Nilufer Demirhan, Psychologist – Ankara, Turkey

I participated in the conferences in Giglio and Assisi, in 2023. For me these conferences were profound and deep learning experiences. In the conferences, we had the possibility to listen and learn from Jungian pioneers in the world and dived into the archetypal world. Listening to them speaking also with the language of art, e.g. painting, music, and literature, I felt that something has touched my soul. In addition to this, meeting colleagues from all over the world who have Jungian perspective and listening their different stories was also very enriching. Still, I feel the emotions from my experience. I want to express my gratitude to Assisi Institute and all the supporting foundations for creating this program and enabling me to participate. I will always remember this profound and rich experience. Thank you.

Ana Tibau, Jungian Analyst – Quito, Ecuador

In the vast unknown spaces of Psyche, where we as therapists enter and are guided by theories and masters, the Assisi Institute and Michael Conforti, have found a way that
not only enriched knowing and understanding but also nourished the soul. The experience in Giglio was a gift in so many ways. The presentations, the lived experience with those with whom we share this passion, and the wondrous atmosphere of the Italian Tuscan island, left a deep impression in my therapeutic practice and in my personal life. I extend my gratitude which I expressed personally to Michael and Silvia to all those who donate funds and whose generosity allowed what I learned during those days to
impact more people.

Laury López, Psychotherapist and Jungian Analyst – Colombia

I received two great gifts from the Assisi Foundation. The first was a full scholarship for the archetypal pattern analyst course in Spanish (Interprete de Patrones Arquetipales). This allowed me to participate and learn from international professionals who have made great contributions to psychology and current cultural conversations.

At the end of this training, I received the amazing invitation to participate in the annual conference in Italy. It was difficult to accept as I had to face the economic reality of my country in relation to the European economy that made the experience unattainable. In my initial calculations, the cost of a 15-day trip was equivalent to the cost of my mid-range vehicle in Colombia. The offer was an unexpected gift.

What I didn’t expect was that more gifts were on the way. Upon my arrival at the airport for the Giglio part of the conferences, I was treated with kindness by Jennifer Fadel, who had all the logistics well in hand. On the day of the meeting, we received a loving and personalized reception by Michael and Silvia outside the airport. Their energy and joy were my best welcome. The conference provided a great sense of security. There was cohesion, respect and encouragement from everyone to continue learning, which we did in Assisi.

One of the highlights of this conference, was the gift from Dr Hanseuli Etter and Jacqueline Durmuller, on behalf of the Marie Louise von Franz Foundation.
His gift was not only companionship and his outstanding lectures. He arranged a very organized excursion, first to the monastery of Assisi and the next day to Cortona and Arezzo, to provide the group of over 40 people with a high-level cultural experience.

And the latter is a sample of what has always happened in Assisi. Every day was living an experience of connection with nature, people and a unique way of studying. We all know that it is not typical, that not many professionals congregate under these forms.
But to see how each of us arrived with a goal from a different country at a different time in life, is really nourishing. So thank you for continuing to favor these spaces for professionals around the world and on my part…. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU because of my life situation and country, I managed to access a very unique and really amazing and enriching trip and experience especially for my SOUL.

Anastasia Konovalchuk, PhD, Analytical Psychologist & Archetypal Pattern Analyst – Moscow, Russia

I first got acquainted with the work of Dr. Michael Conforti and the Assisi Institute in 2016 and have, since then, participated in a number of the Institute’s programs. However, the possibility of full-time participation in The Voice of Psyche seminar and The Modern Man and Woman Still in Search of Soul conference in Assisi (Italy) is precious.

The Voice of Psyche seminar gave me the opportunity to delve deeply into the archetypal dimension of the psyche, revealing the relationship with personal experience and trauma of a person through the prism of the complex and the idea of the concept of unconscious communication by Dr. Robert Langs. These four days in the community of teachers of the Assisi Institute and like-minded colleagues, the opportunity to immediately ask a question and analyze a certain complexity using an example from my own practice or the practice of colleagues significantly expanded my vision of how the Unconscious manifests itself in the process of verbal communication and in the field of therapeutic framework. Of course, immersion in the field of unconscious communication continued beyond the hours allotted for classes!

The conference Modern Man and Woman Still in Search of Soul in Assisi had a mind-expanding effect. So diverse and rich in their palette were the presentations of beautifully selected expert speakers who presented on the topics of art, culture, religion, the development and maturation of the psyche of young men in our time as ways of the Soul to express itself and be heard.

Of course, both of these events are invaluable and relevant both for my clinical work and for my work as Director of training programs of the Assisi Institute for Russian-speaking Students which I have the honor and pleasure to carry out since 2020.

I am immensely grateful for the invaluable experience that I received thanks to the Assisi Foundation, which would have been inaccessible to me due to the prevailing socio-political and socio-economic circumstances in the world.