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.