About Us
KAREN was born to German parents in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was schooled at the Deutsche Schule Johannesburg, studied at Wits University, married and had five children.
She spent many years living in Cape Town and later in Germany too.
One of her main hobbies is yoga, the other horse riding. One of them almost killed her whilst the other helped her back onto her feet. It was not just yoga, mind matters have always been part of her life, and, in the end, part of her healing process too.
Since 2010 she has lived in the Karoo with her husband Oleg, after having bought a dilapidated Old Jail in Willowmore. She prefers country living with all its wonderful advantages, to the hectic life in large cities. Since 2020 she practises hypnosis at the Old Jail Retreat.
Karen speaks, English, German and has some basic knowledge of Afrikaans. Her private life experiences and those of clients inspired her to write a book: Hypnosis Yes or No?. The book will help the reader to understand - and embrace - the phenomena and the healing powers of hypnosis.
OLEG is the founder of "Strength For Life Retreat.". He was born in Ukraine. He had always admired his grandmother who was unusually gifted in healing people. Her healing abilities that she used throughout her life inspired Oleg to choose a career in health and healing people. As a young man Oleg believed healing has something to do with touching and hence he studied message therapy.
For 20 years this is what he practised, both in Ukraine and in Germany, later opening up his own practice and institute. Then he realised, through many years of experience, that the effect of the therapy was much amplified through the expression and the exchange of feelings.
Some ten years ago he started to become more and more interested in mind matters and hence hypnosis, as something was missing and he realised it was not just touching people which helped tremendously but it was the psychological part that was somehow absent. He thus further expanded his studies to become a certified hypnotherapist and a stress management consultant. He deepened his knowledge by specialising in existential crisis management such as life threatening diseases, hypo-oncology and coping strategies for victims of crime. Oleg no longer does healing massages but now concentrates fully on mind matters only. His motto: When the mind is ready, the body will follow!
Oleg’s hobbies: Yoga, Thai Chi and cold water dipping! The cold water dipping pastime is significant as: “ when the mind is ready, the body will follow”. Oleg loves collecting stones. Wherever he walks he will look down onto the earth below his feet and, ever so often, discover a stone that to him seems most unusual, and worthy of picking up and collecting. On a humorous note: He does sometime hit them hard and fast into the far distance when playing a round of golf on our semi - desert hard and rocky golf course in Willowmore.
Oleg speaks English, German Russian and Ukrainian.
