NZTAA TAttler October Issue 2014

2014 ITAA World Conference Experience: Fionna McCarthy:

At the beginning of this year I decided to gain a broader view of TA's international
community. My curiosities lead me to the 2014 World TA Conference "TA Now! A Game Changer" held in San Francisco, in August. There, I thoroughly enjoyed the gathering of the international TA communities that came together in collegial friendship and fun to share knowledge and a wealth of experience. I enjoyed connecting with the members of the TA Community from other parts of the globe, but especially meeting and making friends with members from other centres in New Zealand.

At the conference I felt welcomed, included and enriched by the sharing of views, opinions and experiences amongst the delegates. I also felt somewhat overwhelmed by the generosity and humility of the senior trainers and authors that have further developed the theory and practice of TA across the globe. The conference presentations as a whole group where captivating and motivating, which stimulated my own thoughts on TA as well as validating my own views and personal practice.

It was enjoyable to attend sessions where the delegates who were gathered together were invited to break into smaller groups. This provided the opportunity for more connection on a more personal level with delegates from different countries, languages and cultures. I joined in with the Japanese delegates, and with the assistance of a translator, I found that the smaller group experience created more involvement, openness and honesty in our sharing of where we were on our TA journey and the significant learning for each of us from the session. I found this extended my view of TA and how it fits across many cultures.

The workshops offered at the conference became a dilemma at times, as there was such a variety of topics offered. My dilemma being, that I wanted to go to them all, however I managed to make my selections and was more than satisfied. To make the most of my experience at the conference I also took the opportunity to attend ITAA post conference trainings.

I attended "How Can We Change Transgenerational Scripts?" with Gloria Noriega, PhD, TSTA, Mexico. My experience of this training was both educational and therapeutic. I liked the interactive nature of this group experience workshop, the demonstrations of practical skills with delegates, and the application of theory. I observed the importance of safety and calmness in the relationship that Gloria created between herself and the attendees. Gloria was gentle and
respectful in her work with the transgenerational scripts and the ego states that held these messages that had transpired through the generations.

Secondly, I attended "The Drama Triangle, the Compassion Triangle and Game-free Intimacy" with Stephen B. Karpman, MD, TSTA. San Francisco, USA. Stephen's entertaining, clear and factual presentation gave me more understanding of his concept and application of the Drama Triangle. Along with, this I also learnt more about the history of TA in San Francisco which was expanded on by Stephen Karpman in his workshop. He elaborated on his experience of Eric Berne in the San Francisco seminars. He also remarked on the encouragement he received from Eric to keep thinking and to continue the development the "Drama Triangle."

I felt most privileged to be at this particular conference for the opening of the Eric Berne archives. I learnt about the creation of the Eric Berne collection at the University of California in San Francisco and how his family members had supported this project. It was interesting to hear of the work involved to create this collection by the university, the archive team and of how Kate Tasker processed these papers. The Eric Berne archives are available at the UCSF library. I am grateful to the ITAA and all who did an enormous amount of work in organising the conference. The conference was a fantastic and positive learning experience.