PIM Newsflash - July 2007

* Theatre of Spontaneity -

Friday, 27 July from 7.15 gathering for 7.30 p.m start. Supper.
Concludes at 10.30 p.m.
PIM building at 155 Langridge Street, Collingwood
Entrance fee: $20.00 (MPS members: $15.00)

* Psychodrama Personal Development Weekend Workshops

Leader: Lethe Gaskin

These weekend workshops create a place to bring yourself and explore matters arising in your life and relationships. You may want to explore (or maybe just take a peek!) things past, future, or present. You may wish to address issues from aspects of life such as intimacy, communication, past trauma, life decisions, and work, family and relationship matters. The purpose of the workshops is to develop in participants more lifeful and creative responses, and strengthened connectedness with self and others. Participants may attend one or both weekend workshops.

Group Leader: Lethe Gaskin is a psychodramatist and psychotherapist. She is a faculty member of the Psychodrama Institute of Melbourne, and works in private practice. Lethe has many years experience as a counsellor, clinician, group leader, teacher and supervisor. She has led groups in personal development, trauma recovery, carer strengthening and support, sexual abuse and supervision of clinical work. Lethe is a member of the Australian Psychological Society.

Weekend 1: 28 and 29 July
Weekend 2: 1 and 2 September
Daily sessions: 10.00 a.m – 5.30 p.m

Venue: 155 Langridge St Collingwood
Cost: $180.00 per weekend

For enquiries and phone applications, please phone PIM on 9416 3779, or email Lethe at letheg@bigpond.net.au

PIM Weekend Elective Workshop - Developing Family Relationships After Trauma

Leader: Lethe Gaskin


Saturday and Sunday 18 and 19 August
10:00 a.m – 5:30 p.m both days

The aim of the workshop is to provide the opportunity to develop understanding and experience in building relationships in families affected by trauma, including any form of sexual abuse, family violence or loss. The workshop assists in the development, strengthening and maintenance of creative roles in responding to trauma. The “Creative Genius” in the clinician self and in the family members is revealed, nurtured, and celebrated. The psychodrama method in conjunction with other creative and integrative methods will be used in this experiential workshop. Participants may be therapists, survivors, people with an interest in supporting relationship building, or any combination of these.

Lethe Gaskin is a psychodramatist, trainer and supervisor, psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice. She conducts therapeutic and personal development groups, including groups specifically for people who have experienced sexual abuse. Lethe is on the Faculty of the Psychodrama Institute of Melbourne and works in Australia and New Zealand.

Venue: Psychodrama Institute of Melbourne, 155 Langridge St, Collingwood.

Fee: $280.00 (Deposit $50 due by Friday 3 August) Bring your lunch, tea and coffee provided.

For enquiries and phone applications telephone PIM on 94163779 or email Lethe at letheg@bigpond.net.au

Psychodrama Groups 2007

6-Week Monday Morning and Evening groups
Commencing August 6th

These are experiential personal development groups for
people interested in opportunities to explore themselves
and their relationships through psychodrama.
Enquiries and referrals are welcome.


6 Monday Mornings or Evenings

Term 3: Aug 6, 13, 20, 27, Sept 3, 10
Term 4: Oct 8, 15, 22, 29, Nov 12, 26

Time: 10am - 1pm or 7pm - 10 pm

Fee: $250 - per term
$200 - unwaged/students
Medicare rebates available

Facilitators
Simon Parker and Julie Lacy

Contact
Simon 0417351239
simonparker58@yahoo.com.au
www.psychodrama.net.au

News from New Zealand and Greece

Lethe Gaskin received bouquets of flowers for her 50th Birthday on the 30th of June. She will be arriving in Melbourne to resume her teaching at PIM on July 26 and in time for the Theatre of Spontaneity on Friday 27 July.



Ioanna Gagani's twins, Paris and Alexander, are thriving after their early arrival into the world in February.

News from Linda and Leah

Recently I travelled to Durban in South Africa to attend the World Congress of Rural women as the recipient of a bursary from the Department of Primary Industries. I found that the majority of the 3,000 women attending had a high level of spontaneity, bursting into song with the least provocation, especially if there was a delay in proceedings during the congress. Not only did they sing freedom and gospel songs, they stood up and danced. Naturally I joined in. It was an amazing experience to be a part of.

Linda Harrington

Hi Sue,
I hope that you are well. Lots of news is happening with the Shmerlings. Thanks for the offer about adding to the blog.

In the last few months, I started a new job as a Trainer/Curriculum Advisor/Career Counsellor for a training organization and I love it. The work culture is really healthy and respectful, my manager is easy to work and is great and the staff is really friendly.

On Friday 22 June was Ilana's birthday. After being in London for close to 3 years, it's good to celebrate with her. The celebrations went on all weekend. It started with a lovely lunch at Babbles in Prahran and a family dinner which was a feast. On Sunday the immediate family went to an Indian restaurant and ate appetizing and tantalising food.Tammy has submitted her thesis and script for her Master of Creative Media - Film and Television. She now awaits her results. She left for Canberra over the weekend to commence work as a Program Co-ordinator for a television station. Her hard earned efforts have been worth it. Michy has completed her Diploma in Event Management this semester. She is currently in America as a camp counsellor in a Camp America program. She will then travel to Israel where she will travel and undertake an internship in Event Management. My husband is looking for one or two days work as a bookkeeper so if you know anyone that is looking for a good bookkeeper please contact me. So lots are happening with us. Here is a picture of the family.

