MY IMPRESSIONS AFTER THE ASSIGNMENT

“Happy she who like Catherine has returned successful from her travels… !”

What more can I say about this extraordinary experience on assignment with Docosteocam in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It led me on a twofold adventure, that of discovering the history of this country and its people, and that of a therapeutic journey, on the road to otherness. 

I set off like an explorer; confident in this association, I wanted to be enchanted by the magic of the journey, by the unknown and surprised by the many encounters.

Following a diploma in the Philosophy of Osteopathy, my dissertation work led me to reflect on the meaning of the intercultural therapeutic relations and their challenges. I thought I was ready for anything! But this experience in Cambodia has once again set my questions in motion and has taken me beyond my expectations, even further in the exploration of my inner garden.

I plunged right into the precarious balance of this therapeutic encounter with these Cambodian children, with my osteopathic touch and the subjectivity of our mutual perceptions as my only tools. Although I was prepared to accept that I would not understand anything, that I would not find a solution, I struggled with the meaning of my presence and I was not spared the question: What am I really healing! 

The kindness of the team helped me get swept up in this silent therapeutic relationship. These mysterious patients took me to visit a part of their little world, far from my references, far from reason and knowledge. 

We met each other in a magnificent manner during the course of treatment!

For the simplicity and purity of their smiles, the intense questioning glances,

For the candid trust they placed in me as they gave me the little piece of paper with their name on it before climbing onto the treatment table, 

For the gift they gave me by falling asleep during the treatment like angels, and the expression of their gratitude on waking,

For the kindness of the team, who ensured the pertinence of the care, and who allowed me to be there with them in Cambodia, with these children, 

For the path we travelled together and for the questions I packed in my suitcase to clarify on my return,

THANK YOU!

These ephemeral moments are engraved in the book of my travels.
A magnificent combination of discovering other places, other people and myself! 

I’m ready to go back!