Etikett: personal development

Gratitude and healing reflected in the morning mist over the lake.

Tacksamhet och självläkning – när tacksamheten hittar hem

Den här texten handlar om tacksamhet och självläkning – inte som en tanke, utan som en känsla som bor i kroppen.
En tacksamhet som växer fram i mötet mellan naturen, föreläsningarna, skrivandet och de där små ögonblicken då jag känner att jag landar i mig själv.
Den här texten handlar om tacksamhet och självläkning, en resa från kroppen till hjärtat.
Det är ett av alla steg jag tagit på vägen till att bli helare samtidigt till att bli min egen vän.

Read this post in English ->Gratitude and Healing That Always Remain


Tacksamheten som följt mig

Tacksamheten och självläkningen som alltid finns där

Jag har funderat mycket den här veckan på hur tacksamheten bor i nästan allt som rört sig i mig.
Hur naturen har funnits där, sida vid sida med alla föreläsningar jag lyssnat på och de bad jag gjort.
Från regn och blåst till en morgon där solen speglade sig i vattnet.
Kylan som omsluter mig, stegen upp ur sjön och den härliga känslan när kölden förvandlas till värme.

Tacksamhet över känslorna som bor i kroppen, och en otroligt stor tacksamhet över alla föreläsningar som Flow Summit Sweden har presenterat under veckan.
De har gett mig tankar och kunskaper, möten med andras perspektiv som sedan landat i mig och format nya tankar – tankar sprungna ur mig själv.


När orden landar i mig

Jag har lagt tid på att sätta orden i bloggen, och det har känts levande i mig när jag suttit där och skrivit.
Jag har skrivit inifrån – och låtit orden ta vägen ut.
När jag blivit klar med ett inlägg har jag känt mig klar på ett helt annat sätt än innan. Dagens ord har på något sätt landat.

I den stunden har det bott mycket tacksamhet.
Dagen har kunnat börja först när inlägget blivit postat.
Då har jag börjat lyssna på nya föreläsningar, tagit in de ord som levererats till mig och låtit dem landa i mig, på samma sätt som mina egna ord får landa hos andra.


När känslorna hittar hem

När tacksamheten helar

Jag har hittat och kopplat känslorna i kroppen till de historiska händelser som en gång hänt.
Jag har lagt känslorna där de hör hemma, och hittat nya sätt att känna tacksamhet över att just de känslorna faktiskt var bra – en gång i tiden.
De hjälpte mig då, men jag ser nu att de inte längre är utvecklande idag.

Känslan har blivit ett aha.
Ett tack till det som en gång skyddade mig:
Tack för att du hjälpte mig då – men nu behöver jag inte dig längre.

Nu ser jag hur vissa känslor inte längre är hjälpande.
De gör mig liten, hämmad, och hindrar mig från att växa.
Att se det, och kunna tacka dem innan jag släpper taget, har blivit en form av tyst frihet.


När jag landar i mig själv

När ceremonin sker – den som bara tar några sekunder – känner jag mig närmare mig själv, i mitt jag.
Jag känner tacksamhet över att jag inte längre behöver reagera på samma sätt som förut, och över att jag hittat en nyckel till att bli helare, renare i mitt uttryck till mig själv.
Jag landar i mig själv.

Tankarna blir klarare.
Jag ser att det aldrig handlade om att skydda mitt jag – utan om att ta, och behålla, den plats som faktiskt är min.

Genom livet upplever vi saker. Vi ser, känner och gör för att skydda oss, för att skapa någon form av trygghet.
Ibland tystar vi ner oss själva när vi egentligen vill skrika.
Vi låter sången inom oss stanna upp – för att omgivningen behövde tystnaden, och mindre plats av oss.


När vi blir mindre oss själva

Vi blir mindre och mindre oss själva, kanske för att omgivningen är krävande.
Där, i vår litenhet, hittar vi ibland en falsk trygghet – en trygghet som var hjälpsam just då, i den stunden.

Men långt där inne i oss bubblar något.
Som en seg sörja, eller som knäcksmet som kokar – tills den till sist stelnar.
Och när den har stelnat, då har det lilla jaget inom oss formats till något som mest liknar omgivningens förväntningar.

Det är inte jag.
Och det är inte du.
Det är ett jag byggt av andras förväntningar.

