THE RAKHAWY INSTITUTE and MEDFEST EGYPT
International Media & Mental Health Conference
The Legacy & the Power of the Here and Now: Mind, Media, and Meaning
Preconference (Online and Hybrid): 2 – 3 & 5 May 2026
Conference (Hybrid) 7- 9 May 2026
Cairo, Egypt
A meeting point for Mental health professionals, creators, and the curious.
Over eight days, leading psychiatrists, psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and artists from Egypt, the Arab world, and across Europe come together to explore how media shapes our minds — and how mental health can shape better media.
At a Glance
What You Can Expect
Expect a rich mix of formats built around a single question: About the here and Now, inspired by Dr. Yehia Rakhawy school
- Symposia and panels with leading clinicians and thinkers
- Hands-on workshops in psychodrama, family therapy, dance-movement therapy, and creative arts
- Media discussions — with scenes from acclaimed Arabic and international works
- Plenaries honoring Yehia Rakhawy, J.L. Moreno, Youssef Chahine, Gordon Laurance, Naguib Mahfouz, and S.H. Foulkes
- Daily Social Dreaming Matrix, dance movement therapy, reflection groups, and a reflective walking session
Pre-Conference Online Workshops
Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 May 2026 · Online · All times Egypt (Cairo) time
Saturday 2 May
9:30 am – 10:00 am
Opening & Warmup
Mona Rakhawy & Mina El Naggar
Aspire Team
(Egypt)
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Perfect Present: Finding Meaning in the Here and Now
A Practical and Neuroscience Approximation
Australia
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
When Intimacy Becomes Public
Sexuality, Media, Psychological Impact and Responsibility
Egypt
6:45 pm – 8:15 pm
The Hero’s Journey in a Digital and Virtual Age
USA
Sunday 3 May
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Narratives of Ageing in Film
Sudan
6:45 pm – 8:15 pm
Mindful Social Listening
Nubian & Sufi Soundscapes for Stress Reduction and Focus
Canada
Pre-Conference Course
Hybrid (in-person at Rakhawy Institute + online)
Tuesday 5 May 2026
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Digital Tools in Group Therapies and Group Work
Opportunities, Risks, and Clinical Implications
Denmark
Open to on-site and online participants. Venue: Rakhawy Institute for Training and Research.
Morning grounding, afternoon workshops, and an evening opening ceremony honoring the legacies of Yehia Rakhawy and J.L. Moreno.
Day 1 - Thursday 7 May
9:00 am
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Social Dreaming Matrix
Experiential work with dreams & associations
Leave yourself to the dream world
Italy
Italy
11:00 am – 11:15 am
Transition
11:15 am – 11:40 am
Dance Movement Therapy (DMT)
Balancing body, mind and interconnection
Italy
11:40 am – 12:00 pm
BREAK
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm
Beginning the Journey
Lebanon
Egypt
Egypt
Bab el 7ekayat (story telling)
Egypt
Group Therapy in the Arab World: Why in the Here and Now
Jordan
12:45 pm – 1:00 pm
Transition
Closed Roundtable (by invitation only) 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Standardization of Group Psychotherapy and Group Work in the Arab World
Coordinator: Mona Rakhawy (Egypt), Reham Kamel (Egypt)
Egypt: Noha Sabry, Refaat Mahfouz, Eman Gaber, Hoda Refaat, Eman Onsy
Lebanon: Charles Badora, Nadine Akl, Marie Anne El Khoury, Waad Sharnouti
Jordan: Walid Sarhan
Tunisia: Ahmed Eleuch
Sweden: Eva Fahlstrom Borg
Italy: Domenico Agresta, Maurizio Gasseau,
Spain-Switzerland: Jorge Burmeister.
Saudi Arabia: Afnan El Ghamdy and Samia
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Parallel tracks
Panel
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
Moderator:
Egypt
Workshop
The Four-Step Model in Group Psychotherapy
(A 2-hour workshop)
Egypt
Symposium
The Intergenerational Legacy: Where Parenting Meets Digital Transformations in
Egypt
Arts in the Service of Memory Protection
Egypt
Living the Moment: A Role Play Based Support Group Intervention Using the Gem Model for Dementia Care
Egypt
Tunisia
Moderator:
Egypt
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
Workshop (Part 1)
Here and Now in Psychodrama on Dreams (Part 1)
Italy
Two-part workshop – attendance required for both parts
Workshop
The Shape of Memory — Healing Through Photography
Exploring the journey of grief
Italy
Italy
Italy
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
LUNCH BREAK
03:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Workshop
Behind the Scenes: The Psychological Development of Characters in Drama
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
Workshop
Does the Voice Hurt? Influence, Illness, Stigma, and Responsibility in the Digital Age
Adolescents, Media, and Psychiatric Symptoms
Egypt
This sound is a harbinger of disaster; do we understand its roots and know how to solve it?
