August Highlight at Sumedha Centre: MIDLIFE DYNAMICS AND THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Midlife Dynamics and the Spiritual Journey is the select programme at Sumedha Centre in August. It will be held from August 12 to 31 and will be facilitated by the Director of the Centre, Jose Parappully.

A Description of the Programme Content and Process

Midlife is a time of profound shifts and changes – in body, mind, perspectives, priorities, values, goals, relationships, spirituality… It is a time when we re-think and re-evaluate our commitments and life choices.

The heart of the programme is built around the midlife dynamics of identity (who we are), intimacy (the role of affectivity and sexuality in our lives) generativity (how we work and nurture future generations), and integrity (how we make sense of the whole of our life).

We begin our midlife explorations from where we are, looking at what is happening in our lives at this point on our psycho-spiritual journey. We try to discern what God might be telling us through all that is happening in our lives. We will explore these current realities in the context of changing paradigms. We explore and assess our spirituality and our religious life in the context of shifting midlife perspectives.

At midlife, sexuality, which has often been repressed, rears its head and makes itself felt, often in troubling ways. Longing for a close relationship is awakened or intensifies. Our body experiences drastic hormonal changes. All these affect our self-concept and our spiritual journey. Our attitude toward sexuality is sometimes profoundly affected by negative sexual experiences, including abuse. We shall address these issues by exploring sexuality and affectivity and their healthy integration in our celibate lifestyle and ministry. We will explore particularly the nature and challenge of celibate friendship as also the effect of sexual abuse and ways to heal from its effects. Spirituality of the body will be explored in the context both of sexuality and of generativity.

We conclude our midlife journey by evaluating and integrating our Life Story through reminiscence and planning to live out the rest of our Life Story informed by the new perspectives and intimations generated during this workshop.

Insights from various psychological theories of development, as well as tools and techniques from the Intensive Journal, Psychosynthesis and Expressive Arts, prayer and meditation are used to explore these midlife dynamics.

This workshop provides theoretical input as well as opportunities for us to reflect on our experiences and to share them with one another and for personal and common prayer. It is hoped that through this four-fold dynamics of Input, Introspection, Interaction, and Prayer we gain a deeper feel for the psychological dynamics operating on our spiritual journey and integrate these to develop a healthier self so that we can experience greater serenity and wholeness as we continue our journey into the Mystery that is our Triune God. 

JULY WAS A MONTH FOR RETREATS AT SUMEDHA CENTRE

Two retreats were held at Sumedha Centre in July. The first from July 11- 20 and the other from July 4 to August 2.

The retreats were based on the theme of “Desert as Wilderness and Paradise” – a theme inspired by Henry Nouwen.

The focal text was Mk. 1. 13. “He was with the wild beasts and the angels ministered to him.”

This retreat was a time to confront one’s inner demons (“wild beasts”) and experience intimacy with God (“ministering angels”).

Meditation on chosen scriptural texts was the basic tool for the encounter with self and God, with the Director of the Retreat, Jose Parappully, presenting the theme for each day, which included Desert as Utter Helplessness (Elijah) and Renewal of Love (Hosea).

Participants expressed great satisfaction about their Retreat experience at Sumedha.

UPCOMING PROGRAMMES AT SUMEDHA CENTRE

Midlife Dynamics

& the Spiritual Journey

August 12- 31, 2013

Midlife is a period of profound shifts and changes – in body, mind, & spirit; in perspectives, priorities, values, goals, relationships, sexuality, spirituality etc. This workshop explores these psychological dynamics of midlife so as to deepen and enrich one’s spiritual journey. It explores particularly the four basic midlife issues: identity, intimacy, generativity and integrity. Other topics include spirituality, religious life, aging and emotional well-being, sexuality and celibacy, persona and shadow. 

Insights from psychology, medical science and sacred scripture, and the exploratory and healing techniques of the intensive journal, psychosynthesis, expressive arts, meditation and prayer are used in this exploration. (Open to all. Participant Age Limit: 35-62 years)

SUMEDHA SADHANA

A Psycho-Spiritual Wholeness Journey

September 25 – November 23 2013

Sumedha Sadhana is an inner journey in quest of greater healing and wholeness, designed to help participants live more fulfilling, satisfying and productive lives.

