EFA-Newsletters past
Dear Focusers,
Welcome to our newsletter 3/2025.
Looking back at the EFA Annual Gathering 2025
17th to 21st September 2025 in Koningsteen, Belgium
Impressions and experiences from participants
An impression by Machiel Swillens
From all corners of Europe, we gathered – 41 Focusers from the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Scotland, England, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, and from Israel and the US – in a small Belgian village for four days of Fiesta of Focusing. Retreat Centre Koningsteen consists of multiple buildings and is surrounded by green farmlands and beautiful old trees. After arrival, we meet on the square by the yin-yang pond. Reunion with old friends, and new introductions. The next morning, we gather in a large hall called Isis. A program is put together with everyone’s input. Soon, 24 happenings are on the agenda. So much beauty and interest! How will I choose?
There are workshops, and smaller get-togethers centered around a theme or question, there is time for Focusing partnerships, and, at the end of every afternoon, home groups where you can catch your breath and share your experiences. There, I also hear about the happenings I missed. Those about climate, the situation in the world, what we do when we pause, listening in three directions, TAE, inner movement, living your questions, trauma, how different process-oriented practices inspire each other, breath, children’s books, space holding with physical threat… too many to list. One happening is called Doing Nothing Together. That was done outside under a tree. I hear only enthusiastic stories about it. I personally experience constellation exercises in Home Focusing, I attend an introduction to Focusing for the Koningsteen volunteers, I sing mantras in a small group and experience how intense inner images arise in the shared silence that follows. Together with Joachiem I give a happening about deep listening, and letting music emerge from that listening. We sit in a large circle, we listen to the silence, we listen to each other, we sing long tones, and we
improvise with the instruments we brought. An almost liquid music arises, slowly gets louder, more dynamic, then changes, and slowly fades away again. That silence afterwards…
In the evenings there is more music. Songs are sung together, and during a long dance evening in the festively lit garden room, with music from DJs Amona and Eveline, I dance a muscle soreness into my legs that lingers for days.
Next year, Scotland!
Harvesting and celebrating
‘The Fiesta of Focusing – we shared …’
A musical and creative conclusion and sharing to say good-bye and see you!
A new interest group, Changes Group for EFA online
initiated by Regina Jürgens
In Changes Groups, people around the world meet to listen to each other in a special way: with time, calmness, and presence, without interrupting, judging, or offering advice. With this empathetic guidance, we can explore this uncertainty and slowly find the right words. In this way, we develop greater clarity and can experience tangible change when we are in touch with our felt sense. Gendlin first founded this type of meeting in the USA in the 1970s, and since then, Changes Groups have been established and offered worldwide. We at EFA also want to open such a space and offer a Changes meeting every two months.
Start: Monday, November 24, from 7 pm to 9.30 pm CET.
Then on January 24, March 24, May 24 and July 24, 2026
Facilitated by: Regina Jürgens and Ria van Hage.
Please contact Ria to receive an invitation/link.
Find info and all EFA interest groups here.
Looking forward to
the EFA Annual Gathering in 2026 in Scotland
Next year’s Annual Gathering takes place in Scotland from September 23rd to 27th 2026 in the Monastery St Marys Kinnoull Perth, a place of beauty, tranquility and history.
It is located on the edge of the historic city of Perth, gateway to the Highlands of Scotland. A small religious community live and worship in the monastery, but there will be no other guests beside EFA participants. There are many lovely spaces both inside and out, for meeting, Focusing or simply spending time alone or with others.
Save the date if you would like to join! For more information about the gathering and the accommodation go here to the relevant EFA website page.
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We wish you all a flourishing autumn season!
Warmly,
on behalf of the Steering Group
Ria van Hage, Amona Buechler, Lucy Hyde, Sari Pekki, Peter Afford, Cornelius Gehrig and Dietmar Steinbach
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