Berlin, Germany
Born in the south of Germany during the last phase of World War II her youth was marked by the urge of understanding the Holocaust. Her family was not religious, so she got a very personal relationship to God with some mystical experiences.
When she was 17 years old she won a competition in writing essays and as a reward she asked for a book about the Religions of the World. Later this seemed to her as being a symbol regarding her purpose in life. But it took some steps till she came in contact with the Universal Sufism.
Trying to understand "what the world keeps together“, she studied Sociology and also received her degree in Psychology. She was politically engaged in the Berlin movement, worked as a Sociologist in Bolivia, was involved in the project development of primary education in Berlin, she taught at the University, married, and had a son. Drawn to Buddhism, she learned and practiced Vipassana meditatition for many years, was trained to lead meditation groups and later became a Yoga teacher. Her profession is as a psychological therapist for adults, couples and groups.
When she met Sufism in 1986, it was like coming home. She was initiated into the Dervish Healing Order (DHO) by Saul Barodofsky in199 and into the Ruhaniat in 1992 by Saadi Douglas-Klotz. She is a Senior Shafayat in the Dervish Healing Order, and was initiated as a Khalifa in 2001. Heartfelt thanks to both for their guidance all the years, to Mariam Baker for the SoulWork transmission, and to all the teachers she had and has.
She has been married for 30 years to Jelaluddin, and together they have raised two children, and now have two grandchildren. They sometimes work together as psychotherapists and lead Sufi gatherings, sometimes alone or with other Sufi friends. Since 2012 they have lived with Sophia Gita Onnen and other friends in a Khankah in Berlin, which serves as a center for regular dance meetings, Healing Ritual, zikr, meditation, mureed gatherings and Sufi seminars.
In her daily life she brings together spiritual and therapeutic work - in her practice as a therapist and as a Sufi teacher, using Soulwork and the many precious tools of our lineage as well as Buddhistic healing methods. She has been teaching many years in Germany and Europe and in the Ruhaniat European Summer School (www.ruhaniateurope.org).