Carmen Zoppou

Simply, my soul grew!

There are priceless moments in our lives, whose uniqueness we can only sense through the overwhelming joy we feel with every fiber of our body. They come in the form of an opportunity, an idea, a person who puts a new light on everything we thought we knew and always open a path for the one ready to step on it. Whether we call them turning points, milestones, karmic encounters or divine signs, they are memorable events, born from the ripen past of our searches and they tell us that their time has come.

I was a sales director at the textile finishing equipment division of a Dutch company and I liked my work, but I have always been passionate about alternative therapies, parapsychology, the power of the mind and the subconscious, the (incomprehensible) intelligence of the human body, spirituality. Until '89, my father brought me interesting books, everything that could be found in the field at that time, under the table, or copied on a heliograph, we went to Yoga together (it was also illegal) and to discussions about spirituality with gifted priests, secretly, because he was a math teacher and a member of the socialist party. After the 90-es I enrolled in all the courses that appeared and learned reflexology, massage, bio-energy, Reiki, radiesthesia. I met wonderful people, I also organized courses and everything I learned helped me, because I was allergic to most medicines and I had to find "natural" solutions for as little as a headache, or a blocked nose. What drove me the most though was the desire to be able to help my loved ones, where medicine did not offer solutions.

When I saw a documentary about the Bowen Technique on TV, in December 2002, I knew with all my being that it was the answer to my quests. We are not really taught to listen to our intuition, but when it screams from all corners, it is impossible to ignore it! I immediately searched the Internet and found the page of the Bowtech Academy in Australia, I printed and read all the information (poor, at that time) and I started calling in all the countries where this technique was taught. There were only two instructors of the Academy teaching in Europe: Manfred Zainziger in Austria (in German) and Andrew Zoppos in Germany in English language and in Greece in Greek, his mother tongue. There were only 2-3 courses for beginners per year and my busy schedule, the changes at work (I had to switch from an employee to an independent agent) and personal problems prevented me from traveling to Germany, but I continued to look for information, solutions and to hope that one day the time will come for Bowen as well. Only in February 2006, with the help of a practitioner of Romanian nationality from Germany, Andrew Zoppos came to Bucharest for a Bowen presentation. By that time, however, my father had already died. Likewise, the relationship with the one I wished from the bottom of my heart I could help. The desire to learn this technique remained alive and strong though.

The last day of February in 2006 had started as a true spring day, with sunshine and birds chirping. Andrew landed around 11 o'clock and after he checked in at the hotel, we went to a restaurant for lunch. When we stepped outside to go to the Children's Palace, where 350 people were waited for the presentation, we found ourselves in the middle of an incredible blizzard - Bucharest was paralyzed under the snow! I drove through snowdrifts, bar to bar and covered the 3 km in more than an hour. Only about 30 people shown up, but out of these, 18 signed up for the first Bowen course in Romania, which took place in March of the same year. From that moment, my life changed completely, on all levels.

Full of enthusiasm and passion, I was spending most of my time with the promotion of the technique, with presentations, demonstration sessions, free treatments, translation of course materials, organization and administrative issues. I really wanted to make this therapy known in Romania, so as many people as possible could benefit from its miraculous effects. I started practicing immediately after the first course and I couldn't believe the spectacular results. I have never known greater satisfaction, even when signing a substantial contract, than the one I felt when a patient hugged me and thanked me, with tears in her eyes, telling me that she didn't think she would live without pains any more. My soul grew! Little by little, I realized that this is what I wanted to do, that the Bowen technique deserved all my efforts, dedication and time and I completely gave up my previous profession. I found in Andrew a serious and motivated business partner, of perfect professionalism, patient and optimistic to the point of naivety. His innate kindness and overwhelming passion for Bowen conquered me from the beginning, motivated me to overcome all obstacles and persevere. We worked a lot together, we supported and complemented each other and difficulties did not discourage us, because we were driven by the same passion. Our friendship and mutual trust have strengthened over time and evolved.

From the level of therapist, translator and courses organizer, smoothly and naturally, like a predestined transition to another stage of life, I went through the training program of the Bowtech Academy in Australia and became an accredited instructor in 2013 and in 2016 Andrew and I we got married.

I am proud of all my past achievements and I think I have learned something from every experience and from every person I have met, but I honestly believe that I found my life purpose in the Bowen Technique! I feel that I have evolved enormously, that I am better, more fulfilled, more at peace with myself than ever.

We surrounded ourselves with wonderful people (again providential meetings) and we work not only as a close-knit team, but as a family. Andrew tells all the students, from the first day, that Bowen will change their lives (and so do we, the instructors trained by him); many do not believe that. It is a continuous joy to see how the question marks in the eyes of future therapists transform, from one day to the next, from one course to another, into vibrant hope, into real happiness, into soul fulfillment. We feed on all the spectacular results of our students and feel that we have contributed to each solved case; we draw our energy from their successes, so that we can carry on this work of love - the gift of Tom Bowen.