Foundation
In 1970, the married couple, Drs Wolf and Christa Büntig bought the property Zist 3 in Penzberg. Originally, the name of the property can be traced back to a farmer named Zistl, who in the 13th century rented the land from a Benediktbeuern Monastery, a practice at the time reffered to as quit-rent.
In 1971, the couple began work on the conversion of a building shell into a seminar center. At that time, the building had been part of a newly established farmstead outside a village. This property and the initial building are now included in the ZIST grounds. In 1973, together with other interested parties, the Büntigs' founded the association called ZIST, Center for Individual and Social Therapy, e. V., as a non-profit organization which enabled them to begin offering seminars and programs.
In 2005, ZIST gGmbH was established and took on entrepreneurial responsibility with all the rights and obligations of the ZIST, Center for Individual and Social Therapy, e. V., which from there forward has defined itself as the non-profit, Friends of ZIST e. V.
Counseling (and Information) Centers
ZIST has launched several counseling centers in Munich: The Counseling Center for Natural Birth in 1979, which since 1986 is independent and known as the non-profit organization, Counseling Center for Natural Childbirth and Parenthood, e. V.; the Counseling Center Psychosomatic Initiative in 1982, since 2005 is independent as a non-profit organization known as Psychosomatic Counseling Center e. V.; and the Sexual Counseling Center SBS in 1988, now also an independent association.
Conferences
Between 1990 and 2002, together with Dieter Reichert, ZIST organized the annual International Conference for Humanistic Medicine in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Between 2006–2008, ZIST led this conference and in 2013, for their 40th anniversary, led the International congress series Potential and Reality, also in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in cooperation with the Trenkle organization.
Developments in Humanistic Psychology and world-class speakers
Throughout its existence, ZIST has provided space for research and dissemination of major developments in Humanistic Psychology Methods such as Gestalt Therapy, Body Psychotherapy, Feldenkrais, Hypnotherapy, Psycho-oncology, Systemic Family Constellations and Trauma therapy are widely used today in psychotherapy Over the years Wolf Büntig and his teams have hosted (illuminaries as Gerda Boyesen, Ruth Cohn, Moshé Feldenkrais, Stanislav Grof, Bert Hellinger, Stanley Keleman, Frederick Leboyer, Alexander Lowen, Erving and Miriam Polster, Ernest Rossi, Carl Simonton, Alan Watts, Paul Watzlawick and many other internationally renowned speakers at ZIST facilities.
We are committed to continuing ZIST in these traditions.