When people hear me speak, it soon becomes apparent that I am not from England. My accent is a mixture of Danish and German, and although I have lived in England for nearly 30 years, it is still very strong.

Usually, when people ask where I am from, I say that I am half Danish and half German—but Danish on paper. Of course, I am Danish, although I was born in Germany. My father was German and my mother is Danish. Their marriage was very short-lived; hence, I ended up growing up in Denmark with my mother. Denmark itself is often quoted as being the happiest country in the world, and fortunately I am now—after decades of mental distress caused by OCD—able to do that happiness justice.

One of my ambitions was to become a professional showjumper, so at the age of 16 I moved back to Germany to become an apprentice at a famous horse yard outside Hamburg. Back in those days, Germany was the place to go if you wanted to become a good rider, especially a professional. It soon became clear that my talent was for dressage rather than showjumping, and after passing my exams I spent the following nearly 35 years as a professional dressage rider and coach, first in Germany and later in England.

During most of those years, I was severely affected by OCD, making my life close to unbearable. I often thought to myself that one day I would share my story to help others with OCD avoid going through the same level of torment as I did—or, if they were going through it, to give them hope by showing that OCD can be overcome.

Now, having been liberated from OCD, I am finally able to do so. I would not wish what I endured on anyone; hence, I wrote the book Through Hell into the Light.

In addition to the usual but very effective CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), spirituality has also played a vital role in helping me escape the grip of OCD. I have studied Eastern spirituality for many years, especially Zen and Buddhism, which have been instrumental in showing me a way out of the misery caused by OCD. I hope that in my book I have shown how well spirituality can work together with CBT.

Another important passion of mine, which has also helped me overcome OCD, is running—trail running in particular. Running in nature, the more remote the better, is like meditation for me. I love nature with all its colours, elements, and sounds, and it is my ambition to progress to ultra-running level over the next couple of years. However, whether I get there is not so important. What matters is that I enjoy the attempt and the journey itself, because one of the many things spirituality has taught me is that the journey is just as important as the destination and should be treasured just as much.

I hope you choose to read my book, Through Hell into the Light, and I am always very keen to hear readers’ feedback, so please feel free to get in touch 😊