Participants begin from where they are, looking at what is happening on their psycho-spiritual journey. They explore their current spirituality in the light of emerging holistic-ecological, feminist, cosmic paradigms. They explore and assess their Midlife and Post-Midlife experiences They seek to better understand the impact of human sexuality and affectivity on their celibate commitment, especially in the context of celibate friendships. They move toward greater psycho-spiritual integration through discovering their personality types, redeeming their ‘shadows,’ healing their hurts and reconciling unresolved issues. They seek to discover their unhelpful patterns of living and relating and work at attitudinal and behavioural changes through group therapy. Their integrative process culminates in and concludes with a semi-directed spiritual retreat. (Participant age limit: 35 to 62 years)

Faculty & Modules

Ajoy Fernandes PhD (Personality & Spirituality). Alba Rodrigues MA (Cosmic Spirituality). Gerard Alvarez MA (Universe Story)). Joe Mannath PhD (Psychosexual Integration) Jose Parappully PhD (Midlife Dynamics, Spirituality, Trauma & Healing, Therapy, Retreat). MC Abraham PhD (Therapy).

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For further information and registration forms, contact:

Sumedha Centre. Jeolikote P. O., Nainital Dt. Uttarakhand 263127

Ph. +91-9410941799 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +91-9410941799      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Director), +91-9450915833 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +91-9450915833      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Administrator) email: sumedhacentre@gmail.com

Blog: http://sumedhabani.blogspot.com

"SUMEDHA SADHANA - AN EXCELLENT PROGRAMME!", SAY PARTICIPANTS.

The Six-week (May 20- June 30) Sumedha Sadhana programme that concluded yesterday  received excellent ratings from the participants. Some representative comments from the participants:

“The entire programme is excellent for personal growth. It has been very well organised. Every little bit has been taken care of.… I got so much more than I ever expected.”

“Sumedha Sadhana provided me renewal of heart and mind. It helped me work through the chaos in my mind… I feel rejuvenated.”

“ I felt very much at home right from the first day. Everything had been meticulously planned. …”

“I came experiencing a desert. I go back with a sense of awe and wonder. I was helped to reassess my life, find healing of my woundedness and move on…”

“Experiences at Sumedha have expanded my heart to give and receive love… I go back free and happy. Many burdens have been lifted. …. The spirituality offered here is so much deeper than what I have experienced at other Centres.”

“I came carrying lot of mess, loss of meaning in life… I have been able work through these. The journey here has been so beautiful. I return happy and revitalised…”

“It has been a truly sacred experience. I came here with struggles and chaos, a wounded spirit and spiritual dryness… I now experience joy and pace. My burdens have been lifted and I have decided to create a happy future.”

“Sumedha helped me to discover myself, make a paradigm shift in self-concept… I profited so much though I had not wanted to come.”

“I came with lots of struggle… I have been touched and healed and I go back with hope.  My troubled life has been calmed…. Sumedha helped me to put God back into the centre of my life.”

"I came here with a lot of bondage, discontent… The debris of the past has been cleared. A fountain of energy is flowing through me freely.”

“Sumedha has been a liberating experience… It is a well-integrated course – rich inputs, honest sharing, wonderful family atmosphere, and deep prayerfulness in beautiful and healing surroundings.”

“I felt very much at home. Sumedha is a place where I could be myself. There was no compulsion in anything..."

“Sumedha is a place where we can experience lots of love.”

“Sumedha gave me a new life. It has been a beautiful experience.”

A longer (9 weeks) Sumedha Sadhana begins on September 25. Facilitators: Ajoy Fernandes,  Alba Rodrigues, Gerard Alvarez, Joe Mannath, Jose Parappully, and MC Abraham. Registrations for the same are on. Those interested can contact the Centre at sumedhacentre@gmail.com 

See the previous blog for Sumedha Sadhana programme description.

23rd SUMEDHA SADHANA CONCLUDES

The 23^rd edition of Sumedha Sadhana concluded today. This 6-week-long programme commenced on May 25^th.

Sumedha Sadhana is an intensive inner journey in quest of greater healing and wholeness.

Using insights and practices from spiritual traditions and psychology participants were helped to gain a deeper insight into the psychological dynamics operating on their spiritual journey and integrate these in healthy and meaningful ways to live more satisfying and fruitful lives.

The major module of the programme was “Psychological Dynamics on the Spiritual Journey” which focused especially on healthy spirituality, early life experiences and midlife dynamics.” This module also explored human sexuality and affectivity and their healthy integration in the context of the participants’ celibate lifestyle. It was facilitated by Jose Parappully, the Director of the Centre.

