My Journey So Far
I have a rich and diverse life. Growing up in rural West Bengal in the eastern part of India, it was a magical childhood, in nature and beauty. I worked in Madhya Pradesh, in a development project, introducing science curricula relevant to rural schools. A few years later, moving to the US for graduate work, I helped to start a food cooperative, assisted in getting the University’s pension funds out of investments in South Africa, and designed and taught a course on World Hunger. Moving to Washington, DC, I worked as a policy analyst on peace, development and population issues. Till 1984, I was involved with issues around the United Nations related to women, finance, trade and transnationals, working with global networks of civil society organisations (CSOs). With a Canadian film company, I worked on documentaries on the effect of technology on women in India, Brazil, China, Japan, the UAE and Southern Africa. Moving to Europe in 1986 I was based in Rome, Italy in an international news agency at senior management level. I expanded a project of a network of women journalists in the Third World, writing about development from a gender perspective. Travelling to almost all continents, this was a period of great exposure and learning. In 1990, I re-located to India and for 10 years continued the work I did in Italy. In 2000, I began to work independently as a consultant. I wrote books, organised a global conference on women in mountain areas, did media training, conducting evaluation and assessments of projects in India and Afghanistan, During this time, I began my study and practice of psychotherapy. At present, I enjoy my therapy work, gardening, baking, painting and keeping healthy and fit.
Embrace Joy, Flourish Together
What I do
Therapy
Artist
Writer
In 2003, I trained and qualified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist. I work with individuals and couples, online and offline. My clients are based in India, USA, Germany, Canada, the Middle East and Australia. My practice includes Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), logo therapy and hypnosis for chronic issues such as pain and long-term trauma. I use crystals to determine energy blockages in clients and remedy them.
In 2000, I began to paint. As a self-taught artist, I had complete liberty to experiment with different mediums - watercolour, acrylic and gouache. In 2018, I showed my artwork and artefacts from Afghanistan in a solo exhibition in Delhi, titled Kabulana. In 2019, I participated in an exhibition called Lifelines. My artwork can be seen at Phooldevi myinstamojo.com
Since I was a child, I have written. From keeping a diary with mundane entries to writing articles, briefs, opinion pieces, books and blogs, I enjoy writing. I have authored, co-authored and edited several books. Presently, I am working on a book based on my artwork and contributing opinion pieces to Indian national dailies Deccan Chronicle/Asian Age and Hindustan Times.
Training & Retreats
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My background in Education and Curriculum and Instruction and my work in therapy has helped in me to design modules for groups in diverse fields - journalism, civil society organisations, and managers - of different ages and backgrounds. As part of this, I build gender in all my work. I have worked with organisations and groups, developing modules to meet their needs in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia.
Organisational Development
With over forty years of experience as an organization person, I have experience and expertise in planning, executing, and evaluations and assessments. Having worked in different kinds of organizations with people from diverse cultures, I have a good feel for how people can and cannot work together and what makes organizations successful and valuable. I have assisted with strategic planning, evaluations, and assessments of civil society organizations in Afghanistan, India, and Europe.