Professor Gerry Bodeker named as keynote speaker at 2022 Healing Summit in Portugal

Healing Hotels of the World (HHOW) has announced the speakers for this year’s Healing Summit, taking place on Portugal’s Algarve coast in September. 

The speaker programme is headlined by Professor Gerry Bodeker, a Harvard-trained public health researcher and academic specialising in lifespan, wellness and integrative healthcare. Bodeker has also served as a lecturer in medical science at Oxford and Columbia and is currently editor-in-chief of the World Health Organization Global Atlas on Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 

He will deliver a keynote speech centred around this year’s theme: The Healing of Everything.

Speaking to European Spa, Prof Bodeker said: “We’ve all been impacted by multiple personal and global shocks in recent times. The pandemic and its array of harms; the inescapably fast pace of climate change and the uncertainty that this brings to our lives and future; and the war in Europe.

“Increasingly, thriving and optimising our potential (ie. wellness) is predicated on healing. We need to find ways to enable personal healing where needed and to merge this with planetary healing, while working to ensure peace for ourselves and for future generations.

“Finding our own healing paths, and the right restorative paths for our organisations and clients, is the timely focus of the Healing Summit 2022.”

Inviting delegates to ask deeper questions about how to create conditions that allow for positive change, this year’s Healing Summit will bring together like-minded individuals looking to collaborate, raise awareness and inspire real change. 

Other announced speakers include Molly Melching, founder of Tostan, a non-profit that empowers African communities to bring about sustainable development, with a special focus on women and girls; and Gary Joplin, a professional choreographer and expert in somatic training and embodiment. Joplin will lead several highly effective movement sessions throughout the conference, offering insight into the human body and how it relates to emotional wellbeing.

The two-day conference will also feature talks from a host of yet-to-be-announced speakers from the fields of investment, science, healing modalities, mission-oriented organisations and travel, who will join with delegates to create a network of global influencers committed to doing good. 

This year’s attendance is limited to just 130-attendees, enabling the summit to foster a more collaborative format, offering plenaries and smaller workshops exploring themes such as personal transformation, investment, economy, sustainability and social justice. 

“We are so honoured to have Professor Gerry Bodeker, Molly Melching and Gary Joplin as our first three confirmed speakers. When we know who we are as human beings, we can make informed choices for our personal and professional lives, allowing us to support ourselves and others. It is up to us to create conditions that allow for positive change,” said  Anne Biging, founder and CEO of HHOW and co-founder of the Healing Summit. 

Dr. Elisabeth Ixmeir, COO and co-founder of HHOW, said: “With the Healing Summit we aim to offer participants something that will enrich their lives for the long term; an inspiring, transformative experience that fosters a more holistic lifestyle and new opportunities.”

Registration for the summit is now open, with tickets costing €2,100 (£1,750) per person.