Vi blir stela, återhållsamma och tysta.
Det är där vi behöver rensa upp, ställa den stelnade sörjan i vatten – precis som vi gör med kastrullen när vi kokat knäck.

Vi gör det genom att hitta till källan av de känslor som spelar oss spratt ibland.
Precis som jag skrev i inlägget Blogga på två språk – Vi är två som vågar – det handlade egentligen inte om henne.
Det handlade om mig.
Hela vägen.
Och jag är så tacksam över att jag hittade det.


När isen smälter och värmen återvänder

När jag börjar tina upp den stelnade massan inom mig händer något stillsamt men kraftfullt.
Det är som att jag långsamt börjar andas igen.
Platsen i mig som tidigare var hård och stel blir mjuk, och det uppstår rörelse där stillheten en gång bott.

Jag märker hur det finns värme i kroppen – en värme som inte kommer utifrån, utan inifrån.
Det är min egen värme.
Min röst som återvänder, min kraft som kommer hem.

Ibland känns det ovant. Nästan för stort.
Men det är också djupt befriande.
För när jag tillåter mig att vara jag, då börjar världen omkring mig också förändras.
Den blir inte lika trång.
Jag blir inte lika liten.
Jag tar plats – och det är inte längre skrämmande.
Det är bara sant.


När modet växer i det lilla

Det blir större, för jag hittar till vintern i det lilla – till stillheten, kylan, skönheten i det som är naket och sant.
Allt omkring mig känns större, och jag blir modigare.
Modigare än jag kanske vågat vara tidigare.

Det kan vara något så litet som att skriva en kommentar på hennes blogg.
Att våga hylla att vi båda använder två språk, att säga:
Jag ser dig. Jag vågar stå bredvid dig, inte bakom.

Det är i de små stegen som modet växer.
I de små rörelserna där jag inte längre gömmer mig, utan deltar.
Och kanske är det just där – i det lilla, i det enkla, i den stilla vintern inom mig – som jag blir som mest levande.

Små förändringar – samma träd, samma plats

Varje morgon har jag stått vid samma träd, vid samma sjö.
Jag har tagit samma bild – men aldrig har den blivit likadan.
Vattnet har skiftat från blått till grått, från blankt till krusat.
Ljuset har bytt ton, himlen har talat olika språk.

En bild varje morgon – samma träd, samma plats. Fem dagar av förändring.


De små förändringarna har blivit en påminnelse om hur livet rör sig, även när det ser stilla ut.
Precis som trädet står där, stadigt och tyst, har jag fått stå i min egen stillhet och se hur något förändras inom mig.
Det är i det lilla – i nyanserna, i skiftningarna – som livet händer.
Det är där tacksamheten och självläkningen får synas utan att behöva bevisa sig.


Att bli en god vän till mig själv

Kanske handlar inte allt det här om just den här veckan.
Men det är ett av alla steg jag tagit för att nå dit jag är idag – till platsen där jag är jag, och där jag faktiskt är en riktigt god vän till mig själv.

Jag är en fantastisk och fin människa, i mig själv.
Och det var jag också som barn – den lilla som inte visste hur världen fungerade, men som trodde på magin och såg blommorna i sitt inre.

Då rensade jag inte trädgården från blommorna.
För jag såg dem för vad de var – blommor.
Mitt vuxna jag, däremot, rensade bort vissa och kallade dem ogräs.
Men nu ser jag att allt det där som växte i mig hade sin plats.
Varenda blomma, varenda tagg, varenda färg – allt var jag.


Tacksamheten som alltid finns där

När jag ser tillbaka på veckan känner jag hur tacksamheten hela tiden har följt mig.
Som en stilla ström under allt det andra.
Den har bott i badet, i orden, i föreläsningarna, i mötena och i tystnaden efteråt.

Den har följt mig när jag hittat till gamla känslor, tackat dem och släppt taget.
När jag vågat skriva, vågat se, vågat känna.
När jag tinat upp det som varit stelt och vågat ta min plats.

Tacksamheten är inte längre något jag måste leta efter.
Den bor i mig nu – som en mild värme som säger:
Du är här. Du är hel. Du får ta plats.


Reflektion – ur mitt jag

När jag ser tillbaka på orden jag skrivit känner jag hur jag blivit lite mer hel.
Jag har mött de delar av mig som en gång skyddade mig, och jag har tackat dem.
Genom tacksamhet och självläkning har jag börjat höra min egen röst tydligare – den som länge väntat på att få tala.
Det är som att jag äntligen har börjat leva i takt med mig själv, inte emot.


