Dear ISSTD Community,
I hope the month has been treating you relatively well – ‘relatively’ because these are challenging and uncertain times in many parts of the world, and I’d prefer to avoid assuming anything. One thing I can offer unreservedly is how positive, warm, and exciting the vibes felt at ISSTD’s Annual Conference this year in Boston, MA, USA.
We saw more attendees at this conference than we’ve had in many years, aside from New York in 2019. This is heartening. We had a great balance of presentations representing a broad cross-section of research, theory, and practice in the field. Some presenters brought to bear new ideas, while others revisited and brought renewed attention to abiding wisdom that, were it not for their continued interest, might be obscured by the mists of time.
This was my tenth conference, and this year felt somehow different, and special. Maybe it’s because this was our first – hopefully not our last – time in Boston. Maybe it was the grouping of plenary speakers, which included Judith Herman, Thema Bryant, and David Spiegel. Then again, it could be that this was (what felt like to me) our first truly post-pandemic conference. It might also be that the reality that social unrest, combined with our increased focus on being a truly international community of students, practitioners, and researchers focused on complex trauma and dissociation, makes these conferences all the more important.
I’ll own my bias. I love in-person conferences. Are they more expensive to attend? Yes. Do I have to budget more carefully because of that? Yes. Does the togetherness, the collective learning, and just being among a group of people to whom I don’t need to justify my work make that worthwhile? For me, very much so.
For example, I had the opportunity to attend the Students and Emerging Professionals (SEP) Luncheon this year. Seventy-five SEPs showed up for this annual event, which takes the form of ‘professional speed dating.’ SEPs sat at round tables with two to three more seasoned professionals, and my goodness, the discussions that were had this year. It’s noisy, to be sure, but there was a lot of meaningful sharing that happened for all. The more seasoned professionals’ rotation from table to table was punctuated by the ever-popular book drawing. Lots of SEPs walked away with all kinds of great lit from the fields of complex trauma and dissociation. It was so much fun!
Another thing that stood out to me was just how many poster presenters we had this year. I think we had thirty posters, which has to be a record for the most posters featured at any ISSTD conference to date. The discussions that I both participated in and overheard others having during the poster judging hour/opening reception really brought to life the important research being undertaken all over the world. It was one of the best things about the conference, I think. It drove home for me just how important this work is, in all its dimensions, and how vital it is that we have opportunities to come together to share our knowledge, our passion, and our abiding love for human beings in general.
This experience was balanced with the reality that many of our friends from outside the US were either unable or unwilling to make the trek to Boston owing to uncertainties about whether they would have trouble getting here or getting home.
With that in mind, with one ‘big’ conference of the year behind us, another is on the horizon. Our bi-annual Australia-New Zealand Regional Conference will take place October 31 through November 2, 2025, in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. For many, it may be a more attractive alternative to traveling to the US at this time, and we anticipate it’s going to be a fabulous event.
Thanks again for taking time to read ISSTD News. Editor Alexis Arbuthnott and other volunteers work hard every month to bring us all the best of ISSTD. I’ll be back next month with more musings on… something.
Warmly yours,
Michael