Based on the slogan “Live, Discover/Realise, Connect: Developmental Support. From Now and Here” at the 133rd Conference for Japanese Society of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Neurology, the symposium explored ‘Well-being’. My attempt was through a philosophical and phenomenological methodology of “Eidetic reduction” focusing on keywords like ‘Self’ and ‘Life difficulties’. The discussions emphasized the fluidity of these concepts and highlighted how the well-being of caregivers and professionals underpins children’s well-being. Well-being was defined as a state of comfort with one’s authentic Self within fluctuations of one’s own daily living. The talk reframed the ‘Self’ through the lenses of ‘(increasingly blurred) boundaries (against Others, World & Dividuated selves)’, ‘Oneness (Ichinyo)’, and ‘Intersubjectivity’, while acknowledging the psychological, physical, and temporal fluctuations of daily living. It advocated for care of ‘Creative self’ among adults to become a secure base for children in the process of developing their own Self identities particularly for those who struggle, fostering safety, security and connection. This approach of naturing ‘Creative selves’ aimed to seed deeper dialogues (amongst individuals as well as within one’s own reflective dividuated selves as Polyphony) on Collective well-being of every and all layers in their developmental experiences.
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