Thea Mertz,

our friend and colleague died at the end of October from cancer in a Munich clinic.She was prepared to expire in peace and with a clear mind. She was 68 years old and followed her husband who had died in February this year and whom she had taken care of with unconditional love for a very long time during his illness. Thea had one daughter who is married in New York. Many of us will remember Thea as a colleague who presented her voice-therapy at congresses of the EABP and the DGK in Berlin. There are still videos of her workshops available, which show us Thea as a self-confident therapist with her clear and resonant voice. She had brought the pioneer of voice-therapy and voice-formation, Kristin Linklater, to Europe from the US. Thea translated her book "Freeing the Natural Voice" (published 1976) into German and had organized and assisted the first training for Mrs. Linklater in Germany which ended in July this 2003. With the professional background as an actress in her young years, her training as a certified voice-teacher ("Sprecherzieherin") and as certified Radix-Therapist, she lectured at public training-institutes for actors, singers and dancers here in Munich.Besides worked with handicapped children in a special school, and, of course, she successfully ran a practice in bodypsychotherapy and gave workshops, which were always booked out. Although she was known to us as a good therapist, she liked the understatement of her work, and in a deeper sense she had a modest and discreet character. May be that`s one reason why she was elected a member of the Ethics-Committee of the EABP. We also remember that she was in the first board of the German section of the EABP as its co-founder; later on she kept the function of Treasurer in this board. Thea had many "secret" talents, she was a story-writer, liked art-deco-objects and was an expert in jewels; but what was most precious for her was the diamond-clear nature of the mind, which she found in buddhist psychology and meditation.

The Ethics Committee has to announce that our long-term member Thea M. Mertz passed away in October 2003. Even though we knew that she was seriously ill her death came very unexpectedly and touched us deeply. We will always remember her unique personality, her engagement in body-psychotherapeutic affairs and issues, her curiosity about life and her humour. On a more personal note we will miss both her contributions and her inspiring presence.

  May her soul travel well.

   The Ethics Committee