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
Moderator:
Egypt
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
Symposium
Bridging Human and Institutional Development
Aspire Community Transformation: Two Decades of Social Impact.
Egypt
Empowering Arts in Health: Human-Centered Design and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Practice.
Jordan
Drawing the Unseen, Enacting the Possible: Bridging Psychodynamic Understanding and Psychodramatic Action in Organizations.
Greece
Belgium
Workshop (Part 2)
Here and Now in Psychodrama on Dreams (Part 2)
Italy
A WORKSHOP OF 2 PARTS ATTENDANCE REQUIRED FOR BOTH PARTS
Workshop
Engineering Catharsis
How to induce transformational moments in psychotherapy with film, media & AI.
Switzerland
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Break + Reflective Walk to Rakhawy Hospital
Egypt
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Action-Based Reflection Group: Moments of Togetherness
Spain-Switzerland
Egypt
6:30 pm – 6:45 pm
Dance Movement Therapy
Balancing body, mind and interconnection
Italy
6:45 pm – 7:00 pm
BREAK
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
PLENARY
The Legacy of J.L. Moreno: Compassion in Action
Spain - Switzerland
UK
The Legacy of Yehia Rakhawy: Science, Creativity and Collective Responsibility
Egypt
Egypt
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
OPENING CEREMONY
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
A day on myth, trauma, and storytelling — closing with plenaries on Gordon Laurence’s social dreaming legacy and Youssef Chahine’s cinematic vision.
Day 2 - Friday 8 May
8:45 am
Registration
Morning 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Social Dreaming Matrix
Experiential work with dreams & associations
Leave yourself to the dream world
Italy
Italy
10:00 am – 10:15 am
Transition
10:15 am – 10:40 am
Dance Movement Therapy
Balancing body, mind and interconnection
Italy
10:40 am – 11:00 am
BREAK
Late Morning . 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Parallel tracks
Symposium
Myths, Trauma, and Psychological Healing
A New Reading of an Ancient Myth: The Psychological Dimensions of the Isis–Osiris-Horus Myth.
Egypt
Art as Health Behavior: Reclaiming Ancient Egypt’s Healing Wisdom for Modern Wellbeing.
Egypt
The “Meaning Now” Program.
Palestine
The Breakdown of Thinking: Between Lability and Re-Coding.
Palestine
Panel Discussion
The Magic of Psychodrama as a Didactic Tool
For promoting mental health
Germany
Workshop
Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
Family relationships in the age of media.
Egypt
Egypt
Workshop
What Men Seek: A Psychological Perspective — الرجالة عاوزين إيه ؟
Egypt
Workshop
Writing as a Healing Practice.
Egypt
Workshop
The Tale of All Tales
My life as a “Hero’s Journey” – Group Schema Therapy meets Expressive Arts.
Switzerland
Egypt
Afternoon . 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Prayer & Lunch Break
Afternoon . 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm· Parallel tracks
Panel
The Here and Now in Treating Trauma Survivors
The Importance of Here and Now in the Treatment of Trauma Survivors.
Italy
Social Media and Psychic Trauma: Risks of Retraumatization and Secondary Traumatization.
Greece
The Concept of Re-Traumatization in documentary movies
Egypt
Egypt
Moderator
Egypt
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
Symposium
Mapping Mental Health Topics in Prime-Time TV Dramas in Egypt.
Egypt
Egypt
Collective Responsibility in Community Work
Egypt
From Stigma to Compassion:
The power of the Here and Now
Egypt
The Cinematic Representation of Difference and the Reproduction of Discrimination
A Study of the Film “Seeret Ahl El-Day” within the Framework of Cultural Psychology
Egypt
Chairs
Egypt
Egypt
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
Workshop
The Dance: The Here and Now of the Group
Italy
Workshop
Couples Therapy: The Imago Appreciation Dialogue
Imago couple group workshops
Tunisia
Workshop
Humor in Psychotherapy
UK
Evening 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Reflective Walking To The Hospital
Egypt
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
PLENARY
The Legacy of Gordon Laurence: Dreams from the Social Dreaming Matrix Perspective
Italy
The Legacy of Youssef Chahine: Cinema, Society, and the Human Story
Egypt
Egypt
5:10 pm – 6:10 pm
PANEL: The Instinct of Faith
A growth/healing-oriented dialogue between faith, psychology, and media
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
6:10 pm – 6:30 pm
BREAK
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Action-Based Reflection Group: Moments of Togetherness |
Spain - Switzerland
Egypt
7:30 pm – 7:45 pm
Dance Movement Therapy (DMT)
Balancing body, mind and interconnection
Italy
Closing day: organizational growth, sociodrama, and a rich evening of cinema, dialogue, and reflection — ending with a closing ceremony and performances.