Mellan raderna – min röst

Mellan raderna andas något stillsamt: en kvinna som inte längre kämpar för att bli förstådd, utan som förstått sig själv.
Hon står kvar i sin egen värme, även när vinden blåser kallt.
Hon har slutat be om ursäkt för sin känslighet, och börjat se den som sin största styrka. Genom tacksamhet och självläkning har jag börjat höra min egen röst tydligare.


AHA – mellan raderna

Det som en gång var en försvarsmekanism har blivit en lärare.
Jag inser att självläkning inte handlar om att bli någon annan, utan om att komma hem till det jag alltid varit.
Tacksamheten är inte ett avslut – den är början på något nytt.


Fråga till dig som läser

När kände du senast tacksamhet över något litet – något som kanske ingen annan ens märkte, men som förändrade din dag?

Slutord – Resan fortsätter

Resan är inte klar.
Men jag tror att jag har hoppat på rätt tåg, från rätt perrong.
Vägen framåt är längre än jag kan se just nu – men det gör inget.
För jag sitter i rätt vagn, med mig själv som sällskap.

Och om jag får uppleva att vakna i morgon,
då börjar nästa del av resan.
Den som kallas livet.


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Avslutande ord

Igår är historia som gett mig dagens kunskaper i just detta nu, morgondagen kommer kanske även det bli något som gett mig kunskaper i detta nuet. Det säger mig att varje nu är viktigt det kan hela rena och vara, Det som gäller är att våga se, våga uppleva, reflketera och leva just här i detta nuet just nu

Carina Ikonen Nilsson
Idag fick jag vara temperaturmäterska. Graderna pendlade mellan 9,4 och 9,1° – en stilla påminnelse om att förändring börjar i det lilla

Gårdagen har redan lagt sig till ro i historien.
Morgondagen väntar längre fram.
Men just nu – det är här livet händer.

Gratitude and healing reflected in the morning mist over the lake.

Gratitude and Healing That Always Remain

This text is about gratitude and healing — not as an idea, but as a feeling that lives in the body.
It grows quietly in the space between nature, words, and those small everyday moments when I find myself again.
It is one of many steps I’ve taken on my way to becoming whole — to becoming my own friend.

Read this post in Swedish → Tacksamhet och självläkning – när tacksamheten hittar hem


Gratitude that Follows Me

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about how gratitude seems to live in almost everything that moves through me.
How nature has stayed close — side by side with the lectures I’ve listened to and the cold morning swims I’ve done.
From rain and wind to a morning when the sun mirrored itself in the water.
The cold embracing me, the steps out of the lake, and that wonderful moment when chill turns into warmth.

Gratitude for the feelings that live inside my body, and deep gratitude for the many talks from Flow Summit Sweden – Day 6.
They brought new thoughts and insights — encounters with others’ perspectives that later landed in me, shaping new thoughts of my own.


When Words Land Inside Me

I’ve spent time putting my words into the blog, and it has felt alive in me while I write.
I write from the inside out, letting the words find their own way.
When I finish a post, I feel finished in a different way. The day’s words have somehow landed.

In that moment, there is always gratitude.
The day can begin only once the post is shared.
Then I start listening to new lectures, taking in new words that are delivered to me — letting them settle within me, the same way my own words might settle within someone else.


When Feelings Find Their Home

I have traced the feelings in my body back to the moments they were born.
I’ve placed them where they belong, and found new ways to feel gratitude for what once kept me safe — feelings that were right for their time.
They helped me then, but I can see now that they no longer help me grow.

That insight has become my quiet aha.
A thank you to what once protected me:
Thank you for helping me then — but I don’t need you anymore.

Now I can see how certain feelings have turned from helpers into barriers.
They make me smaller, hold me back, and keep me from growing.
Seeing that — and thanking them before letting them go — has become a silent form of freedom.


When I Land in Myself

When the inner ceremony happens — one that only takes a few seconds — I feel closer to myself, to my own being.
I feel gratitude that I no longer react in the same ways, and that I’ve found a key to being more whole, more honest in how I express myself to me.
I land inside myself.

My thoughts become clearer.
I realize it was never about protecting my identity — it was about taking, and keeping, the place that is mine to hold.

