Every journey begins with what’s already inside.
Each of us comes into the world with a backpack. And this backpack is not empty.
From the very beginning, it may already hold things like our temperament, health, or even stresses from a difficult pregnancy — aspects parents cannot fully control.
As we grow, our first caregivers — usually our parents — place more “items” into this backpack: experiences, beliefs, and ways of handling emotions. These early contents shape how we see ourselves and the world around us.
Ideally, the family is a place of physical and emotional security, where children fill their backpacks with trust, resilience, and love. But sometimes, backpacks get heavy, or filled with things that no longer serve us.
The Primary Capacities — Our Inner Foundation
The invisible essentials every child needs.
In Positive Psychotherapy, we speak of primary capacities: the universal resources every human being needs from the very beginning.
A human being does not only need cognitive education. Children need emotional warmth, time, patience, and relationship. These are the invisible “essentials” packed into every healthy backpack — the foundation for maturity and balance.
The Secondary Capacities — Skills for the Journey
Things we pick up along the way.
As children grow, they acquire further secondary capacities. These are learned through upbringing, culture, and education, for example:
They help us function in society and reach goals. But without the primary capacities as a base, these tools can feel rigid or empty. For example: punctuality without patience may turn into pressure; achievement without love may lead to burnout.
What’s love got to do with it?
Love means different things to different people.
Even something as universal as LOVE can be understood in many different ways.
For one person it’s freedom, for another being close. Some need to hear the words, others need actions or touch.
Examples of how people may define love:
When partners or family members hold different definitions, misunderstandings can grow.
Reflecting on “what love means for me” opens space for dialogue, compassion, and new choices in how we give and receive it.
What does it mean to be mature?
We often think maturity is only about responsibility — carrying the backpack of life without complaining. But true maturity also means being flexible: knowing when to adjust the straps, ask for support, or even take something out.
As adults, we can:
- Ask for help when the backpack feels too heavy
- Unpack what no longer serves us
- Discover hidden treasures at the bottom — strengths and resources we didn’t know we had
This is how we learn to handle our own backpacks with more trust, resilience, and openness — and how we model the same for our children.
Parent Support Pack — Preventive Care for Families Abroad
I offer Parent Support Packs as preventive consultation sessions for international families:
- A safe space to reflect on family strengths and challenges
- Tools to prevent stress and burnout before they grow
- Guidance in balancing body, achievement, contact, and meaning
- Support in navigating life between cultures, languages, and worlds
3 sessions → €180
5 sessions → €300
Sessions are available online or in my practice in Berlin-Friedrichshain.
Languages: English, German, Polish.
Sometimes the most valuable gift we can give our family is preventive care: the chance to reflect, unpack, and discover new resources. If you feel curious, I’d be happy to walk with you for part of the journey.
📩 Feel free to reach out for more information or to book your support pack.
📞 Phone & WhatsApp: 0160-91130624
📧 Email: info@ppt-therapie.de
