32nd day

In recent times the Eastern healing methods have become very widespread all over the world. They are used for the treatment of various diseases. One of these methods is “Shiatsu” – Japanese pressure massage, which was developed by Ohashi in a particular way in the middle of the 20th century and soon received approval in many countries.

Today we got to know this method. Hans-Werner told us about the special features of Shiatsu, and we were able to get additional information through didactic films in which we were shown how this pressure massage is performed.

Traditional Chinese medicine is the foundation of Shiatsu. Only a deeper understanding of the Asian ideas and ways of thinking enables a meaningful application of the Shiatsu massage.

The method practiced by Ohashi opens the access to manual healing methods of the eastern countries and combines the connection developed in Japan between western massage and the millennia-old acupuncture.

33rd day

Today we visited Aachen. This city is located on the border to the Netherlands and Belgium.

To be honest, Aachen is very different from the other cities – it is an international city and you can meet people of different nationalities. One reason for this is the fact that Aachen is a university city. Students from all over the world come here to study. Aachen is home to one of the largest and most traditional technical universities in Europe.

We took a walk through the city centre and were surprised by the Aachen cathedral. It is Aachen’s landmark, which in 1978 was the first German cultural monument and the second cultural monument worldwide to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the Aachen Cathedral, beside the tomb of Charlemagne for the Catholic Church, there are four important relics: the dress of Mary, the diaper of Jesus, the beheading cloth of John the Baptist and the loincloth of Christ. For more than 1200 years, believers and pilgrims from all over the world have made their way to Aachen and to Aachen Cathedral, where they celebrated their liturgies, and were invited to church services, prayer and spiritual music.

34th day

The best way to get to know the history of a country is to immerse yourself in the old times and feel all the events for yourself. Today we had such an opportunity while visiting the open-air museum Kommern in the Eifel. This museum has a large area on which various old houses from the surrounding landscapes were built. The visitors can vividly experience, how the life and the leadership of the households, e.g. 300 years ago, looked like.

The open-air museum has an exhibition that impressed us the most. A small old German town is built in a large building. Each street reflects a certain period of German history: on one street we observed the life of the German nobility, on the other – the war events. On these streets there are wax figures depicting the typical inhabitants of this city at that particular time. The wax figures are so masterfully crafted that they can be regarded as living people.

35th day

Germany has an important economic significance worldwide. In almost every city there are large shopping centres for residents and tourists.

Today we visited the “Centro” in Oberhausen and some big shops in the centre of Duisburg. There are many different shops in Duisburg. We went to these stores and did some shopping.

The offer is rich: food, clothes, toys, souvenirs, cosmetics and much more. Many world-famous design companies offer their products. In many shopping centers you can find shops of Mexx, Zero, Zara, S. Oliver, Mango.

There are also various leisure activities: playgrounds for children, restaurants, cafes, beauty and massage parlors.

36th day

Today was dedicated to lexical language training and work on the KTMS. In the morning we had received a list of new words, and we intensively learned them.

The work on KTMS was the subtests “Quantitative and Formal Problems” and “Tube Figures”. At the moment the test is almost finished.

In the evening we watched the concert of the famous young German violinist David Garret, who plays the works of both the classics and the modern musicians. We were most surprised by the composition “In the Cave of the Mountain King”, which was played in a very unusual and interesting way.

37th day

Today we visited Cologne. This is one of the most famous and biggest cities in Germany. This city is known for its 2000 years of history and cultural heritage, as well as for its internationally important events.

In Cologne we have visited the landmark of this city – Cologne Cathedral – which looks incredibly beautiful and mighty with 157.38 meters of height.
Cologne Cathedral is a Catholic church under the patronage of St. Peter. Inside this cathedral there are many relics, e.g. the bones of three kings. In the cathedral, church services, concerts of sacred music and organ ceremonies take place.

Cologne Cathedral also includes the Cathedral Treasury, which is located on the north side of the cathedral. Which we also visited today. The cathedral treasury consists of six rooms on three floors, where different treasures of the cathedral are exhibited.

38th day

Today a seminar in Systemic Family Therapy took place in which we could participate. The topic of this seminar was: “The methods of anamnesis collection and the family board in systemic family therapy”.

Together with a group of psychologists who are currently training at the PIB, we worked with a real psychotherapeutic case. We were present at a consultation that lasted two hours. During this consultation the client’s anamnesis was taken and then family constellations were modelled on a family board. After the consultation, our group began to plan the therapy, formulate different hypotheses, which were then discussed during the group meeting.

The results of the work were reviewed in a Chinese restaurant where we had a nice dinner.

So the first day of the seminar was a great experience for us.

39th day

Today we had the continuation of the seminar “The Methods of Anamnesis Survey and the Family Board in Systemic Family Therapy”. The hypotheses were discussed and the therapeutic plan for this client was worked out. Then we learned to use the method of the family board at work, and we even had the opportunity to present the personal situation on the family board.

The family board was developed in systemic family therapy and is used in different ways.

With the help of the different figures in shape, size and colour, the family members and their relationship to each other is depicted on the board. It becomes possible to look at the family and the relationships among each other from different perspectives and “from above”. By turning the board, new perspectives emerge.

At the end of the seminar we were awarded a certificate.

In the evening Evgeny had the lexical examination in German which he passed successfully. The results of this examination were recorded in a protocol.

40th day

In the course of today we dealt with KTMS: the whole test was checked again, corrected and sent to the printing house for printing.

Because today was the last day in Germany, we prepared for our departure. Tomorrow we fly to Russia with a morning flight. During this trip we got indelible impressions! We visited many museums, got to know German culture and got important knowledge and experience in the field of psychology. We also had the opportunity to train German and English during our stay in Germany.

We are very grateful to Hans-Werner Gessmann and the PIB Centre for the opportunity to visit Germany.