As president of the International Balint Federation I want to share my thoughts and feelings with all of you as we again witness an escalation of the tensions worldwide and the risk of splitting inside nations and inside our federation.

Many of us have close personal relations inside IBF and in international groups on-line, where we hear first- or second-hand about the atrocities that are going on. From victims and from the doctors of the victims.

Balint groups carry earlier traumatic episodes inside them as a part of the Matrix of the group and by that, also ways for the members of the group to contain feelings of fear, sadness, vulnerability and hopelessness. I hope all the groups, that meet f2f, can keep the cadence.

And again, I become aware of the fragility of on-line groups, when the internet is closed by forces outside our influence. It becomes necessary to have a back-up way of connecting, that some of you surely already have developed.

I want to use the chance to draw your attention to the upcoming council meeting in Armenia coming May 1^st-3rd, and the 24^th International Balint Conference in Denmark October 1^st -4^th in Aarhus with the theme ‘Connected, Committed and Contained’, please notice that the early-bird rate will be prolonged for a short time and that you still can send your paper, work-shop or poster to the scientific committee. Follow this  website for the conference, new information will show gradually.

I hope for a safer and more peaceful world where we can meet in real life, listen and learn from each other.

Warm wishes on behalf of the board

March 1^st 2026

Tove Mathiesen
President
International Balint Federation