It was important that European governments were becoming increasingly aware of the role of complementary therapies and therefor some colleagues decided to put the hands together. This development was discussed during a New Age fair in Brussels, where reflexologists from different countries had the opportunity to meet each other and exchange ideas.
Present at this gathering were notable reflexologists, including Mo Usher (GB), Cecily Mills (Scotland), Anneke van ’t Wout (NL), Henk Homberg (NL), Jos Hackenfort (DE) and Philippe Simon (BE) among others.
In 1994, the first European Conference on Reflexology was held in Newcastle, UK. The conference was an important milestone for RiEN. Various subjects were discussed and a unanimous decision was made to continue with a bi-annual conference to advance the profession.
Around the same time, the European Commission requested that Paul Lannoye, a member of the European Parliament, prepare a report on the state of complementary medicine in Europe. Reflexology was initially overlooked in this report. However, after a meeting in Brussels in 1995, involving RiEN and various reflexology organizations and schools, a submission was presented to Paul Lannoye with several key points:
This submission resulted in the inclusion of reflexology in the updated versions of Lannoye’s report.
To further promote the official recognition of reflexology as both a therapy and a profession, RiEN established contacts with several Members of the European Parliament. These representatives were part of the task force on public health in various European countries.
RiEN also participated in meetings in Brussels as part of the Working Group on Complementary & Natural Medicine, which was affiliated with the Health Inter Group of the European Parliament.
In December 2004, the European Forum for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (EFCAM) was founded as part of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA). EFCAM was created to promote integrated healthcare across Europe and RiEN became a member. Since then, RiEN attended quarterly meetings to represent the interests of reflexology.
In December 2018 RiEN finally got a legal constitution.
Today, we continue striving to make reflexology seen, recognized and valued as a vital complementary therapy across Europe, promoting the benefits it offers to individuals and communities alike.
Reflexology in Europ Nexus
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