Page 140 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 13

2019 EMCAPP-Conference ma Therapist from Denmark, taught the ope-

Tampere (Finland) ning session in the conference. Her topic was
Blessing as Empowerment in Counseling and
Psychotherapy. Blessing another can mean in-
by Saara Kinnunen voking Gods favor, approval – good wishes –
upon a person. Our blessing response toward
others is that of a mental attitude of appreciati-
The first ever EMCAPP-Conference was held on. The Hebrew word for blessing means ben-
in March 22-24 in Tampere, Finland. The diffe- ding your knees. A camel had to bend its knees
rence between this recent conference and EM- so that its master could mount it (Gen.24:11).
CAPP-Symposiums lies in the purpose of the Bending before someone is a symbolic picture
participants: This conference brought together of valuing that person. Uffe Schjødt`s research
Christian therapists, psychologists, doctors and from Denmark suggests that when we pray to
others who function in helping professions. The God, socio-cognitive and affective centers we
annual symposiums on the other hand focus use for interaction with others are activated as
more on academic experts sharing experiences if we were speaking to another person. When
and research from the field of Christian Psycho- someone you trust prays for you, the centers in
logy. the brain are activated and the critical sense in
the prefrontal lobe is inhibited. We find many
The theme of the EMCAPP-Conference was references in the Old (640 times) and New te-
The Meaning of Relationship in Christian An- stament to blessings. We have been called to
thropology, Psychology and Psychotherapy and bless people, because we are the royal priest-
Counseling. We had over hundred participants, hood (1. Peter 2: 9, 3:9).
which also included attendees from Estonia and
Italy. In her lecture on Relationship and Attachment
in Psychotherapy Dr. Möller challenged the par-
Vibeke Möller, Dr. of Medicine and a Trau- ticipants to examine their attachment styles and

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