7DAYS´INTERVIEW: Esperanza Garcia Hortigon

Psychology workshops soon to happen locally

By Sonia Golt

Esperanza Garcia Hortigon is from Algeciras although she has spent most of her life in Barcelona where she has her family now. Esperanza is a Clinical psychologist and a consultancy psychologist for businesses and organizations in Barcelona. Although she has just celebrated her 55 birthday, she not only looks great but is full of enthusiasm and energy about life, because she responded in her native tongue we want to keep the gist of this interview we are using it exactly as per her words where she explains all the associations she belongs to and works with since obtaining her Clinical Psychology Degree.

"Yo para nada me siento de esa edad, sí me vivo con experiencia de vida, pero muy vital y soy de espíritu muy joven. A los 19 años me fui a estudiar Psicología a Barcelona y donde me especialicé en Psicología Clínica, al tiempo que me fui formando en paralelo en todas las nuevas técnicas que vinieron hacia 1977 a España, todas o la mayoría dentro de la denominada Psicología Humanista. Pertenezco a la primera camada de especialistas en Bio-energética tanto desde la Escuela de Alexander Lowen, Wilhelm Reich, Pierrakos, es decir además, Terapia Neo-Reichianas. Dentro de esta misma línea están la Psicología Gestalt y Análisis Transaccional. Incluso recibí esta formación en México, titulada oficialmente por las Asociaciones Europeas, norteamericanas y Latino Americanas.

Posteriormente, me especialicé en Terapia de Renacimiento, (Rebirthing) titulada en Italia. Tengo formación de base Psicoanalítica tanto en la línea Freudiana como Lacaniana y Kleiniana (Freud, Jack Lacan y Melanie Klein), así como Terapia Jungiana, K.Jung y posteriormente siempre me mantuve al día, Técnicas Neo-conductistas, Programación Neurolingüistica PNL, Terapia Sistémica, Constelaciones Familiares...etc."

Esperanza is an extremely qualified woman who knows her subject extremely well. When talking to her it was obvious that she has the gift of the gab and therefore one can understand that it is not only her professionalism that attracts people to her Workshops but also the ability she has to capture your imagination and attention immediately. The Workshops she is preparing to bring to Gibraltar will deal with human problems and human interaction. She hopes to start with one that will deal with aspects of ways to resolve our problems. A way to help us transform our life and relationships positively, a format to be able to acquire the skills to interact with others for a common understanding and an in-depth look into forming leadership characteristics for those in Counseling as a profession already or other professionals wanting to look deeper into these matters to learn more about them. The Workshops will last 3 hours and the cost will be £25 per person - the venue is still to be decided. Through her work, she has even done sessions on regression to other past lives.

"Me he formado en la mayoría de enfoques y técnicas, incluso en Técnicas de Regresión y Regresión a Vidas pasadas, desde la escuela de Brian Weiss. Después de 34 años de práctica clínica, tanto individual de parejas o de familias… No utilizo técnicas, llega un momento en la vida profesional que lo que de verdad debes estar es conectado con la esencia y existencia de la persona que viene a ti profesionalmente y crear juntos lo que de verdad en ese momento necesite para conectarse consigo misma, comprenderse, sanar los condicionamientos del alma y SER y CREAR su propia vida con Relaciones Humanas Sanas y creativas y contribuir al Bien Común. Durante esos treinta y cuatro años de dedicación a mi profesión he hecho muchas conferenciante, intervención en medios de comunicación, prensa, radio, TV locales en Cataluña y he impartido cursos por diferentes ciudades de España y Centro-América."

Her ability to learn and to impart these thesis and knowledge to others is what keeps her on the top echelons of the profession to be sure to have a positive reaction to her workshops. Psychology is the science of the mind. The human mind is the most complex machine on Earth. It is the source of all thought and behaviour and it therefore seems impossible to be able tot study such a complex phenomenon as mysterious as the mind. It is not possible to look inside or see or observe emotions, memories, or dreams. So psychologists have to adopt a similar approach to scientists and predict how the mind should behave and devise experiments to confirm or deny their conclusions. They have to keep being innovative and finding personal solutions to each individual problems.

"Mi nueva fase Professional, sin dejar las consultas en psicología, está dedicada a crear e impartir programas innovadores de formación de alto impacto que permitan facilitar el que las personas puedan transformar sus propias vidas, creen relaciones humanas sanas, creativas y solidarias y promover la responsabilidad e implicación social para crear un Nuevo Orden Social basado en la calidad humana para el Bien Común-

Promover el denominado Cuarto Sector: Movimiento internacional de personas conscientes que desean una participación activa solidaria, pero sin pertenencia a ninguna Organización sino vinculadas y coordinadas por voluntad e intereses comunes de contribución humana y social."

With psychology being defined in the dictionary as an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain thought, emotion, and behavior. Applications of psychology include mental health treatment, performance enhancement, self-help, ergonomics, and many other areas affecting health and daily life. There are many Counselors in Gibraltar but few psychologists at that, counseling psychology is a relatively new breed of professionals who apply a psychological theory requiring high level of self-awareness and competence in relating the skills and knowledge of personal and interpersonal dynamics. This made me think if we really needed workshops of this nature locally.

Why have you chosen Gibraltar for your workshops?

"Me gusta muchísimo esta zona y quiero hacer estos Workshops para que sean muy accesibles de precio, y esto también me va a dar la oportunidad de practicar mi Ingles (she says this with a smile) porque me gustaría introducir el Liderazgo Creador, que es sobre las características que deberíamos tener todos para estar conectados con el yo interior. En el futuro quizás este interesada en abrir una consulta aquí o en esta zona."

Esperanza also mentioned that the worst thing anybody can experience is fear of the unknown - we have probably all felt this sometime in our life, but it is essential to learn to fight it as fear is what stops us from doing many of the things we wish to achieve.

"El contaminante mas emocional en el mundo es el miedo. Es el que usan los sistemas políticos, sociólogos y todos los que son poderes que van mas por el poder que porque verdaderamente la persona evolucione."

Now Esperanza continuous to live in Barcelona but she comes and goes frequently from Barcelona to Algeciras and it is in one of her trips down this way that she hopes to organize the workshops. If she finds enough people interested in joining these Workshops she will soon announce the date and venue locally and if they have good following she will return to do more in the future. Anyone who is interested in participating should contact her via email esperanzagarcia7@hotmail.com or by phone to 0034 655197030.

We could have gone on and on talking more about her professional life for she is a creative leader and her interaction with people comes easily to her, thus the success of her working career. It was a pleasure talking to her and I am now looking forward to these Workshops when she comes again to Gibraltar so I too can participate and find out more about psychology, counseling and the spiritual angle she also projects.

<< Back