Gestalt therapist based in Lisbon. Group facilitator. Immigrant. Mother. Enthusiast of the non-verbal approach in psychotherapy. I like to create dialogues between therapy and art.
life in motion and the Gestalt encounter
I was born in the former Yugoslavia, in Bosnia, grew up in Belgrade, and left Serbia 20 years ago. Since then, I've lived in Holland, Kenya and Cyprus. I arrived in Lisbon in 2007 to work as a researcher in the field of the environment, where I did my PhD, and worked for many years as a project manager.
The post-graduate course in Gestalt Psychotherapy at the Portuguese Gestalt Association was a transformative experience for me. It was an opportunity to rediscover and reclaim forgotten or neglected aspects of myself. Above all, feeling that my body is my home, my safe base. Breathing, tuning into my felt-sense, relying on intuition, and cultivating awareness.
I became a mother before I started training in Gestalt therapy. The opening of the heart, a flow of joy and expansion, but also of insecurities were the strongest sensations. As I delved into Gestalt therapy, I learned to acknowledge and embrace these contrasting emotions as they emerged. To use them to stretch and expand myself as a person and thus be able to see the other in their differences and in their fullness.
non-verbal
The study of photography (4 years at ar.co) and dance (3 years at Dançar com o Coração) have played a vital role in my life.
Photography has stuck with me to the very core and I believe it has made me a better therapist, capable of embracing others within their metaphorical 'darkroom'. Witnessing the therapeutic potential captured in photography, I sought training in Photobiography at the Gestalt Psychotherapy Institute in Madrid.
Being an immigrant myself, I have become conscious of the limitations of verbal communication and language when attempting to convey our true essence. Language, by its very nature, is a linear process and cannot keep up with the nuances and depths of our emotions, bodily experiences, and overall 'felt sense'. I was lucky to have the first psychotherapeutic process here in Lisbon following the Bioenergetic Analysis model. I didn't know how to speak Portuguese well back then. Far from it. But, my body spoke and was my teacher on a path of transformation that lasted many years. This experience led me to dance therapy (Dançar com o Coração) and to the creation of the Dança Gestalt project. I am currently dancing with the collective Pulsar - Body Company (Music, Dance and Theater in dialogue using a single instrument - the Body).
Through these diverse encounters, I have become aware of the profound potential of non-verbal communication in my own life, and as a therapist, I am committed to sharing this impactful experience with others.
enthusiasm
I specialize in accompanying immigrants, expatriates, who are looking for support from someone who knows the specifics of the experience of living abroad, helping them finding a sense of belonging in new places and embracing the fluid nature of identity. Together, we work towards building a strong support system grounded in shared experiences and their unique story.
I also work as a group facilitator, i.e. facilitating groups in their transformation processes.
And I like to create a dialogue between the expressive arts and Gestalt psychotherapy. As a way of facilitating a better, less linear understanding of who we are.
Contact me
For more information or to book your first appointment
Email: info.vanjakaradzic@gmail.com
Telefone: (+351) 968 364 426
(WhatsApp; Viber)