As a teenager, Ulla loved swimming and diving, also from the five and the ten meter diving boards. She wanted to do all sorts of things – to travel the world and to help the poor in the undeveloped countries. However, the subtle guidance in her life made things happen in their own way; she met her first husband early and soon became married with two children. Over a period of ten years she had jobs as a nursing-aid stand-in at hospitals, often on night shift and in intensive care units, and in the local nursing home; she was exposed first hand to the many sufferings of human life and she became more grounded.
In 1970 she started her academic career at the University of Copenhagen as she wanted to become a psychologist.
As a student Ulla involved herself in many activities: she worked as a volunteer and was the co-founder of an alternative counselling service for families at a settlement in the inner city area of Copenhagen. She soon became interested in personal and spiritual development and attended a range of courses and seminars; she trained particularly in bioenergetics (click here), gestalt therapy (click here) and psychodrama (click here) which were the “hot” therapies on the marked in those days.
((click here) Bioenergetics is a branch of body therapy, based on the fact that the body follows the mind and that it is possible to work with the transformation and release of psychological pain and traumas by working with the muscular tensions where such issues typically are stored.)
(Click here) Gestalt therapy and psychodrama are in reality very similar to each other; you are bringing your problems into the moment of here and now in stead of just talking about them, you are not analysing but experiencing and expressing what this is doing to you right now until you are ready to transform them and let go of them.)
(click here:) In psychodrama you enact your inner drama as on a stage together with members in the group you select to play the roles, whether these roles, as an example - are related to significant persons in your life or inner aspects of a dream you have had.
Much is said about psychodrama. It is evident that psychodrama requires a competent director who knows what he or she is doing in order for it not to become performance or acting out only, as in a “circus”. Psychodrama is a technique which is potentially explosive and can take unexpected and dangerous turns. At the same time, used with sensitivity and skills, psychodrama is a potent and flexible tool for insight and transformation.)
She participated in a week-long bodytherapy workshop at Gerda Boyesens Institute for Biodynamic Psychology in London. She attended psychodrama workshops, in particular one led by Zerka Moreno who visited Denmark during her world tour. After having completed a two and a half years professional training programme with Doreen and Dean Elefthery MD. in Goteborg, Sweden, she graduated with a certificate in psychodrama, group psychotherapy and sociometry.
Towards the end of her study she assisted associate professor Bent Strandbygaard at the Institute for Clinical Psychology at the University of Copenhagen, working as co-therapist in a group therapy project with patients using body psychotherapuetic methods; the project lasted a couple of years and was the first of its kind. She was also giving lectures and courses on her own in psychology and personal growth at adult education institutions and teacher training colleges, and later she became acknowledged as a teacher at the Universities Extension Services in Denmark.
In 1977 Ulla met legendary Bob Moore (click here) for the first time, he is an irish healer and clairvoyant (now retired) who settled down in Denmark and conducted seminars in the science of spiritual hands-on healing (click here for definition (which can be found in the online healing course)), often with up to 80 people from all over the world. She attented his seminars over the next 10 years and she began to meditate on a daily basis.
In 1978 she met another outstanding teacher, Jes Bertelsen, dr.phil. (click here) who has been very ground-breaking for her. Over a number of years she attended his training programmes in meditation, transpersonal psychology, Jungs analytical psychology including dreamwork and alchemy, and major spiritual paths such as Christianity and Buddhism.
Ulla completed her thesis in bioenergetics, gestalt therapy and psychodrama, which totally unexpected for herself was awarded a distinction, and graduated from the University of Copenhagen with a Masters degree in psychology in 1980.
It was at this time she, having been single mother for a couple of years, met Erik who was also studying psychology
Ullas first job as a young psychologist was a full time position at a mental hospital on Sjaelland. Her boss permitted her to apply not only the traditional psychiatrist-friendly approach in the treatment of patients, but also - as one example - Jungian`sk dream interpretation. This dream analysis helped to pick up several early warning signs of approaching psychotic episodes in some patients, and the psychiatrist in her team could adjust the medicamentation accordingly. She learned more about the fragility and immense strength of the human psyche and became more realistic and flexible in her work.
After two years in this position she resigned and moved with husband Erik to another part of the country to start their own centre. She had some short term psychologist positions, first at a community centre in an outpatient project, and then at a psychiatric outpatient clinic at a hospital.
It was in this period, while they were searching for a suitable house, Ulla had this extraordinary dream where she was happily telling herself that they would certainly have a future centre - in Australia! In the dream she was shown the Australian continent with the city of Melbourne pointed out.
None of them had any wish whatsoever to leave country, family and friends, and the message of the dream faded away. But it was never completely forgotten because there was this “feel” to it.
Seven years later, in 1987, the dream came true and they and arrived at Melbourne in Australia with their little son. Her two first children were at that time in the process of being established with family and career in Denmark.
The question Ulla and Erik asked themselves about over and over again was: is this immigration inner guidance or pure stupidity?
Time has proven that it was guidance.
Ulla was registered as a psychologist in 1988 in her new country and she got her first job as a sessional psychologist at a medical clinic in Burwood. Here she developed contacts and the ripples about “the Danes” began to spread. Later on she held a temporary position as a psychologist at the Royal Childrens Hospital, primarily working with assesments, referral procedures and file keeping. She and Erik began again their private practise, they were seeing clients in private consultations, they provided supervision, held lectures and conducted workshops, sometimes alone and sometimes together. Over the years they have visited Denmark many times to run workshops, and several people from Denmark have also visited their centre Down Under for counselling, to attend workshops m.m.
In Australia new dimensions began to open: they were both attracted to the spiritual practice of kriya yoga and the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, and they became members of his worldwide Self Realisation Fellowship.
In addition to this, Ulla was inclined from within to try a bit of painting again, to reawaken the artistic talents from her distant childhood. It was as if she reacted on something that had been absent in Denmark, a sort of “magic”, something in the air that had to do with the ancient Australian continent itself.
Her inner guidance kept insisting that she should paint more, that even if she continued to work as a psychologist, to paint was a part of her purpose and vocation; her psychological training was an added bonus to her artistic work. She began to paint mediative portraits, or “soul portraits” (click here?).
She painted the contemplative series of pictures “Our Cosmic Home, A Manual for the Dying” 1999 (click here), “Liberation Through Resonance in the Bardo” 2003 (click here), and “The Path of Dharma” 2005 (click here). Her pictures have proven to have a positive and transformative impact on people who are open for them. A display of the paintings can be found in the gallery of this website (click here).
Ulla also started to conduct art therapy workshops on her own in 2003 and have been doing so ever since.