Three decades later I was indeed taking care of others as a clinical psychologist in a palliative care hospital. Full of excitement at the end of a five years university course, yet too young to work with the dying, I started to watch my patients voice out their upsets and regrets for the first time in their lives. Their stories were rich and sad. Born during or in the aftermath of the Second World War, my patients spoke about poverty and hunger, land disputes, arguments with family members and neighbours, controlling parents and many losses on the way. The common theme was the tense and broken relationships with themselves, others and the world.  There was hurt in their hearts,  little forgiveness and healing, so much time wasted following others and too many dreams left unfulfilled. 

That experience moved me deeply and brought sleepless nights and many existential questions which triggered a series of deep spiritual awakenings. Intrigued by the similarity and difference I saw in people and the impact the outer world seemed to have in our lives, I felt even more determined to teach others heal and build happy and fulfilling lives. This is why I enrolled in two psychotherapy courses, CBT and Hypnotherapy, I started working with private clients and I became a passionate practitioner researcher. Yet, the same result: people spoke mostly about their unfulfilled relationships. And, naturally, I asked myself: Is this a cultural thing? 

There was only one way to find out: to get the experience of a multicultural environment so I decided to move to London. Over the following 14 years I thrived in London: I completed three more postgraduate courses (in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy) plus further training in NLP and Coaching; I registered with reputable professional bodies; I managed mental health services in various communities  across six boroughs; I volunteered as a honorary counsellor for One in Four, the London’s leading charity supporting survivors of childhood trauma; I developed the framework for my Expansive Psychotherapy method; and I grew a small international therapy practice.