Through life we experience things. We see, feel, and act in ways meant to protect us, to create a sense of safety.
Sometimes we silence ourselves when we want to scream.
We let the song inside us fade because those around us needed quiet — and less of us.


When We Become Less Ourselves

We grow smaller, sometimes because the world around us demands it.
In that smallness, we find a kind of false safety — one that may have helped us once, in that specific moment.

But deep inside, something keeps bubbling.
Like thick syrup or toffee that simmers — until it hardens.
And when it finally sets, the small child within us has become what the world expected us to be.

That’s not me.
And it’s not you.
It’s a self made from others’ expectations.

We become stiff, held back, and quiet.
That’s when we need to soften again — to fill that hardened space with water, the same way we soak a pan after boiling sugar.
We do it by tracing our feelings back to their source, to understand the small tricks they still play on us.

Just like I wrote in my post Blogging in Two Languages – We’re Two Who Dare — it wasn’t really about her.
It was about me.
All the way through.
And I’m grateful I found that.


When Ice Melts and Warmth Returns

When I begin to soften that hardened space inside me, something powerful happens in silence.
It’s as if I can finally breathe again.
The place that once felt cold and rigid begins to move — warmth spreads where stillness used to live.

I notice that the warmth doesn’t come from outside, but from within.
It’s my own warmth.
My voice returning, my strength coming home.

Sometimes it feels unfamiliar, almost too big.
But it’s deeply liberating.
Because when I allow myself to be me, the world around me begins to shift too.
It’s no longer as narrow.
I’m no longer as small.
I take up space — and it no longer scares me.
It just feels true.


Small Changes – Same Tree, Same Place

Every morning I’ve stood by the same tree, beside the same lake.
I’ve taken the same photo — but it never turned out the same.
The water changed from blue to grey, from calm to rippled.
The light shifted, the sky spoke different languages.

Those small changes reminded me that life keeps moving, even when it looks still.
Just like the tree stands steady and silent, I’ve been standing in my own stillness, watching something shift inside me.
It’s in the small things — the shades, the quiet changes — where life truly happens.
That’s where gratitude and healing become visible without having to prove themselves.


Becoming My Own Friend

Maybe this isn’t all about this week alone.
But it’s one of many steps that have brought me here — to the place where I am me, and where I truly am my own friend.

I am a beautiful, kind person — within myself.
And I was that even as a child — that little one who didn’t yet know how the world worked, but who believed in magic and saw flowers growing inside her.

Back then, I didn’t pull the weeds from my garden.
Because I didn’t see weeds — I saw flowers.
As an adult, I’ve removed some of them and called them unwanted.
But now I see that everything that’s grown in me has its place.
Every flower, every thorn, every color — all of it is me.


Gratitude That Always Remains

Looking back, I can see that gratitude has always followed me.
Like a quiet stream beneath everything else.
It has lived in my morning swims, in my words, in the lectures, in the silences that came after.

It’s been there when I found old feelings, thanked them, and let them go.
When I dared to write, to see, to feel.
When I softened what was rigid and allowed myself to take space.

Gratitude is no longer something I search for.
It lives in me now — as a soft warmth whispering:
You’re here. You’re whole. You belong.


Reflection – from within myself

When I look back at these words, I can feel how I’ve become a little more whole.
I’ve met the parts of me that once protected me, and I’ve thanked them.
Through gratitude and healing, I’ve begun to hear my own voice — the one that waited patiently to be heard.
It feels as if I’m finally living in rhythm with myself, not against.
Through gratitude and healing, I’ve begun to hear my own voice more clearly.


Between the Lines – My Voice

Between the lines, something calm is breathing:
a woman who no longer fights to be understood — she understands herself.
She stands in her own warmth, even when the wind is cold.
She no longer apologizes for her sensitivity — she sees it as her greatest strength.


AHA – Between the Lines

What was once a defense has become a teacher.
I realize that healing isn’t about becoming someone else — it’s about coming home to who I’ve always been.
And gratitude isn’t an ending — it’s the beginning of something new.
What was once a defense has become a teacher.
I realize that healing isn’t about becoming someone else — it’s about coming home to who I’ve always been.
And gratitude isn’t an ending — it’s the beginning of something new.
I realize that gratitude and healing aren’t an ending — they’re the beginning of something new.