Best regards,
Leah Shmerling

Leah also sends this:

I have booked tickets to: Priscilla Queen of the Desert - 'A' reserve tickets. Date: Sunday 7 October - first weekend of the show Time: 5 pm The tickets prices will be for groups of 20 or more at $85.50 PLUS $5.00 from each ticket to go to charity - Magen David Adom. This means that your ticket will cost $90.50, which is $10 off the normal price. Please encourage your friends/family to attend. Tickets are selling fast so I hope that we can all attend together and also donate to a great cause. Payment is due end of July.

I look forward to hearing from you,
Leah

Letter From Tam

Hi Sue,

I was extremely pleased with my practicum and I am still taking it all in, all the amazing sharing and gifts given to me on the day. I have been much blessed and loved. Thanking you for bringing me into that space. I am attaching my poem and the photos on the day.

Love Tam

Psychodramatist in the World.

Congratulations Tam!

On Saturday 23 June 2007 Tam Dinh passed his psychodrama practicum. He says he is now "a psychodramatist in the world" and its true.

Love and blessings to you Tam from us all,
Your companions on the journey.

Thank God for My Fellow Travellers

To all my fellow travellers

May be some day I will be perfect
My need of you will be no longer
But until that day comes
My need of you is so strong
Yet it is not experienced as a need
But the sweetness of life
The pillow on which my lonely consciousness can rest
A remedy for my suffering
A slower rhythm for my being
A trusting, an accepting of nature,
both human and divine
Kinder words given
Than those self-spoken ones of mine
A song in the heart
A lush green field in the mind
A hug so tender
A hello so deep
A how-are-you so loving
A kindness so swift
Oh, and I found my feet
Planted in a bed of you, and you and you,
I grow tall among the elements,
Leaning safely against you in the face of the winds.
I hug my pain,
I stroke my grief
And with all the freedom, I weep
My emotions are recognizable faces now,
No longer nameless,
Pulling strings from behind.
I can now wear my pride and shyness
I have been much blessed

May be some day I will be perfect
And walk on in utter freedom
May be some day I will be perfect
May be that day will never come
While being with you on this journey
These, I know, are what I will cultivate in the days to come.

Love,
Tam Dinh
Practicum Day 23 June 2007

HOME

A leaf flew swiftly
Past my window
And, landed -
Outside - my bedroom door.

Crimsons, browns, reds, and auburns;
Earthly tones
That brought me home.

Whisked up by a gentle breeze;
Danced it’s way to someone’s door….
Waved, good bye!
And, smiled a little;
Earthly tones
That brought me home.


Liliana Melone

Letter from Lethe

Dear Friends,

This Blog is such a neat experience for me, I so love reading and re-reading everything here. My life here in NZ is so different this year, I can hardly believe it. As well as doing 'whale watch' (we are convinced that whales will swim past our window and we will see them - they swam past on Easter Sunday and we missed them!!!!), we now do 'Mountain Watch'. Since the weather has got colder, and there is more snow around, it is easier to see both Mt Taranaki (it was the mountain in Tom Cruise's 'Samurai') and Mt Ruapehu, the highest North Island peak on the horizon. I love the volcanic abilities of Ruapehu, as well as its beautiful and soulful majesty.

We've had an extra gift this week, the mountain ranges immediately around Waikanae have a little break in them, and there is another peak behind which one morning just clothed itself in snow!

I'm 50 next week. Identity crisis again, I'm sure I just turned 23. Now I'm going to copy you what I wrote to Sue this morning, it’s fresh in me to share it with you here:

"Today is Tam's practicum, I always start to celebrate even before the practicum, it’s a great thing to open the door at practicum time. I know Katy tried to ring Tam last night, but none of the phone numbers worked that she had from last year. We've dreamed for weeks of coming up with the money to fly her over for the practicum, but its clearly not meant to be this time. But our light is burning away here for Tam and for the group.

It makes me think of when I did my practicum, and the times now when I have to do a Practicum. i.e. open a door to reveal myself, get through my ego (a million times over) and meet people waiting patiently on the other side of the door. Trust in the process, go with my warm-up, meet the warm-up of others. Feel afraid, and so what about fear, get moving anyway. The riches to be encountered are waiting, life needing to be lived, growth to be grown, relationships to be acknowledged, deepened, joy to be celebrated...
many many things.

Yesterday I had to have a drama with myself about having a birthday party. Frozen chook Lethe! Got my feet moving first, went for a walk, got my mouth open, started to warm up with Katy, as soon as we started to write down who is coming, the people became more important to me than my own stuff, and I started to warm. I went to the fruit and vegie market, brought some pumpkin and leeks and made an enormous pot of soup which is now in the freezer ready to go. Today we will sort out bedding, mattresses etc, since some people are coming a fair way and will stay the night. In the morning we'll put on the bbq and do bacon and eggs for whoever’s around. My plan is that it will be a beautiful clear night, full moon (June 30th) and we can enjoy the ocean while we have breakfast! Plan B will be it blows a gale and we'll be round the fire instead. "

So friends, that’s it from me. This is good to write, its good to have a way to connect with you, and you with me, not so fearsome at all now that I come to do it!

Much love to you, from Lethe