​I come from the fairytale city of Bruges, Belgium. I remember that I was already very involved with massage as a child. My mother initiated this. For example, if I had a headache, she would ease the pain by giving me head massages.  In another memory, I went to ask my younger brother for massage exchanges. I couldn't get enough.

 

Now it happened in my childhood that I had to deal with traumas or difficult to process events that overwhelmed me. I gradually became more and more involved in depression. Massage ended up in the forgotten corner. Many years of feeling lost and confused went by.

 

When I was in my twenties, there was a turning point. I became aware of my feelings of depression and that my addictions were destructive coping mechanisms that I had kept alive in order to survive. The realization that things could be done differently gave me both strength and the will to change. I began to learn diligently and sought help. 

 

I also found nice outlets, such as music and poetry. It's so cathartic to be creative! And through literature, I came into contact with Buddhism and the Bible, a source of living water. I will always be grateful that I came to know Jesus Christ and His gospel better in this way. He has been the driving force for me to climb out of the deep pit of depression. 

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Later, during my second year at the University of Ghent, when I was twenty-six, I suddenly had to deal with anxiety, nightmares, and panic attacks. This continued and was so severe that I could no longer function normally. In my study and walking down the street, I moaned with sorrow and misery. I simply couldn't give the necessary attention to my studies anymore, so I decided with a heavy heart to quit my Bachelor of Language and Literature. Instead, I took a job as an administrative assistant at the State Archives in Ghent, as this was not mentally difficult.

 

I first learned about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in therapy with a psychologist.  Since then I have been on a quest for healing specifically to improve my mental and emotional health. My quest for healing and peace brought me back in contact with ... massage!

 

After visiting a few massage therapists, I stuck with two of my favorites: Chi-Arte, run by Astrid de Mul, and Liselotte Vanden Berghe, who, among other things, give wonderful Ayurvedic massages.

I had an aha experience during a treatment Astrid gave me. Suddenly, after more than fifteen years, my childhood memories of massage resurfaced and I felt something special about it. I noticed that deep within me there was a longing, a voice, which I could describe as follows: "I want to let myself and others experience the peaceful feeling that I have now experienced. I want to learn and be able to massage so that I can massage therapy can relieve other people's pain and suffering and can contribute to their health and well-being." Since then I have always had a soft spot for people who struggle with their mental health.

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As my desire began to grow and take shape, I started the Professional Competency Cosmetic Masseur course with Marielle Dobbels in the spring of 2017. She was my teacher at Syntra West Brugge, and I still consider her my mentor. I successfully completed the training I did with her and the various additional courses I followed alongside. ​

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With great enthusiasm I did my three first freelance assignments as a masseur: at the Surfing Elephant in Bredene, the Gautama Wellness in Ostend, and the meditation center Soulpath in Ghent. Then I made a one-year work trip to New Zealand to gain further experience. I   started working as a massage therapist at the Natural Health Clinic in Hanmer Springs with Ani Roe, who is a massage therapist and yoga teacher, and Richard Roe, who is a chiropractor. I learned that I supported a holistic approach to people when it came to alleviating the suffering of the patients or clients. It was also nice to be able to perform the full range of body treatments with the range of World Organics and doTerra Essential Oils.

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After a great year in New Zealand, I settled in the city of Apeldoorn and then in Kampen. I also then began a Bachelor's degree in Marriage and Family Studies, an online degree at Brigham Young University-Idaho.

 

Since May 2022 I have been employed at the Europe Ayurvedic Center in Witharen as an Ayurvedic therapist where I treat the Panchakarma cures.