In the module “Befriending Our Emotions,” M. Goretti Kankarathinam presented the meaning of emotions and emotional maturity and helped participants to explore and understand some of their major positive, negative, hidden and dominant emotions and to process them through art, music, imagery, role play and experiential group exercises.

In the related module “Core Transformation” Jose Kuttianimattathil helped participants experience healing of painful experiences and emotions and learn to live from the core state within them which radiates peace, love and harmony.

The Sumedha Sadhana experience concluded with Group Therapy facilitated by Jose Parappully and Peter Lourdes. Group therapy provided participants opportunity to face their brokenness and woundedness, their defences and unhelpful patterns of living and relating, and to move toward greater healing and wholeness.

The programme received excellent ratings from the participants. Some representative comments from the participants will be posted in our next blog.

A longer (9 weeks) Sumedha Sadhana begins on September 25. Facilitators: Ajoy Fernandes, Alba rodrigues, Gerard Alvarez, Joe Mannath, Jose Parappully and  MC Abraham, Registrations for the same are on. Those interested can contact the Centre at sumedhacentre@gmail.com

SUMEDHA OUTREACH – SOUTH CITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL KOLKATA

The Director of Sumedha Centre, Jose Parappully PhD, was invited to do another workshop for the teachers of the secondary section of South City International School, Kolkata on June 14-15. He had done a workshop there last year.

Last year the theme of the Workshop was “Enhancing Institutional Effectiveness.” This year the Workshop focused on one of the significant dynamics that contribute to  Institutional Effectiveness, namely, Relational (Communication) Networks.

Accordingly, the workshop was labelled “Enhancing Interpersonal Communication.”

Of the 48 participants this year, 15  had joined the school since the last workshop.  Hence, the facilitator briefly referred to the concepts explored last year to acquaint the new teachers with these foundational concepts. He then introduced Howard Gardner’s concept of Personal Intelligences and their role in effective interpersonal relationships and communication.

A major obstacle to effective interpersonal relationships is unaddressed conflicts. Teachers were helped to discern current conflicts between Management and Teachers and conflicts among themselves and introduced to tools that help address and work through conflicts in an effective and helpful manner.

The focus of exploration on the second day of the Workshop was Interpersonal Relationships among the teachers. The role of Assertive Communication was pointed out and teachers were helped to understand and practise it in a series of experiential exercises.

Video clips, songs, introspection and group interaction and processing were some of the tools used, besides insights from organisational psychology presented by the facilitator.

Teachers found the Workshop very useful to enhance their interpersonal and, consequently, work relationships. The Workshop especially provided them, they observed, opportunity to come to understand more deeply one another and the issues that affect them, which in turn has contributed to increased desire to work toward greater cohesion and collaboration.

SUMEDHA OUTREACH: SEMINAR ON PSYCHOSEXUAL INTEGRATION AT HYDERABAD

The Director of Sumedha Centre, Jose Parappully, was the main presenter at a Seminar in Hyderabad on “Psychosexual Integration and Celibate Maturity” – the theme of the book he recently co-edited.

The Seminar was organised by the Salesian Psychological Association in collaboration with the Salesian Province of Hyderabad. It was held at the Salesian Provincial House, near Himmatsagar.

Around 50 Salesians (Rectors, leaders of communities, and the Delegates of various Commissions) and around 25 catholic nuns from around Hyderabad, as well as from far away New Delhi, participated.

This was the third Seminar on the theme that the Salesian Psychological Association organised. The first was in February in New Delhi, and the second in April in Bangalore.

Parappully had presented at the previous two seminars as well. At Hyderabad he made four presentations: Emotional Maturity and Psychosexual Integration Across the Life Span; Sexual Orientation and Sexual Behaviours; Healing from the Effects of Sexual Abuse; and Psychosexual Integration, Celibate Maturity and Spirituality.

The other presenters at the Seminar were Jose Kuttianimattathil (Co- Editor of the book) on Psychosexual Integration, Celibate Maturity and Formation; John Tharakan on Boundary Violations, Gender and Legal Issues; and Anton Paul on Canon Law and Sexual Boundary Violations. Sr Gracy and Fr. John Sebastian (both Novice Masters) joined the presenters in a panel discussion.