About Idel Mery and CasaZen
I am a holistic therapist with thirty years of experience with individuals and groups. I specialise in the connection between emotions, body and spirit. I have extensive experience working with people who are experiencing life crisis and trauma, depression, fears and anxiety. I spent much of my childhood in the deep Ecuadorian Amazon, living with a Kichwa community in
what is now the Yasuní National Park. This impregnated me with the strength and culture of the Amazon rainforest, a formative experience which has guided me in my life and passion for healing. I have a background in physical therapy, having trained in the United States at the Oregon School of Massage and worked professionally for many years in Ecuador using eastern and western techniques. After several years of working with the body I realised there is an important link between the body and emotions. So I started to study Gestalt Therapy at the Instituto Humanistic de Psicotherapia Gestalt, Ecuador. I worked for ten years as a translator for the workshops of Dr. Jean-Marie Delacroix, director of the Gestalt Institute in Grenoble, France. This work gave me a sound knowledge of the practice and working with groups and students. I also worked and trained for 15 years with my master Dr. Psych. An important part of this training was learning her methodology for working with the ‘sacred nucleus’ – the part of the self that is whole and integrated. I also became experienced in techniques of working with dreams in a conscious way, using psicografismo (drawing with both hands using crayons while the eyes are closed, to integrate the subconscious mind). During a Gestalt therapy workshop I met Bola, a taita (shaman) from Shuar tradition in Ecuador, who has 30 years experience and has lived and worked in seven European countries. I began working and training intensively with him using the sacred medicinal plant ayahuasca. Over time we combined the practices of Gestalt therapy and traditional shamanism using plant medicines, working with groups of people in ceremony at CasaZen Mindo. This therapeutic practice is specifically for healing from fears, trauma and life crises that have been trapped in the psyche and body causing life to get stuck. Also with Bola I practiced shamanic cleansing using different Amazonian medicinal plants, such as guayusa and gu**to, with a specific intention for each person. I have also received training in laughter yoga with Sebastian Gendry from the United States. I have integrated this therapy in my practice because of its importance in healing childhood issues through the positive emotion of laughter. All of my training, as well as the teachings of Dr Ryke Geerd Hamer, helped me heal from stage 4 breast cancer five years ago without surgery, chemo or radiation. My doctor told me that the diagnosis was intraductal infiltrante and
that I needed surgery and chemo immediately. It felt like I had been playing with a full deck of cards – living a full, active life – and then all the cards fell to the floor. It was devastating and I felt abandoned. I spent 8 days fasting and meditating to decide what I would do. My first question was: Why do I have cancer? And why in the right breast? It was during that time that I recalled having been introduced to the teachings of Dr Ryke Geerd Hamer, who had turned Western medicine completely on its head. I started researching his teachings and got in touch with the friend who’d introduced me to him, Francisco Tamaio. I realized that my healing was my responsibility and decided that I did not want the mutilation of surgery or the poison of chemotherapy and radiation, since those approaches are the opposite of healing. I also kept my diagnosis to myself to be free of pressure from others to follow a path that was not right for me. But over the next three months, I was scared and had a great deal of stress and pain. I mistakenly thought that the cancer had metastasized throughout my neck and body. Fortunately, three months later, Francisco arrived and helped me to clear my head and see the truth – that metastasizing was impossible and the proliferation (Dr Hamer did not use the word “cancer”) was connected to the traumatic loss of my brother and my partner and was actually an opportunity to heal from those terrible shocks. Indeed, I had 2 tumors – one for each trauma. Over time, by studying Dr Hamer, I came to realize that the brain can’t resolve such trauma and essentially orders the proliferation to give the person a chance to become congruent in their lives. When I finally dealt with my past traumas head-on and began to live a congruent life, the cancer literally disappeared. All that remains is a spot of fibrous tissue. In my experience, the way to healing is not through medical or even divine intervention, but simply through biology – the body holds profound wisdom and will heal if you listen to it and address trauma so that you may live a congruent life. As both a holistic healer and a person who has been healed, I welcome you to CasaZen for relaxation, enjoyment and a break from daily life, as well as holistic treatments for life crisis, trauma, fears, anxiety, insomnia, depression, grief etc. About CasaZen
CasaZen is situated in the beautiful cloud forest in the Western Andes of Ecuador, in the vibrant town of Mindo, only 100km from Quito at 1200m altitude. The temperature is usually around 22 degrees centigrade. Surrounded by a protected forest full of hummingbirds, butterflies and rare wildlife, CasaZen is a place for retreat and healing – physical, mental and spiritual. Accommodation can be for short, medium or long-term. Treatment modalities include Physical Therapy, Spiritual Therapy and Psychotherapy, and are customized to each individual’s needs. Physical Therapy
· Massage and rehabilitation
· Deep tissue massage
· Swedish massage & Aromatherapy
· Trigger points
· Hot stone & stone tool massage
· Foot Reflexology
· Sports massage
· Pregnancy massage
· Anti-stress massage therapy
· Express chair massage
· Physical therapy
· Shamanic cleansing
Spiritual Therapy
· Zen Meditation
· Transpersonal Rituals
Psychotherapy
· Gestalt Therapy
· Deep Psychotherapy
· Psychographic Drawing
· Dream Interpretation
· Theurapeutic Writing
· Initiative Therapy (Karl Durheim and Vera Khon)
