“My colleague accompanied me so sensitively. I looked at something in my life that I wasn’t aware of before. Now my heart is jumping and leaping,” says a participant during the advanced seminar in Erbil with a beaming face. In pairs, the participants worked on difficult situations from their lives with their inner team.
From January 13 to 17, 2025, a group of trauma counselors and trauma therapists from Kurdistan-Iraq gathered in the capital city of Erbil. The aim was to delve deeper into specialist topics, learn new methods and reflect together on specific case studies from their practice. Under the guidance of Martina Bock and Regina Miehling from Wings of Hope, the group worked on the so-called “inner stage” and getting to know their own “inner team”. They experimented with how stories can be used to teach children about trauma and its consequences. They also worked out ways in which positive life experiences can open up access to a positive self-image.
Each day of the seminar began with physical exercises that helped the participants to become more aware of themselves and which could be integrated into their daily work. These exercises are particularly important for working with affected people to help them reconnect with their bodies and regulate their emotions – whether through calming or activation.
These exercises were also very important for the therapists themselves. Especially in a professional field in which you are confronted with traumatic experiences and violence on a daily basis, it is crucial to regularly find your own center. One therapist emphasized in the final round: “I am very grateful for this week. The training was practical and I am taking away many valuable insights, especially the idea that we also need to look after ourselves, not just our clients.”
After five intensive days, we left strengthened. One participant said at the end: “It was a very lively seminar in which many good seeds were planted that will flourish in the future. Some of the questions I had beforehand were clarified. Thank you very much!”
The seminar was sponsored by the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation.
You can find more information about our work in Kurdistan-Iraq here.
