Looking forward to seeing you at the ISH World Congress in June
My primary message in this letter to all ISH members – and any future ISH members who provide clinical care or conduct research using hypnosis – is this: Please register for and plan participate in the 2024 ISH World Congress in Kraków, Poland, this coming June. It promises to be a very special and memorable event, in a very special and memorable city.
Plans for the congress continue, but we already know enough to give us many reasons for participating in the Congress. One is to participate in one or more of several pre-congress workshops. These include workshops on: (1) “Brief Therapy: Key Concepts in the Ericksonian Approach,” facilitated by Jeffrey Zeig from the USA; (2) medical hypnosis, co-facilitated by Ernil Hanssen and Bernhard Trenkle from Germany; (3) an introduction to hypnosis (“Hypnosis for the curious”), co-facilitated by Jolanta Berezowska, Lucyna Lipman, and Katarzyna Szymańska, from Poland; (4) dental hypnosis, facilitated by Albrecht Schmierer, from Germany; and (5) “Lighting the soul, lightening the body,” facilitated by Cecilia Fabre, from Mexico.
A second reason to participate in the congress is to increase your knowledge and therapeutic skills in the area of hypnosis. The education program is currently being finalized, but will include over 100 lectures and workshops on the clinical applications and scientific understanding of hypnosis, given and facilitated from master clinicians and leading hypnosis researchers from around the world.
A third reason to come to the congress is to have an opportunity to see and spend time in one of the most beautiful cities in the world; a city steeped in history. There will be opportunities for congress participants to participate in one or more of at least three walking tours of different sections of the city, allowing you to see hear about historical landmarks, architectural wonders, and Kraków’s hidden treasures.
A fourth reason is to participate in the gala dinner on the evening of June 13. The venue will be the wonderful Stara Zajezdnia Kraków by DeSilva. Stara Zajezdnia Kraków by DeSilva is a historic building in the centre of Kraków’s Kazimierz. The Hall was built in 1913 and once there was a tram depot. The renovated building is a unique facility. The Hall is an example of a rare wooden skeleton architecture in Kraków with brickwork, commonly called “Prussian Wall”. It gives the interior an unusual character and makes it a place with a soul and original atmosphere.
A fifth reason to register for the congress is the opportunity to schedule a longer tour with your colleagues before or after the congress. You will be able to choose from tours to the monuments of Poland or to different European countries. The before- and after-congress tour program is currently being prepared by Najmeh Kazemi, who has a great deal of experience in organizing successful tour programs for International Hypnosis Conferences.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a sixth reason to participate is to have the opportunity to meet with old friends, and make new ones, from the international hypnosis community. Already, over 600 individuals have registered for the conference from 39 countries, which are (so far!) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Iceland, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay. In short, the congress will all each participant to connect with and “build bridges of understanding” with individuals from each continent. Such connections and the resulting cooperation (and perhaps future collaborations) provide hope us to work together for the good of all humankind.
For many of us in the field, the ISH world congresses have been among the most important events of our careers. There we have established life-long friendships and have been inspired. Our memories of past congresses – and the memories yet to be established for future congresses – have been and will be among our most precious.
I am very much looking forward to seeing you and meeting with you in Kraków in June. To learn more and to register, please go to https://www.hypnosis2021.com.pl/en.
Warm regards,
Mark P. Jensen