NSW/ACT Psychodrama end of year celebration 2023
Saturday, 9th Dec 2023 was our end of year celebratory event.
25 people from the NSW/ACT Psychodrama family came together for an afternoon of action, drumming and socialising.
Notwithstanding the blazing hot day with record breaking temps, there was a sense of warmth and joy from connecting with one another. Desley attended another event, and was missed.
Cathy prepared yummy platters of food and drink, Dimitrios welcomed everyone and Rollo was outstanding at facilitating vignettes and sociometry. Rollo also elicited creative ideas from the group to enrich our events in 2024. Then, muso Andrew who brought djembes for all, had us drumming joyfully, at times even in harmony!
Finally, 18 of us enjoyed a meal together at Borussos. Vanessa commented on the delicious pizza which was not only GF, but also Vegan!
We hope you enjoy the photos we remembered to take!
Thanks to everyone for making our Region feel like a vibrant family.
Have a safe, healthy and satisfying year end! Enjoy the Conference.
See you in 2024 for more!
Dimitrios, Cathy and Desley
Written by Cathy
The Relational Self – September 2023
I’m still vibing with positive energy after attending the Relational Self training weekend in Sydney with Rollo Browne and Bona Anna.
We explored, in action, the relational self, which is the foundation of human functioning.
We also looked at the quality of our relationships, our individual social and cultural atoms. Dramas produced healing and rich sociometry.
Our group comprised 11 people from a diverse range of backgrounds and places, including the Southern Highlands and New Zealand.
Meeting and connecting with long standing and new members from across the region was heartwarming and enlivening.
Marlene, myself and all gained much value from the weekend, and are warmed up for the next 4 day training in Sydney 2-5 Nov; Role Reversal as an Act of Courage. Details and registration are on https://www.psychodramaaustralia.edu.au
Dimitrios Papalexis
NSW/ACT AANZPA el Presidente
Canberra visit – August 2023
NSW-ACT Committee Member Desley Creedy travelled to Canberra to meet with ACT members to make connections and hear ideas for future activities and events.
First off, Desley, Rose and Helen shared a delicious brunch getting to know each other and hearing each other’s experiences of Psychodrama.They then joined the Training Group up at MacKillop House, sharing a great warm up, introductions, conversations and questions. Lastly, a warm visit to connect and checkin with Dorothea Wojnar at University of Canberra Hospital in Bruce.
Hearing about all the positive connections happening online and ideas of expanding options for more online events where a highlight.
This was a great day of warm connections, exploring emerging ideas, increasing sociometry and building community.
5th Hellenic Summer Psychodrama Academy in Kolympari Crete
Here it is: The 5th Hellenic Summer Psychodrama Academy in Kolympari Crete this summer from 2/8/2023 to 8/8/2023 was fantastic!
There was international participation with guests from all continents, including Australia (Tina, myself) and New Zealand (John).
The official language of the Academy was English. Participants varied from mental health specialists, psychotherapists, psychodramatists to actors, students, and all those who love psychodrama or wanted to know what psychodrama is about.
In these 6 days, we had the opportunity to take part in 2-hour workshops, sociodrama group, and daily ongoing groups.
We also had the pleasure of getting to know each other and sharing valuable encounters in our leisure time.
There was a daily schedule of swimming trips to the beautiful sea of Crete, and we had the chance to enjoy Cretan food based on the Mediterranean diet.
I wish I could explain better how magical it was, but it goes beyond words…
the power of the sociometry,
the richness of sharing, cultures and encounters,
the healing power of the island and Cretan land and sea,
the locals, the dances, the food, the weather,
the sunrises, the sunsets, the moon.
Warmly,
Dimitrios Papalexis,
NSW-ACT AANZPA President
Clowning Workshop 24 June 23 in Crows Nest
Here we are after another beautiful encounter we had at the Clowning Workshop organised by the NSW/ACT AANZPA Regional Committee at the Crows Nest Community Centre.
Following a quick delicious lunch – thank you to everyone who brought a plate to share- and some fun warm-up activities to activate the clown state, we wore the red nose and bravely encountered the stage practising the state of being fully alive and present to the moment what proved to be a rather challenging, fun and rewarding experience full of spontaneity, laughter and “mistakes” 😀
Thanks to Alicia Gonzalez from the Clown Institute https://www.theclowninstitute.com/ for being such a great facilitator, guide, and provocateur 🤡
Stay tuned for future events as the ideas are brewing and the sociometry keeps growing.
Role Training 6-7 May 23 in Sydney
Comments from an attendee :
An amazing variety of 16 people attended from a diverse range of backgrounds and places including Armidale and Brisbane. Experience spanned from new to 40 years +
This was a Role Training workshop which is a specific way of applying Psychodrama to everyday life. It’s more practical than a full Psychodrama, and people took a lot of value out of the workshop.
Meeting new members from across the region was wholesome and enlivening.
Springwood Photos – April ’23
Here we are… still vibing with positive energy after a great day where our Psychodrama community came together in Springwood for our first NSW/ACT AANZPA Regional committee social and action event.
The day started with a delicious lunch at a local Vegan cafe where we acknowledged Lynley and the past committee for working so hard to passionately keep the spirit of Psychodrama alive for so many years, for passing on the baton, and for still being willing to support the new committee. (See Lynley being wrapped in love by Desley).
Using Barbara’s metaphor about the river of life:
“It was great to see the river of life bringing together old and new members for such an intimate gathering encounter and lunch”.
We then gathered at Andrew and Vanessa’s absolutely amazing new space, where we facilitated a workshop using the method to honour the old and dream the new!
Quoting Angela’s words:
“We were deeply touched by the theme of inclusion with particular (embodied) reference to relationship with our First Nations people, Barbara being our protagonist with Joy and Andrew doing such ‘spot on’ auxiliary work. Honest expression and heartfelt expressions came out in the sharing. Seeds were sewn. Soil was nourished”.
We would like to thanks Andrew and Vanessa again who opened their gorgeous home to host us.
We would also like to thank each person who made the effort to attend from near and far… and those that sent their apologies and messages of support. You were with us in Spirit, and we acknowledged you too.
We feel very honoured and privileged to be the current link in the chain, to keep nurturing and growing such a diverse and wholesome community and “sociometry”, serving the members and bringing the powerful method and spontaneity to the world.