Drawing on Martin Buber’s philosophy of I–Thou, and the Buddhist roots of Gestalt, this workshop explores the transformative nature of genuine encounter and the role of Love as a quality of presence within relationship. Buber proposed that human life unfolds through two fundamental ways of relating: the I–It relationship, where we engage the world through categorization, analysis, and use, and the I–Thou relationship, where we meet another being in their fullness and uniqueness.

Through experiential exploration, dialogue, and relational practices, participants will investigate what makes authentic meeting possible. How do we cultivate the capacity to be truly present with another person? What allows us to move beyond habitual ways of seeing so that we may encounter the mystery of another? How might Love itself become a way of meeting?

Grounded in relational Gestalt therapy, this workshop explores presence, contact, dialogue, and the sacred dimension of relationship. We will draw on attachment and developmental theory to deepen our understanding of how our histories shape the ways we reach toward, respond to, and make contact with one another. Participants will engage with Buber’s philosophy through lived experience, exploring how I–Thou encounters can become moments of healing, creativity, and transformation within therapeutic and everyday relationships.

The workshop also invites therapists to explore their own relationship with Love, and how this quality of presence may deepen their way of being with clients.