500 Miles Through Sweden

I just returned to Piteå and checked the journey meter — just under 500 miles. This summer took me through Gotland, Österlen, the west coast, Småland, and Uppsala. I rediscovered my love for dancing, spent time with both old and new friends, and learned how to run banja ceremonies. This will definitely be a summer to remember.

A few years back, I did a similar road-trip-style vacation by car, and it’s still one of my favorite memories. But, I won’t bore you with every detail about where I went or who I met. Instead, I want to share some of what happened inside me.

Going to Öland for dance week was a real challenge. First, it took three days to drive there with Bonnie and the caravan — something that alone called for a recovery day… which, of course, I hadn’t planned for. Some things never change.

When I arrived, it was the first time in a long while that I was surrounded by so many people — most of them strangers — and all the energies that come with that. Needless to say, I was exhausted at first. But as the week went on, I found my rhythm: how to structure my days, how to handle rejection on the dance floor, and how to help Bonnie settle in too.

A few years ago, I struggled to be alone. I had major FOMO. But after consciously facing that, I’ve swung to the opposite extreme. Öland was the true test of finding a balance again. The payoff was huge — I laughed more than I had in ages, bonded with my goddaughter during “Operation: Get Bonnie to Enjoy Water,” and fell head-over-heels for West Coast Swing.

A few weeks later, on the west coast, I spent a few days with my friend Alfrida. We first connected over the phone when I became her hypnotherapy client. Since then, we’ve met a few times in person, and after I started studying hypnotherapy myself, our friendship deepened. This summer really cemented that bond.

We spent days talking about life, the universe, and all those “small” questions. I’ve realized this is how I love spending time with people. When you only meet for a few hours every other week, the focus is often on updates and external events. But when you have whole days together, the conversations deepen — and so do the relationships. I think this is part of why summer holidays felt so important as a child — not just the weather or activities, but the time to go deeper with people. My friend Cecilia once introduced me to the concept of unchopped time — summers are the perfect example of that, and a reminder of how essential it is.

My original plan was to go to the Tantra Festival in Karlstad a few weeks after Öland, but as it got closer, my excitement faded. I was more curious about Borderland, so I went there instead and joined Camp Mist Behaviour. It was a real eye-opener. Ours was one of the most international big camps — Germans, Russians, Dutch, and Americans — and I was the only one born in Sweden. The cultural mix made collaboration fascinating.

And although I grew up with a sauna at home, I realized I knew almost nothing about them. After spending hours in the sauna every day, I quickly learned the traditions and rituals. By the end of the week, I was holding my own ceremonies. That experience gave me the final push to start taking hypnotherapy clients myself — it showed me I could hold space with confidence.

And the biggest adventure of all? Driving around Sweden in a caravan on my own. But that… deserves its own post. Let me just leave you to with that 500 miles, might be all I can take?