Who are Icpit

Postural Integration® is a way of helping individuals become aware of themselves in their body and to empower them to change themselves – their bodies, feelings and thoughts. It is a powerful tool for enabling clients to increase their sense of well-being, their capacity to feel, their ability to express, their self-awareness and consciousness.

An extensive article on Postural Integration by Jack Painter (creator) can be found here.

Practitioners of Postural Integration® are trained to work in a respectful and interactive manner with their clients. They use a variety of somatic (bodywork) methods – breath and deep tissue work, focusing on the body and self-awareness techniques, as well as emotional expression. The practitioners of Postural Integration® need to be able to bring professional knowledge and experience tempered by their ability to bring themselves with personal feelings and attitudes held (in a self-aware manner) into the exchange with the clients.

The International Council of Postural Integration Trainers (ICPIT) is devoted to guiding and supporting the trainers of practitioners who will use professional skills and personal power with integrity. The members of the council are themselves Postural Integration trainers and realize that they need to consult and share with each other, not only to establish guidelines for the training of practitioners but also to sustain their own commitment, creativity and pleasure in teaching.

A GROWING AND DYNAMIC INTERNATIONAL STRUCTURE

Council meetings. The Council has been meeting yearly for 13 years and has currently 18 active members, who are representative of trainings in 12 countries. Each year it meets in a different location -- San Tropez (France), Amsterdam (Holland), Strasbourg (France), Rimini (Italy), Villersexel (France), Klagenfurt (Austria), Lauingen (Germany), Lucern (Switzerland), Mallorca (Spain), Venice (Italy), Ghent (Belgium), Gallese (Italy) -- and deals with different issues of the P.I. community. It is in a cooperative relationship with the Center for Release and Integration in Mill Valley California (Director: Jack Painter).

Current Council Members:
Anton Eckert Germany; Marco Guidon Switzerland, Dirk Marivoet Belgium, Niall O' Siochain Germany, Jack Painter USA/Italy, Carmine Piroli Italy, Rashma Schaeffer-Buss Holland, Rosa Maria Sevilla Mexico, Massimo Soldati Italy, Marie-Louise Simich Canada, Donald Van Howten USA, Martyne Viens-Painter USA, Claude Vaux France, Bruno Valente Italy, Beverley Wilkinson South Africa, Silke Ziehl England/Germany, Sepp Zihlmann Switzerland, Robert Young Australia.

Council Officers. President: Silke Ziehl England/Germany; Vice-President: MarieLouise Simich Canada, Secretariat: Dirk Marivoet Belgium; Editor and Coordinator: Jack Painter USA/Italy.

There are other Postural Integration trainers not currently members of the Council (ICPIT) and therefore not currently authorized by the Council nor by the Centre for Release and Integration (ICRI) to give trainings in Postural Integration®. Some of these have retired and are not giving Postural Integration trainings any more. Some of them may rejoin the council in the future, when they wish to start another training in Postural Integration.

ESTABLISHING PROFESSIONAL GUIDELINES

Professional Training of Practitioners. During recent years the Council has worked toward the goal of trainings which are wholistic in approach, comprise a minimum of 700 hours and include supervised work on models.

Professional Supervision of Trainers. The Council has also set requirements for practitioners becoming P.I. Trainers: advanced certification as Master Postural Integrator, service as Helper and Assistant Trainer and demonstration of organizing and teaching capacity.

GIVING PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SUPPORT TO TRAINERS

Reviewing and Sharing Training Methods and Theories. As a diverse group of teachers and therapists, ICPIT brings together a rich reservoir of knowledge and experience. The application of new ideas or modification of old methods is needed in an approach as powerful and wholistic as Postural Integration. The Council members share and evaluate an exciting variety of teaching systems and methods.

Therapy and Personal Sharing. The members of the Council recognize that in order to sustain their effectiveness as trainers, it is important that they work with their own feelings and attitudes as they take on multiple roles as individuals, teachers, therapists and students. The Council meetings include time given to individual problems concerned with such themes as dealing with trainer burnout, joy and efficiency as a trainer or the trainer's use and abuse of personal power.

NETWORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY OF PRACTITIONERS, CLIENTS & INTERESTED PUBLIC

Bodymind World News & Research Report. Through this newsletter ICPIT communicates not only its projects and decisions, but also invites trainers, practitioners and clients to share their successes and problems in Postural Integration. In addition it supports publication of research into P.I. as a healing art and science.

Trainings. A calendar of Postural Integration trainings is available from the ICPIT Secretariat.

"Practitioners of Postural Integration". We do not hold an updated list of the current practitioners in all the countries. If you would like to find a practitioner in your area, the ICPIT Secretariat can refer you to the practitioner association and/or to the trainer/s in your country.

Organizing Bodymind Congresses. In order to further its goals of communication, sharing and creativity, ICPIT also organizes congresses to which both professionals and anyone interested in bodymind work are invited. In 1994 "The Disciplined and Loving Touch" was held at Castle Grammmont in France. Another congress is in the planning stage.