Question to You

When was the last time you felt gratitude for something small — something no one else noticed, but that changed your day?


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Closing Words

Yesterday has already found its rest in history.
Tomorrow waits further ahead.
But right now — this is where life happens.


Today, I got to be the temperature keeper.
The water danced between 9.4° and 9.1°C – a quiet reminder that change always begins in the smallest of degrees.

The Journey Continues

The journey isn’t over.
But I believe I’ve boarded the right train, from the right platform.
The road ahead is longer than I can see — and that’s okay.
Because I’m in the right carriage, with myself as company.

And if I get to wake up tomorrow,
the journey will continue — the one we call life.


Lake landscape representing Carina’s healing journey while blogging in two languages about life, trauma, and emotional growth.

Blogging in Two Languages – We Are Both Brave

When I discovered another blogger who was also blogging in two languages, I suddenly felt very small. Comparison stepped in. But with trauma-knowledge, compassion, and a bit of humor, I chose pride instead. There is enough room in this world for both of us.

Read this post in Swedish ->Blogga på två språk – Vi är två som vågar


Carina blogging in two languages about life, emotions, and the trauma the body remembers.

I found her today.
Another woman writing in both Swedish and English.
And immediately something was triggered in me:

“Hey, that’s my thing.
Who are you?
And please don’t think I’m copying you.”

It was as if my inner child jumped onto a chair shouting:
“Copycat alert. Protect yourself.”

My body agreed.
Trauma works fast — it reacts long before the mind has time to understand what is happening.
The red circle lit up:

“Make yourself small. Be careful. Someone is taking your place.”


Blogging in two languages

We are doing completely different things

Gardening and nature as inspiration for blogging in two languages and daring to grow.

She writes about gardening, soil, and ecological dreams.
Butterfly beds, seeds, Bokashi — a whole green universe.

Me?
I write about trauma the body remembers.
I write about cold-water dips and the inner life that demands both courage and coffee.

She has her hands in the earth.
I have my feet in freezing water.

Cold water swimming as self-healing while blogging in two languages about trauma, courage, and change.

She grows flowers.
I grow courage.

Gardening and nature as inspiration for blogging in two languages and daring to grow.

She helps the outside world bloom.
I help the inside world breathe.

And still, I felt fear.


Attachment whispered: “You are not good enough”

That is the part of me that carries old memories:
that I must perform well to be allowed to exist,
that I must be unique to be worthy.

But then the responsible adult in me whispered:

“You have been blogging since 2009.
nearly 4000 posts.
Your words have carried you for decades.”

I am not new here.
I am not a copy.


Blogging in two languages – and still being yourself

When I saw she started writing in English in September,
because she has English-speaking readers who want to follow along —

I sat here laughing at myself.

“Oh right. The world does not revolve around me or my blog.”

Logic stepped in and said gently:

“This is not about you, dear heart.”

My feelings stepped back a little
and made space for something soft and good.


Green circle – I choose my emotion actively

Compassion stepped closer and whispered:

“It is okay to feel this way. I am here with you.”

And I told my body:

“Thank you for trying to protect me.
But today I choose something different.”

I choose pride.
I choose joy.
I choose both of us.


What if something beautiful grows from this?

I am a greenhouse beginner.
She seems like a professional in gardening.
I used trial-and-error therapy on my tomatoes last summer.

What if she has tips I could learn from.
What if she can inspire me.

And what if I
have inspired her
to dare writing in English.

All these what-ifs
create something warm inside me.

Win-win-win.

A new follower she will get.
And she will get me:

A cold-water-swimming feelings-nerd,
with trauma knowledge and a soul-driven pen,
growing on the inside and in the greenhouse.


Final words – I own my place, my voice, my story

I do not grow by shrinking myself.
Nor by shrinking anyone else.

My place does not get smaller.
It grows
when I allow both her and myself to be brave.

We can both be good.
We can inspire each other.
We can be different — and still equally courageous.

She digs in the soil.
I dig in the heart.

And together we make the world a little more alive.
In our own ways.
Through the power of words.


A question for you, dear reader

Have you ever felt small for a while,
only to realize that the world grew larger
when you let the feeling finish its swim?

Feel free to share.
We grow when we dare to be seen.


A blog I found inspiring

If you want to learn more about gardening, butterfly beds, and green living:
https://levnadskonst.com/

P.S. The blogging world becomes more beautiful when we find each other.


