I was born in Bosnia in 1972 and have been living in Denmark for the last 17 years.
When the war started in my country I was 19 years old, and I lived through two years of the horrors of the war before coming to Denmark in 1994 as a refugee.
War is not a pretty thing, and it is difficult to explain the effect it has on those who live it day to day. My home was in Sarajevo, so we were in the middle of the fighting. Most days there was no electricity or clean water, and hunger was constant, and at one point I was wounded by a grenade blast.
I saw people wounded and bleeding. I saw the pain in the eyes of the people and heard the same stories over and over. Everyone was suffering. In my family some were injured and some died. Those who survived the war were left disabled – both physically and emotionally. Besides my family, I lost many dear neighbors, friend, classmates and acquaintances.
Upon my arrival in Denmark, I began to feel pains in various parts of my body. I went to doctors and hospitals to try to find the source, but they told me there was nothing. As the years went by my symptoms got steadily worse – both mentally and physically. I could no longer bare the pain and wanted to die.
I had daily headaches and pain in my pelvis. My legs were heavy and painful, as were my hands, and when I slept I lost all feeling in them. I had nightmares every night, and each day was constant suffering.
My life before the war was not easy, and I had a lot of trauma from childhood. I was the victim of 3 different accidents; and experienced damage to my knees, my face and tongue (which is sewn), and in the last accident a severe concussion and whiplash which then started problems with migraines.
I went to see a psychiatrist and did psychotherapy. I took multiple pills daily for PTSD, depression, sleep and pain. My children and my faith in God sustained me, nothing else.
Last year, in 2010, I was a participant in a workshop in Denmark with Dr. David Berceli, along with my psychiatrist, who was treating me at the time. For four days I attended the workshop at the Jarmsted Psykoterapeutisk Center, and with the assistance of Dr. David Berceli, Ole Ry and Susanne Andres, did TRE 2 or 3 times each day.
After those 4 days I was healed of the trauma and the pain in my body. My daily headaches disappeared along with the pain in my back, pelvis and arms. My energy and enthusiasm for life has returned – BIG! The nightmares stopped and I slept from 8 – 10 hours without waking.
My children noticed the change immediately. I was calmer, my voice more gentle and little things no longer irritated me. My children told me, “Mama, your eyes sparkle and you are so beautiful without make-up!” My life has totally changed. My talks with the psychiatrist have stopped and I no longer take medication.
I continued to do TRE twice a day for the two months following the workshop, and then in the third month went down to about 2 or 3 times per week.
Five months after the TRE workshop I started to work at the psychiatric clinic, not as a social worker – which I am by profession, but as a TRE instructor. This gives me the chance to help people with similar problems and show them that I am living proof of the benefits of TRE.
It has been exactly one year since I got my life back, fully healthy, satisfied and happy! I like TRE and I love my body.
I thank God for showing me the way to Svend Thordsen, my psychiatrist, and to Svend for taking me to the workshop. Thanks to Dr. David Berceli for TRE and thank you to Ole and Susanne for all your time and effort.
TRE – thank you for giving me my life back!