ruth Hirsch,
Dietmar Steinbach, Hejo Feuerstein, Cornelius Gehrig, Ria van Hage