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Also read:

Trauma the body remembers – coping strategies and self-healing
Children do well if they can – dignity, pain, and responsibility in everyday life


Yesterday has already settled into history.
Tomorrow is waiting further ahead.
But right now — this is where life happens.

— Carina Ikonen Nilsson

blog statistics malix.se reflected in a calm lake view on an autumn day in Dalsland, where words continue to wander

Talk Therapy in Sweden – When Darkness Comes with Its Light

In pace with the darkness settling over autumn

As the darkness settles over autumn, I find stillness in the soft mornings.
It is also now that I want to invite you to talk therapy in Sweden – an opportunity to meet yourself with warmth, respect, and presence.
In our conversations, you will have time to pause, feel, and let your words become a light in the dark.

Read this post in Swedish →Samtalsterapi i Sverige – när mörkret kommer med sitt ljus


When Darkness Comes with Its Light

Morning again. Wintertime is here, and we’ve returned to our ordinary rhythm.
It will be lighter in the mornings, but the afternoons will darken earlier.
Welcome, little winter, and your quiet season of darkness.

You are here again, surrounding us in your calm shadows – where we light candles, not to curse the dark, but to soften it.
Or do we?

I light candles because they make me feel softer.
Because the little girl inside me enjoys watching the flickering beams.
I don’t think I’ve ever cursed the dark; it’s nothing I can control – it simply is.
Every moment holds its own beauty, and even darkness carries rest, a pause from everything that dazzles.

Candlelight in the dark – a symbol of inner warmth, reflection, and talk therapy in Sweden.

A light in the dark. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to meet yourself – with stillness and warmth.

Soon, we’ll move closer to the light again.
In just a couple of months, I’ll be sowing my seeds and planning the greenhouse once more.
By then, we’ll have celebrated Lucia, birthdays, Christmas, and New Year’s.

No, I don’t curse the darkness. I live with it.
I feel how the moments grow softer, how the warmth of the house feels more tangible.
The contrasts to summer are simply that – contrasts – and they are meant to be lived.

The words wanted to go there, though it wasn’t what I planned to write about.
They just arrived, as they often do when the heart leads the way.


Talk Therapy in Sweden – Looking for Clients

In the middle of this dark and quiet time, I want to invite you to something that also has to do with light.
I am currently training to become a certified talk therapist and am now looking for practice clients.

Sessions are free of charge during my education period and are primarily held via Teams, but phone sessions are also possible.
This offer applies to those who live in Sweden or speak Swedish – so that we can truly understand one another.

This is an opportunity to speak, in peace and safety, about what matters to you – stress, relationships, grief, life choices, or simply a longing for change.


What I Offer in Talk Therapy in Sweden

Talk therapy in Sweden gives you the chance to see new perspectives and meet yourself more deeply.
I offer personally tailored sessions based on your life situation, your emotions, and what you wish to explore.
I listen without judgment and without ready-made solutions – but with presence, warmth, and respect.
Through our conversations, you can begin to understand yourself more clearly and find your own way forward.

Entering talk therapy can be a beautiful investment in yourself – an opportunity to meet yourself gently, at your own pace.
It gives you space to land, to grow, and to reconnect with your own center.

I work with several therapeutic approaches that I have used throughout my career and am now deepening through my education:
a client-centered approach built on respect, trust, and genuine listening, where every meeting takes its own shape.

  • Motivational Interviewing (MI) – strengthening your own motivation for change
  • Cognitive Behavioral-inspired methods (CBT) – understanding the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior
  • Low-Affective Approach – creating calm and safety in communication
  • Mindfulness and Self-Compassion – finding peace in the moment and becoming a friend to yourself

Why Talk Therapy in Sweden with Me

I have spent many years working with people in difficult life situations and with young individuals who have struggled to find their way.
I know how important it is to be seen – not for what you do, but for who you are.

I don’t claim to always listen perfectly, but I always strive to listen deeply.
For me, it’s not about giving advice but about giving space.
It’s about daring to stay with what feels difficult without rushing toward a solution.
When I listen, I try to understand – not to respond, but so that you can truly be heard.

I believe in the power of conversation – that it can heal, change, and offer new hope.


Would You Like to Be My Practice Client?

You are warmly welcome to reach out via email: carina@malix.se
Sessions are scheduled individually and are held in confidence.


