I was born in 1980, so I experienced 9 more years of communism and then the amazing 90s and the whole magical transition to a very new era. I still knew life in collective poverty and the simple austerity of communism, and then its opposite polarity of the rush and hustle for freedom, individual achievements, and endless possibilities that the revolution brought. This dichotomy seemed to foreshadow other stages of my life, in which I often experienced the world and our existence in various and often unusual polarities. From the age of 12, my grandfather introduced me to the works of Karel Capek and passed on to me the tradition of thinking and moral values ​​of the First Republic, a historical era known for the flourishing of education, culture, and wealth. In doing so, he kindled in me a passion for literature, philosophy, culture, social sciences, and I decided in my early teens that I would dedicate my life to truth, freedom, and all those wonderful ideals that may not always bring bread on the table but are guaranteed to provide extraordinary experiences.

Foto: Povalec (thanks to Anna Solcová Photography)

The schools and education that I have attended have been important in my knowledge of the world in a certain way, but what shaped me even more than schools were all my "quests for humanity," that I always welcomed and actively sought. During my teenage years, I had the opportunity to spend one school year on an exchange in the USA. Thanks to that, I got to know a very distinct way of life and the very possibility that life can be perceived and lived in a completely different way than what was common at home. Traveling around the world and getting to know other cultures fascinated me so much that I later lived abroad for a total of more than seven years. I thus got to know the differences not only in ways of being but also in the professional field. I worked in the field of psycho-social services since 2003, starting as a care worker in a psychiatric unit. This, at that time still a student job, turned out to be a precursor of where my further professional development and, to a large extent, my life interest would be directed.

But I wanted to learn more. Ordinary life was not enough for me. That's why I traveled to the far corners of Mongolia, India, and other countries to experience authentic and indigenous cultures that have been only minimally affected by modern civilization. Or I wandered around Europe penniless, like 'The Dharma Bums' - living in perfect freedom then, like birds of the sky, unconcerned with the troubles of yesterday or tomorrow. Life was just more valuable than money. After these travels, I went to the United Kingdom, where I experienced first-hand what it's like for a total nobody from the East to try to make it in a country where he's just a minor workforce. I managed to get through this purgatory and, after a while, got a very interesting job in sheltered housing. That way I also made enough money to travel to countries where I was, on the other hand, a rich man who could buy anything and anyone - but, of course, I didn't go there for that.

Foto: Travel to Mongolia

I travel mainly to get to know people and their culture in different forms, each time beautiful in a different way. To observe what humanity means and what it is to 'live a human life' in a completely different land, perhaps a few thousand kilometers away. Having time to just sit and watch the surrounding hustle for hours, and chat with the locals. To experience and walk throughout the city or the countryside, and stay for a few months outside the tourist zones, in marginal areas and hidden corners. I passed many tourist places without noticing; I was always more interested in live culture and the people who shape it. Each nation seems to have its own rhythm, its unique mode of being, which is linked to the language the people speak. It's just fascinating how many different ways it is possible to be human. A little different each time, but also very similar to one another. Humanity is so colorful and yet has something supremely universal in it. With each person I get to know better, I am discovering yet another unknown part of myself.

Because I wanted to try all the secrets of existence, I decided to look into the far corners of my own mind too - into states of altered consciousness. I tried various psychoactive substances, and this paradoxically led me to realize that I don't want to become intoxicated with something that numbs a person or creates false illusions - that's why I also stopped drinking alcohol (it's been more than 20 years now). Instead, I like to work with substances that expand consciousness, and I consider psilocybin in particular to be one of nature's greatest gifts to man. The ability of magic mushrooms to connect humans with the natural unity of all creation is so fascinating and rewarding to me that over time I have become a guide to people who wish to have this experience. I am even of the opinion that anyone who decides to work with people on a psychological level, including in the areas of education, civil law, or politics, should go through this experience. Anyone who plays a role in directly influencing and intervening in the lives of others should honestly look at who they really are themselves, through the experience of the so-called death of the ego, which is perhaps the most fundamental part of the psychedelic experience.

I have always enjoyed combining my larger forays into the diversity of the world with smaller excursions into other areas of human knowledge. For example, I have been greatly influenced by aikido, work in a shamanic circle, natural healing and medicine, pagan spirituality, mindfulness, permaculture, art, ... . I like to be creative, work with wood or leather, which is the perfect meditation for me. I just don't have time for it now. My time is now primarily committed to taking care of my family, which has naturally become my fulfillment and fascination. It is a great school for me, but also a source of joy and life meaning. When the urge for adventure hits, we might take hammocks and spend the night in the wild, or go to a Patti Smith concert to experience a rebirth through her music.

