by Dave Graham
The World Congress for Regression Therapy (WCRT6) will be held in Goa, India with the opening set for Thursday 14th September 2017, just at the end of the rainy season. Karen and I have just visited there to check on the potential venues, along with Aasha Warriar and Geeta Nirupam from the Clover-Leaf Learning Academy, our partners for the event. We feel very pleased with all that we found there.
We reviewed the hotels and a shortlist of three was drawn up to consider for the venue. Each of the shortlisted hotels have excellent facilities and are capable of supplying our needs. We have evaluated the rooms, workshop spaces, food, ability to cope with special diets, air conditioning, location, hospitality, relaxation facilities, airport transfers while Geeta and Aasha have been negotiating the best prices for our group. The very latest news following the December EARTh board meeting is that the decision has now been made to hold the world congress for regression therapy (WCRT6) at Radisson Blu hotel in south Goa.https://www.radissonblu.com/en/resort-goa I think you will like it. More details to come.
There is so much to say about India and Goa in particular. India is such a vast country with so many interesting places to see, that it is worth the traveler just taking the extra time to explore. Arriving in Mumbai after midnight in the middle of Diwali celebrations meant that the jet lag did not evaporate as quickly as we hoped, with the random bursts of fireworks outside the hotel until eventually falling asleep. Mumbai is such a bustling, vibrant city. The traffic is heavy with so many cars, taxis and scooters, an endless symphony of car horns bombarding the ears…. and then there were the interesting innovations of the crazy, crazy drivers! So different to the UK. There are vibrant, bustling markets open till late at night with stalls offering a fascinating range of goods and services. A whole range of humanity from the poor to the affluent resonate with the jingle jangle of the city. Full of people, full of life!
Then we move on to Goa, classed as one of the top holiday destinations in the world and it is easy to see why. The beaches are renowned for their splendour, the greenness and diversity of the landscape is all around. Paddy fields, coconut trees, shore lines, rivers, dolphins that hang out in the bay, beauty can be spotted wherever you look. I noticed far more churches than temples as we travelled around Goa, reflecting the heritage of the land with its’ historical influences from Portugal standing out. Cows wander along the road, sit down at a traffic junction … or the beach …. or wherever they feel like, while the cars and the people just move around them; a mutual acceptance of the needs of each other. The crazy, crazy drivers of Goa were just as crazy as the crazy, crazy drivers of Mumbai. I was beginning to wonder if overtaking in the most unlikely places is an art form here, then I saw a guy riding his scooter along a major road with his wife on the back and child squeezed between them. One hand guiding the scooter, the other hand taking a selfie! It was beginning to seem normal. Hmm… Maybe it’s not them, maybe it’s me!
An exciting theme has been chosen for the congress: ‘Unlocking Creativity’ and soon we shall begin inviting workshop proposals. Before that we stage our Annual Convention next July with a focus on ‘inspiration’. All in the home of the Muses within the mountains of Greece. So there are good times ahead for each of us over the next two years with such interesting themes to explore. Inspiration leads us to creativity. Naturally!
The hospitality of the people in India is outstanding. Of course the hospitality is great when somebody wants to sell something. Of course the hospitality is great when somebody wants to impress. However going beyond all that, the hospitality was simply wonderful anyway. It seemed to be ingrained in the people of India and especially Goa whatever the circumstances may be. The essence of India is most beautifully captured in the smile of the people you meet. Although the hospitality is great, it is those smiling eyes that won me over. Smiling eyes that induce a smile in my own eyes. They reminded me of the smiling eyes I noticed at my first EARTh convention.
So smile India smile, the World Congress for Regression Therapy is coming to your shores and there’s gonna be a lot of creativity unlocked during that week. I can hardly wait.