A Thought for Nature

When we grow on the inside, it can feel meaningful to let something grow outside too.
That’s why today I encourage you to support Vi Agroforestry (Vi-skogen) – an organization that plants trees and strengthens both the climate and people’s livelihoods.
Together, we can help create more greenery, oxygen, and hope for the future.

Learn more or donate here: https://viskogen.se

Misty morning by the lake with still water and distant trees – nature’s calm and reflection, connected to Vi Agroforestry and talk therapy in Sweden.

Nature reminds us of the connection between growth, stillness, and care. When we let something grow out there, something grows within us too.


Support My Writing

If you wish to support my ongoing work on this blog, you can contribute here:
PayPal – malix.se

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Between the Lines

In darkness, I often find the quiet, the raw, and the honest.
It’s there I realize how much light truly lives in the conversation, in the meeting, in the presence.
To face yourself isn’t always easy – but that’s where growth begins.

Stöd mitt skrivande:
PayPal – malix.se971

Prenumerera:
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Yesterday has already settled into history.
Tomorrow waits somewhere ahead.
But right now – this is where life happens.

vinterbad Ragnerudssjön
Carina Ikonen Nilsson

AHA – Between the Lines

As I write about darkness and light, I realize it’s the same as in talk therapy.
It’s about daring to stay with what is, without rushing toward something new.
That’s where the light truly lives – not beyond the dark, but within it.


Reflection

Just like in talk therapy in Sweden, understanding grows in the silence between words.
When someone truly listens, something within us begins to breathe more freely.
It’s in those moments that I’m reminded why I do what I do.


A Question for You

How do you meet yourself in the darker season – do you flee from it, or do you let it show you something new?


Frequently Asked Questions about Talk Therapy

What does it cost to be a practice client?
The sessions are completely free during my training period.

How are the sessions conducted?
Sessions within talk therapy in Sweden take place via Teams or by phone. You decide what you want to talk about, and the space is calm and safe.

How long does a session last?
Each session lasts about 50 minutes. Together, we plan how many sessions feel right for you.

Who can participate?
The offer is open to those who live in Sweden or speak Swedish – so that we can truly understand each other.

Do I need to have a specific problem to book?
No. Conversations can also be a way to get to know yourself, reflect on life, or discover new perspectives.


Between the Lines – My Voice

In the stillness of conversation and reflection, growth begins.
Light doesn’t come after darkness – it appears within it.

Oskar Series – Understanding


Morning

Morning again, and with my coffee beside me come thoughts of the Oskar Series understanding – how we meet, learn, and grow as adults.
The two lamps that once belonged to my grandmother cast a warm light in the darkness. The cat is outside, the house still asleep, and the morning is calm.

Read this in Swedish ->Oskar serien bemötande och vuxenansvar i vardagen

Today I will wrap the Christmas gifts my daughter and I bought in Ullared – a day filled with laughter, bargains, and reflection.
At the same time, my thoughts wander to the Oskar Series understanding and adult responsibility – how we, as adults, can meet children with empathy and help them grow in their abilities.

Coffee cup in morning light – reflection on the Oskar Series, understanding, and adult responsibility

This post is a personal reflection, inspired by experiences and thoughts about adult responsibility and the way we meet others.
It is not about a specific event, but about the inner process that awakens when we want to protect – and then realize how important it is to meet with calm and understanding.


A Day in Ullared

The trip to Ullared became more than just shopping. We found shoes, clothes, boots, and gifts – almost everything ready for December.
I even made a real find: a pair of Sketchers boots that usually cost around 1,500 SEK, but there – only 800.
They were so comfortable that it was impossible not to buy them.

My little boy got new pajamas, clothes, and a cap that made him happy.
My little girl received a few small Christmas gifts and a pair of cool boots.
It was a long day – we left home at seven in the morning and didn’t return until nine in the evening.
But now almost all the gifts are wrapped, and the feeling of being prepared brings a quiet peace.

Have you ever felt that mix of exhaustion and gratitude after a long, good day?


When the Tiger in Me Awoke – a Thought on the Oskar Series and Adult Responsibility

In the middle of everyday joy, something unexpected happened.
An email, not particularly kind, awakened something inside me – the tiger.
Suddenly, all the children I’ve ever met stood before me.
Not only my own, but also the young people I’ve had the privilege to work with over the years.

