Keynotes & Panels
From Thursday through Sunday, our morning plenary sessions offer a quiet, dedicated space to come together as a global community. Each day invites us to reflect deeply on a unique phase of our collective journey, discovering our roots, examining our core concepts, honoring how our practice has evolved over seven decades, and looking thoughtfully toward what comes next.
More session details and presentation titles will be announced soon. Below is a glimpse of the esteemed IIBA International Faculty members and guest speaker who will be guiding our morning dialogues.
In chronological order, we present our Keynote Speakers & Panelists:
When: June 18, 2027 (Friday)
About: Avigail Shahar, M.A., CBT, is a Certified Bioenergetic Therapist since 2008 with advanced training in pre- and perinatal psychology. She is an international Faculty member of the International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis (IIBA) and a member of the Israeli Society for Bioenergetic Analysis (ISBA). Her work integrates Bioenergetic Analysis with developmental and relational approaches to psychotherapy.
When: June 19, 2027 (Saturday)
About: Available Soon
When: June 18, 2027 (Friday)
About: Guy Tonella, Dr, is a Doctor in Clinical Psychology, CES of Psycho-physiology, Certified Bioenergetic Therapist, International IIBA Trainer and Faculty member, Co-Director of the Collège Français d’Analyse Bioénergétique. He was Professor of Psychology at Toulouse University for 20 years. He teaches in most European countries and in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand and China. He is in private practice in Toulouse in France.
When: June 17, 2027 (Thursday)
About: Heiner Steckel is CBT and international trainer of the International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis since 1990. A co-founder of the North German Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis (NIBA), he has trained therapists in more than 15 countries and worked closely with Dr. Alexander Lowen for over 30 years. His work integrates Bioenergetic Analysis with trauma-informed approaches, including TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises).
When: June 19, 2027 (Saturday)
About: Homayoun Shahri holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, specializing in Coding and Information Theory, from Lehigh University (1990), and an M.A. in Clinical and Somatic Psychology from Santa Barbara Graduate Institute (2012). He is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice in Lake Forest, California, and a CBT since 2017. He is a member of the editorial board of the IIBA journal.
When: June 19, 2027 (Saturday)
About: Available Soon
When: June 17, 2027 (Thursday)
About: Liane Zink is a Brazilian body psychotherapist, international trainer in Bioenergetic Analysis, and founder of the Instituto de Análise Bioenergética de São Paulo (IABSP). She has been teaching and supervising therapists internationally for more than three decades and is recognized as a pioneer in the development of Bioenergetic Analysis in Brazil. She is also an author and senior trainer in Biosynthesis.
When: June 17, 2027 (Thursday)
About: Louise Fréchette is a psychologist, a certified bioenergetic therapist and an IIBA Faculty member. She has been in private practice in Montreal since 1980, and since 1987 she has been doing bioenergetic training in various countries like Canada, the United States, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, and New Zealand. She is the author of several articles in professional publications like the IIBA Clinical Journal and Le Corps et l’Analyse, a clinical journal published by the francophone Bioenergetic Societies. She is also the author of numerous documents for didactic purposes.
When: June 19, 2027 (Friday)
About: Périsson Dantas is a Clinical Psychologist with a PhD in Psychosomatics. He is an international trainer, member of the IIBA Faculty, psychotherapist and supervisor. Adjunct professor at the State University of Piauí. He teaches Bioenergetic Analysis classes in several societies in Argentina, Brazil and Europe.
When: Guest Keynote Speaker – Germany
About: Thomas Harms, psychologist, body psychotherapist, and founder of Emotional First Aid (EFA), will present a keynote that explores how early relational experiences between parents and infants shape the foundations of emotional regulation, trauma integration, and embodied attachment.
