Biography (short version)

My name is Lukas, he/him pronouns. I was born and raised in Vienna, Austria and have been living in the wonderful city of Berlin since 2018. 

 

After working for in different contexts as a social worker, my life was impacted big ways, when I was diagnoses and survived cancer in 2015. Since then I am on a journey of holistic health, mindfulness, embodiment and living my life in an authentic and integrated way, the best that I can.

On this journey I discovered, that I see my calling in bodywork and working with the potential and power of touch. After a long time of preparation, I became self employed in 2020. 

 

Apart from mindfulness and embodiment stuff, I spend my time learning about queer feminism & questions of social justice, writing on my blog, cooking & eating, spending quality time with friends, cycling, doing yoga, dancing and marveling at the beauty of trees and nature. I love podcasts and listening to inspiring people and stories.


My story (long version)

I was born and raised in Vienna, in the flat eastern part of Austria. From a very young age I knew that I was queer and dealt with all sorts of feelings that came along with that, like feelings of loneliness and being different. From a young age on, people in my surrounding perceived me as a very "social" person, who is interested in other people's stories and their well being.

 

I chose to become a social worker and gathered experience in different fields of this profession. Very dear to my heart and important for my personal development was my time working in prevention projects around sexual violence against children and young people. Apart from my paid jobs, I have worked as an activist for eight years in LGBTIQA+ queer and anti-discrimination educational work.
Like many of us, I was socialized into a very "mind-based", rational and dis-embodied world view and way of life. Despite being a very sensitive and emotionally aware person, I learned to cut myself of from my body and sensations, in order to function and "make it work" in this society.

 

In 2015 my life drastically changed, when I was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer. Surviving this life-threatening disease, was the biggest challenge, but also the most meaningful experience in my life. I learned so much about life and live in a much more connected, mindful and grateful way.

 

With the experience of chronicle illness and survivor ship, I started a path of self discovery with meditation, mindfulness, therapy, self care practices, mental health resources, inner work, embodiment work, spiritual development and liberation work against systems of oppression.
Attracted by the diverse and innovative queer scene of Berlin, I moved into this marvelous city and have the privilege of calling it home since 2018. I took part in a deep and personal year process with queer men*, working on embodiment, self acceptance, queerness, massage & breath work, gender, sexuality and queer empowerment. During this year and through the community around Stretch festival and village Berlin, I discovered the power and potential of human touch for fostering health, self acceptance, joy and connection. And I discovered, that I see my life's calling in holistic bodywork. 

 

One thing led to the next, I discovered the "cuddle movement" and cuddle and touch enthusiastic people and knew that this is a form of body work that fits my personality and being. I am very happy to have found this work, which gives me a lot of joy and happiness. The global Corona pandemic forced us to pause and reflect on our way of living and made many people aware of how touch deprivation and isolation have a devastating impact on people's mental and physical health. Despite the need for physical distancing I felt called to start offering my work and joined one of the first trainings on "cuddle therapy".

 

Apart from becoming self employed I am also writing a blog about my healing journey and work on putting my story and experiences together in a book. I try my best to cope with the realities of living in a global pandemic, which can be very challenging. I love cooking, taking long walks in the forest, spending time on my balcony, reading, listening to podcasts, doing yoga or sport and most importantly spending quality time with my family and loved ones. 
At the moment and since the Blacklivesmatter movement brought racist powers structures and white supremacy into a broader consciousness, I think a lot about, what it means to be white in a white supremacist world, how to practice anti-racism and how I can contribute to meaningful change.

Qualifications & certificates

  • University degree in social work, Vienna
  • 2017 training as a "skilled professional for prevention and intervention on sexualized violence towards children and young people" - Selbstlaut, Vienna
  • 2018 Completion of the year training by Kai Ehrhard and Authenthic Eros – explorations for men
  • 2020 Online course „professional cuddle therapy“ by  cuddlist.com
  • ongoing: Training in cuddle therapy by Angeline Heilfort / Kuschelraum.de
  • 2021: "The Art of Receiving and Giving: A Wheel of Consent Workshop", Online with Robyn Dalzen and Helena de Felice from the school of consent

 

Inspiring people

There are countless people that influence(d) me and my work. Under "Ressourcen" you can find some bodyworkers, people and spaces, I collaborate with. Some of the "big names" or people, whose work is important to me are listed here: 

 

Dawn Serra, Sonya Rene Tailor, Brené Brown, Kai Cheng Thom, Gabor Maté, Anita Moorjani, Meg-John Barker, Betty Martin, Daan van Kampenhout, Layla Saad, Tara Brach, Yuval Harari, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Eckhart Tolle, Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum village community, Stretch Festival Berlin, Queer Heart FestivalBuddhist Peace Fellowship, to be continued...