It was about understanding and adult responsibility.
About how adults sometimes put the blame on children – as if they alone carried the weight of what went wrong.
I felt my whole being rise up.
For me, it’s clear that when we work with children, we adults always carry the greatest responsibility.
We are the ones who must see, listen, and understand.

Children don’t misbehave out of malice. They act in the only way they can – based on their experiences, their capacities, and the safety or uncertainty that adults have created around them.
Do you recognize that feeling, when your concern for a child wakes the lion within you?


Afterward – Oskar Series, Understanding, and Adult Responsibility

In hindsight, I regret my own behavior.
I let the tiger take over and, for a moment, forgot my responsibility as an adult.
I should have stood firmer in myself and spoken about what really matters – the adult responsibility.
To create conditions for children to grow in their ability, not to remind them of what they cannot yet do.

In reflection, I see how I would rather have met the situation with a calm, soft voice.
I wish I had said:

“I want us to find solutions. How can we, together, help, see, and allow the child to grow? What can I do to make things easier? What is my responsibility?”

I wish I had offered to come, to explain what works and what doesn’t.
I wish I had said:

“We’re doing this together. I am in my role and you in yours – is there something we can do to make the path easier?”

Being an adult means carrying the ultimate responsibility: to meet children with respect, patience, and belief in their potential.

At the same time, I believe reflection is something we all need – even the other adult in that situation.
Sometimes we are so busy defending our own perspective that we forget to pause, breathe, and see the child together.
I should have invited the other person into the dance of reflection – that quiet movement where curiosity replaces defense.
But I didn’t. Perhaps it’s because I haven’t yet learned to dance, and that’s exactly what I need to practice.

When I read that email, I suddenly saw all the children I’ve met – those who struggled, those who carried heavy things.
I could almost feel them standing behind me, whispering: Don’t forget us. Keep speaking for us.
That’s what the Oskar Series, understanding, and adult responsibility is really about – seeing the child behind each reaction and realizing that we all have something to learn.


Oskar Knocks Again! Oskar Series, Understanding, and Adult Responsibility in Everyday Life

All these words – they’re really about little Oskar.
You know, Oskar from the NPF & School series, now resting for a while.
Maybe it’s him knocking again?
Perhaps it’s time to continue writing – about how important it is that we adults take our responsibility, dare to see the child behind the behavior, and stay present in the meeting.

How often do your own “Oskar moments” knock at the door? Those moments when your heart says: See the child behind the words.

Read more posts in The Oskar Series – NPF & School
and be inspired by Kay Pollak’s reflections on responsibility and human connection.


AHA

Sometimes our strongest reactions don’t come from anger but from love – from the wish to protect.
Yet the way back to calm reminds me of something even more important: even adults, just like in the Oskar Series, understanding, and adult responsibility, must keep practicing how to grow.


Between the Lines

When calm returns and the tiger within me rests, I see that it’s not about winning a war, but about understanding why we react as we do – and what that reveals about what we care to protect.
It also reminds me that my own reaction must remain calm.
For all the children who once stood before me, hoping I would keep fighting for them – I need that calm.
Because it’s in calmness that the real work can be done, it’s there that change begins.


Reflection

Now the coffee stands beside me again. The soft glow from my grandmother’s lamps fills the room.
The day lies untouched before me, with wrapping paper and ribbons waiting.
Outside, the sky begins to brighten.

Maybe it’s Oskar whispering: See me, understand me – I’m just trying to make it through another day.
And I whisper back: I’ll keep practicing being the adult – the one who helps you grow.
That’s part of the Oskar Series, understanding, and adult responsibility – a daily exercise in seeing, understanding, and growing together.

What This Taught Me

This meeting – between emotion and responsibility – became a reminder that calm isn’t always there from the start, but it can always be found again.
I learned that adults, too, need to keep practicing how to grow, to face their own reactions, and to choose presence instead of defense.
Perhaps it’s right there, in the stillness after the storm, that real learning happens – for both the children and for us adults.

malix.se/ Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Live today, right now.
The day before yesterday was the tiger, yesterday the reflection, today the action, and tomorrow will be the rest.
Maybe I’ve already learned something – perhaps even right now.

– Carina Ikonen Nilsson

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This text is a personal reflection, not a description of any specific person, place, or situation. Its purpose is to inspire understanding and shared responsibility in how we meet children.


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