Foto: Travels with family.

When I returned to the Czech Republic after years away, with a desire to settle down and start a family, it became clear how much my experiences had shaped and changed me. Not drinking alcohol, not eating meat, not owning a television, and thinking in a global context didn't quite align with the reality of everyday life for most citizens. However, I could not return to these stereotypes anymore. What surprised me more was how stubbornly people defend them even in situations where they harm themselves or even become ill because of them. Fortunately, over the years, it has shown that the group of people who perceive the importance of self-development, global responsibility, and moral values is steadily increasing. There are more and more people who have the courage to break the boundaries of conformity and deviate from the consumerist way of life toward more important goals and values.

Unfortunately, however, my attitudes were too often incompatible with the ways in which ordinary psychiatric and psychological services functioned. Where openness and empathy should prevail, there paradoxically formed a professionally camouflaged fear of the foreign and different. Too much unnecessary judgment, evaluation, labeling, and manipulation that ultimately do nothing to help. Too much incomprehension and absurd ignoring of basic human nature. Too much superiority and collective dogma. My personal understanding and life experience often stood in direct contradiction to the constructs of the professional world around me. I intensely felt that a person in a mental crisis needs something completely different than being pathologized and locked behind bars; they need to openly express and experience their feelings and states, accept them and incorporate, not to try to erase them and to be judged and medicated for them. I felt that psychology should definitely not be a tool of manipulation, as is the case all too often. There was no longer a place for me in such an environment, so I set out on my own path of private psychotherapy practice.

I greatly appreciate the demanding work of all doctors and other professionals in helping professions who do their work sincerely and with love. I am convinced that such people are the majority in this area. At the same time, however, I cannot help but see how fatally their intellect and potential are wasted on maintaining an ineffective behemoth of psychiatric care - how they are educated and trained to work in a way that is exhausting for themselves and which often leads their patients and clients to chronic and miserable conditions. They are trying to extinguish fires that often cannot be extinguished anymore and should have been addressed much earlier, elsewhere, and differently. In this system, the only winners are pharmaceutical corporations and the egos of some "experts."

But to be precise - I see all psychological approaches as beneficial. Each notices a slightly different area and each explores into a certain spectrum of humanity. Us people and our existence, we are just so complex and multi-layered that one theory cannot even describe us. I myself have been inspired by several different approaches, and I do not want to question the validity or depth of the remaining ones either. I just think that for working directly with people, they are all at least very limiting and often even completely inappropriate. What really heals, and what we all need in this regard, is to meet on a level of humanity, not expertise.

Foto: With Mark Hopfenbeck in Brno.

That is why I am very grateful to have undergone training in Open Dialogue, led by Mark Steven Hopfenbeck, who is the world's leading expert in it and who inspired me in a fundamental way. Thanks to this, I also gained the support and background of an established psychiatric avant-garde and created connections with other professionals who, like me, cannot accept the rigidity of the professional majority. In this way, my personal encounters with humanity were linked back to the expert and academic world of professional mental health care. Narrative and dialogical ways of working are, in my view, the most human and sincere voice in all of applied psychology. And I am happy that there are more and more professionals emerging who, through different approaches, are joining the dialogical way of working.

My personal approach to therapy is based on a lot of live and authentic inspiration, gained through personal experience. It combines knowledge of different cultures, different ways of being, as well as several scientific fields. Therefore, I draw from the synthesis of multiple perspectives, academic education, and deep self-experience. I also see the fact that I started my career as a care and support worker as a huge bonus. That way, I was able, from the very beginning, to experience the real and ultimately human face of the world of psychiatric patients without being pre-formed by professional interpretations. I entered this environment as a sociology student with a personal interest in cultural anthropology and actually in all humanities, but working directly with people fascinated me and gave me much more meaning than working with theories or data.

Over time, I then went through various professions and worked gradually with many target groups: young people with addiction, people in psychosis, victims of domestic violence, elderly people, minority groups, ... . I worked as a care worker, social worker, social therapist, lecturer, and art therapist, and for the last 10 years, gradually as a psychotherapist. Further education served me as a tool to deepen the possibilities of my work. Gradually, I completed three university degrees: sociology and social policy (FSV UK), and social work with a focus on psychotherapy (PVSPS); two psychotherapeutic trainings: depth dynamic training (SUR) and training in Open Dialogue (NARRATIVE); and countless shorter workshops and courses. I always like to learn something new. Continuous education and supervision are an important part of my professional and private life.