About

A multi-cultural upbringing in Europe

I want to use this page to give you a sense of where I come from, some events that shaped me, and why I do what I do today. My given name is Ariel. In 2007 I changed it to the spiritual name Milan meaning ‘unity’. I chose this name as a commitment and daily reminder for myself to strive for inner and outer unity while walking on a path of truthfulness.

My parents were immigrants from Iran and Syria of Jewish descent, who settled in post-war Frankfurt, Germany in the 1950s, where I grew up as the second youngest of four children. A move to London at the age of 15 by myself was also, although early, an important incision point. Going to a public school there and living in the city created the basis for later career choices all immersed in the English language with an international flavor.

In 1996 I moved to Tel-Aviv. By that time I was a young father of two sons, and my third son was born in Israel. Tel-Aviv has been my base since and it’s where I live together with my life partner and our amazing dog Angelika (No one really calls her a dog!). I’m grateful for growing up with five languages of which I still speak three fluently: German, English, and Hebrew. They are part of the positive cultural diversity I experience. My work has always enabled me to travel extensively and it feels natural for me to connect with people from all walks of life and across cultures.

40 became a turning point

According to many traditions, age 40 marks a turning point in our life, and it certainly has been for me. When I turned 40 I completed 15 years in the corporate world, mostly as a strategy consultant for a leading consulting firm and some as an entrepreneur. In many ways a time of abundance, but also of inner withering away and self-betrayal.

While this period was essential in learning to work analytically and methodologically, it was also a time when my personality increasingly became a painful reminder of how far away I had moved from being honest with myself but also others. I couldn’t answer the basic question anymore of ‘why I was pursuing what I was doing’.

The pain inside had become too great to turn away and for the first time in my life, I went into a solitary retreat in the desert. I kept writing, and waiting for insights to emerge. They weren’t all pleasant, but very important to wake up to the workings of a life in the shadows.

The urge to look more deeply and more honestly became stronger. I suddenly got faced with my anger, my voice, the choice of my words, and the language of my body. It felt uncomfortable and liberating at the same time to see who I had become. At least I felt I have a choice now. What it triggered mostly was the desire for total honesty knowing well of the pain of inauthenticity. I wanted to uncover all the sophisticated ways I had developed to either not feel or feel in ways comfortable for me.

My studies made me dive deep and wide into the conscious, unconscious and the mysterious

“An intense period of self-exposure, experiencing and learning” followed. I felt shaken to my core but also a lot of clarity and strength returned. With the guiding wisdom of teachers such as Svagitho Liebermeister, Tarika Glubin, Gina Ross, Aneesha Dillon, Rafia Morgan and Turiya Hannover, who walk the talk, I was able to tap into perspectives hidden from my consciousness. Others who impacted my heart and soul are masters like J. Krishnamurti, Osho, Adyashanti, Thomas Huebl, David Deida.

The breadth of exposure to different disciplines and the understanding of hidden dynamics shape my work today. I listen to people’s words, feelings, their body language, and to the longing of their souls, and I bring it back for them to see and experience. A complete picture of who they’ve become and what seeks their attention and healing unfold.

Below are some of the healing modalities and approaches I studied. They presented themselves to me gradually. As I grew, my interest and understanding naturally took me to new fields of learning and experience, and that keeps happening.

Creating spaces for understanding and healing is my passion

I love working with individuals, couples, and groups. I believe strongly in the power of awareness, understanding, trust, and respect to redefining relationships within and without.

I find intimate relationships to be at the center of our life’s experience and learning. It is a place where differences meet, ideas clash, hopes turn into disappointment and we essentially get the chance to become more accepting and understanding of ourselves and the other.

‘Group work’ often becomes the pinnacle of my work as people meet as individuals, but acknowledge, understand and heal together collectively. This is a truly meditative and magical experience for all involved. I’m honored to be a channel for healing and helping people forge connections inside their hearts and souls.

Credentials

• Family Constellations, based on Bert Hellinger
• Somatic ExperiencingTM by Peter Levine
• Breath work and bio-energetics based on the work of Wilhelm Reich and Alexander Lowen
• Primal work
• Counseling
• David Deida’s work on polarity
• Gestalt
• Meditation