In some practices, that is what therapy looks like, but not in this one. Talking is necessary, but the key difference that distinguishes body-oriented psychotherapy is the inclusion of the body in the process itself. In other words, you move your body, use your voice and breath, and, with the support and presence of a trained professional, allow processes that could not be expressed in everyday life to move through the body. In this way, you release your body from congested, blocked energy, which in turn can lead to a greater sense of freedom and aliveness. It is like cleaning a chimney. You want your chimney to be clear so that toxic and unnecessary gases can escape and you can enjoy the warmth and safety of your home, don’t you?

In this practice, talking serves to connect the experience of the process not only on the emotional and bodily levels, but also on the mental level. If the mind already knew the solution, it would have found it long ago.

This is not a substitute for medical treatment, and no one other than a doctor is permitted to prescribe medication. This practice has its limitations, and one of them is that it cannot help people who are only able to function relatively well in life with the help of medication. If seeking help when life is difficult — because we have problems at work, in the family, or in a relationship, or because we are going through a difficult period — is madness, then if that is what “being crazy” means, I personally would rather be “crazy” than continue suffering from dissatisfaction with my life because of it.

And how much do anti-anxiety pills, days of frustration, arguments, dissatisfaction at work or in a relationship cost you? And I don’t mean money. We spend money on regular physical hygiene. We regularly put fuel in our cars; otherwise, they won’t take us anywhere. No fuel, no energy. Every year we invest in our cars and their inspections because we know we cannot take an unsafe vehicle onto the road. We could hurt someone or ourselves. Aren’t you, in some way, hurting yourself by constantly exhausting yourself emotionally? Why should caring for our soul and our emotions be any less important?

After all, by working on yourself, you may ultimately save money on coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, shopping, and all those things you may have been using to temporarily soothe yourself.

To integrate means to “connect,” to bring something back together into a whole. This approach sees a person as a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual being, and considers harmony among all these aspects to be what creates fulfilment and what we call happiness. One of the aims of this practice is to achieve that harmony.

On the other hand, if we neglect any of these four aspects of ourselves, or reject and deny a part of who we are, our personality is no longer whole. Have you ever seen someone angrily shouting at another person, “I never yell! You’re the one who yells!”? That is what we are talking about. Very often, we “stick” our own characteristics that we find difficult to acknowledge onto someone else because who wants to admit they are a bad person? If I admit that I am bad, selfish, jealous, that I cheat, lie, or steal — no one will love me. This is what it means to reject parts of our personality.

This approach works on bringing those rejected parts of ourselves back, because ultimately, we are all human, we are all imperfect, we are all flesh and blood. And just as we are, we deserve love and acceptance.

This practice places the body at the centre because it has been present in everything that has happened to us from the moment of conception. We call this body memory. We do not remember the first year of our lives because our brains were not yet sufficiently developed, but the body remembers. That is why the body is our map, our guide, and the path along which we walk.

For many people, the body is simply a machine that takes us from one place to another, performs tasks, takes in fuel, and resets at night… At the same time, the body is also home to all our dreams, feelings, and attitudes. When we are in love, we feel butterflies in our stomach; when we are afraid, our legs “turn to jelly” — our entire wonderful and frightening past has been experienced through this body.

Just as looking at old photographs brings back memories, a smell can remind us of a past experience, and hearing a song we have not heard in years can immediately take us back to an earlier event… the body takes us into the past while simultaneously being here and now. It has never left us.

Whether I am the right person for you, neither you nor I can know yet — we first need to meet. However, when it comes to my professional education, here is what I can tell you. I graduated in Theatre Directing and Radio Production and have been working in the arts for almost 30 years. For just as long, I have also worked as a drama educator with people of all ages, which I love because I use a variety of artistic tools and knowledge to help participants develop themselves through play. In other words, I use art as a means of personal development.

I am also a body-oriented psychotherapy counsellor; a member of the teaching team at CIR INTP (Split and Sarajevo); and a member of the professional organizations HKPT, EABP, and EUROTAS. Part of my professional responsibility is to continue developing my skills and learning new approaches so that I can better support the people I work with.

Using acting techniques and drama-pedagogical methods, I work on developing personality, communication and expressive skills, and creativity. I have worked in cultural management and production, and as a lecturer in performing arts at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split. In addition to my two great loves — art and psychotherapy — I have completed training in family constellations, energy healing, tantric and shamanic practices (International School of Temple Arts).

Fortunately, most of us grow up in families where there was love, care, and attention, and where our parents loved us and truly did their best to take care of us. However, sometimes external circumstances such as a child’s or parent’s illness, poverty, war, moving, having a sibling with special needs, or a parent’s physical limitations can leave a mark on the kind of people we become, the decisions we make, and the way we create our lives. Later in life, this can result in choices and a way of living that we are not satisfied with, eventually leading us to seek professional help.

On the other hand, some of us were less fortunate and experienced childhoods marked by deeper emotional wounds or neglect, the death of a parent, alcoholism, or violence. Such people are more likely to need professional support.

To begin, contact me to arrange a first meeting where we get to know each other and decide whether we want to continue working together. If we do, we agree on the goals and conditions of our work, and our shared journey can begin. Each session lasts 60 minutes, and the recommended frequency is at least twice a month for our work together to have an effect.

There is no formula for this. The answer depends on the story you bring, the goals you want to achieve, and the obstacles standing in your way. The ultimate goal is for you to stop coming — which would mean that you have grown and matured enough to create your life in a way that is more supportive and fulfilling for you.