DAY 3 - SATURDAY MAY 9th 2026
8:45 am
Registration
Morning 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Social Dreaming Matrix
Experiential work with dreams & associations
Leave yourself to the dream world
Italy
Italy
10:00 am – 10:15 am
Transition
10:15 am – 10:40 am
Dance Movement Therapy (DMT)
Balancing body, mind and interconnection
Italy
10:40 am – 11:00 am
BREAK
Late Morning . 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Parallel tracks
Symposium
Combating Shame – Fostering Human and Organizational Growth
How Art Psychology and the Unconscious Can Come to the Rescue of Organizations
Belgium
The Impact of Creativity on Adolescents’ Mental Health in Schools and Institutions
Egypt
Empowering Communities for Environmental Transformation
Egypt
Transforming Orphans from Beneficiaries to Community Leaders
Belgium
Breaking Shame in the Here and Now: Groups for Emotional and Binge Eating
Egypt
Moderator
Egypt
Action-Learning Symposium
Sociodrama and Action Methods: Organizational and Community Transformation
Sweden
Sweden
Egypt
The First Sociodrama Assistant Practitioners’ Graduates (Egypt)
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
Workshop
Internal Family Systems (IFS): Internal Characters
Egypt
Egypt
Workshop
What Do We Carry? Reflective Practice in Modern Perinatal Mental Health.
Egypt
Workshop
From Anxiety to Integration.
Working in the here-and-now through the Expressive Therapies Continuum
Egypt
Workshop
Localizing Dance Movement Therapy
Where therapy intertwines with cultural movement – a ten-year DMT journey in Egypt
Egypt
Afternoon . 12:45 pm– 2:15 pm Parallel tracks
Panel
The Psychology of Trends.
Presenter
Egypt
Chaired by
Egypt
Egypt
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
Workshop
Psychoanalytic Motifs in Stanley Kubrick’s Cinema.
Italy
Egypt
Egypt
Moderator
Italy
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
Workshop
The Story of My Body
Exploring somatic experiences through psychodrama.
Sweden
Workshop
What the Machine Sees and What It Misses.
Egypt
Workshop
Future-Ready Mental Health
Designing initiatives for the next 25 years
Jordan
Egypt
Evening 2:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Lunch + Reflective Walk to the Hospital
Egypt
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
PLENARY
The Group as a Living Screen: Foulkes’s Legacy for Working with Individuals and Communities
Italy
Naguib Mahfouz: The Lasting Legacy of Action, Humanity, and Responsibility
Egypt
Egypt
AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION
4:45 pm – 5:45 pm
Action-Based Reflection Group: Moments of Togetherness
Spain- Switzerland
Egypt
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Dance Movement Therapy
Balancing body, mind and interconnection
Italy
7:30 pm – 7:45 pm
PANEL: Dialogue in the Dark
Stories of minorities: When media and cinema meet the invisible:
With Distinguished NGOs: Sanad, Samusocial, Al Nour Wal Amal (Egypt)
Al Nour Wal Amal, Egypt
Banaty, Egypt
Samusocial, Egypt
Script Writer, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt
7:45 pm – 9:00 pm
CLOSING CEREMONY
With contributions from Samu Social and closing performances
For the Media
Story angles and spokespeople for press covering the conference.
Story Angles
- How screens are reshaping the adolescent mind – and what clinicians see in their offices.
- Behind the scenes of Egyptian TV drama: how writers, actors, and psychiatrists collaborate on mental health storylines.
- Cinema as therapy: the lasting legacies of Youssef Chahine and Naguib Mahfouz in mental health discourse.
- Healing through the arts – photography, writing, dance, and psychodrama as clinical tools.
- Mental health across the Arab world: a first-of-its-kind regional roundtable on standardizing group therapy practice.
- Faith, psychology, and media: a rare four-voice dialogue between clinicians and public figures.
- Stories of minorities in Egyptian media – what we see, what we miss, and who tells the story.
Featured Voices
- Mona Rakhawy (Egypt) – Chair, Rakhawy Institute
- Jorge Burmeister (Switzerland/Spain) – psychodrama and group therapy
- Marcia Karp (UK) – founding figure of contemporary psychodrama
- Maurizio Gasseau (Italy) – Social Dreaming Matrix
- Marianne Khoury (Egypt) – filmmaker, on the legacy of Youssef Chahine
- Essam Zakaria (Egypt) – film critic and Chahine scholar
- Bothayna Kamel (Egypt) – broadcaster and public figure
- Mina El Naggar (Egypt) – actor, physician, and festival director
Languages & Access
Sessions are delivered in English and Arabic. Online participation is available for pre-conference workshops and selected main-conference sessions.