Aware. Feel. Be.

You know something needs to change. So why do you keep ending up in the same place?

You’ve tried to understand yourself.

Maybe you’ve read the books, gone to therapy, tried coaching, or spent years working on yourself. You know your patterns. You can explain your reactions.

But when life gets difficult, there you are again. The same anxiety. The same anger. The same doubts. The same things you promised yourself you’d stop doing.

What if the answer isn’t to work on yourself even harder?

I’m Raphael. I help people explore what’s actually happening inside them, so they can stop fighting themselves and discover a different way of being.

Raphael Ungar looking into the camera against a sage green wall

The struggle

You’re tired of getting in your own way.

Maybe you keep getting defensive with someone you love. You recognize it afterward. You apologize. You promise yourself you’ll handle it differently next time. And then it happens again.

Maybe you constantly worry about what others think. You know you shouldn’t care so much. But you still find yourself holding back, trying to please everyone, or questioning everything you do.

Or maybe there’s simply a feeling you can’t seem to shake. Anxiety. Emptiness. Restlessness. You’ve tried to understand it, distract yourself from it, or make it go away. But somehow it keeps coming back.

What if you didn’t have to keep fighting what’s happening inside you?

A man in a hat sitting on a wall, looking out over fields into the morning sun

What becomes possible

Imagine feeling completely at peace with yourself.

Not because everything in your life is perfect. Not because you’ve finally gotten rid of every fear, insecurity, or difficult emotion. But because you no longer have to fight yourself.

Imagine being able to feel sadness without needing to escape it. To feel fear without letting it decide everything for you. To feel anger without immediately acting on it. To experience whatever life brings without constantly trying to make it different.

And underneath all that resistance, you might discover something surprising. Peace. Freedom. A sense of being fully alive.

Not the kind of excitement you have to chase. Something quieter. Deeper. The feeling of being here, in your own life, without needing to be somewhere else.

That’s what becomes possible when you learn to be with yourself rather than constantly trying to change yourself. And it’s something I would love for you to experience.

A different way

What if nothing about you needs to be fixed?

Most of us have learned to deal with uncomfortable feelings in one of two ways. We try to get rid of them. Or we try to understand them.

We analyze our childhood, explain our patterns, search for the next technique, or tell ourselves how we should be feeling instead. Sometimes that helps. But sometimes all that effort becomes another way of avoiding what’s actually happening.

My approach is different.

Aware.Instead of analyzing what you’re feeling, we become aware of it.
Feel.Instead of trying to feel better, we feel what’s here.
Be.Instead of immediately trying to change something, we allow it to be.

It sounds simple. And in many ways, it is. But there’s a big difference between understanding this idea and actually experiencing it.

That’s why I don’t want to spend another hour explaining it to you. I’d rather invite you to experience it for yourself.

Raphael at a white table with a laptop, a notebook and a stack of self-development books

About Raphael

I know what it’s like to desperately want to feel different.

For years, I tried to fill an emptiness inside me with everything I could think of. Women. Travel. Career. Experiences. Therapy. Books. Psychedelics. Some things helped for a while. But nothing seemed to last.

Eventually I began going inward, learning to feel what was happening inside me instead of constantly running from it.

About two years ago, I experienced what it was like to simply be myself. Not the person I thought I needed to be. Just me. And somehow, that changed everything.

Somewhere along the way, life seemed to invite me to share what I’d discovered. So here I am. :)

Work with me

You’ve read enough. Come sit with me for an hour.

Maybe you’ve spent years trying to figure yourself out. Maybe you’re only beginning to notice that something isn’t working. Either way, you don’t need another theory before we can begin.

We start with whatever is happening in your life. An argument. A fear. A recurring pattern. A feeling you can’t explain. We talk about it.

And then, instead of spending the whole session analyzing it, I’ll guide you to notice what’s actually happening inside you. We slow down. We get curious. We make room for whatever is there.

Sometimes it’s uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s beautiful. Sometimes something shifts that you couldn’t have figured out by thinking about it.

I can’t promise what you’ll experience. But I’d love to explore it with you.

Raphael sitting cross-legged on a cushion in a garden, one hand on his chest and one on his belly, eyes closed

What if you could finally stop fighting yourself?

There’s only one way to find out what that experience is like for you.

About me

Hi, I’m Raphael. And for a long time, I had absolutely no idea who I was.

I was pretty good at becoming whoever I thought I needed to be.

I knew how to achieve things, impress people, and keep myself busy. What I wasn’t very good at was being alone with myself.

Because when things got quiet, I often felt desperately lost.

Raphael meditating in a garden

My story

For years, I was looking for something.

I spent 15 years playing hockey. After that, I became a hockey coach. Coaching eventually led me into working with people beyond sports. Over seven years, I had the privilege of working with around 1,500 people.

I loved helping people grow. But despite everything I was doing on the outside, I was struggling on the inside. There was an emptiness I couldn’t seem to fill.

And I tried. Women. Travel. Career. New experiences. When those things didn’t work, I started looking for answers. Therapy. Books. Psychedelics. Self-development. Some of it genuinely helped. But the relief never lasted. I kept finding myself back in the same place.

Raphael working at a laptop beside a notebook and books

Then came a weekend I’ll never forget.

I was so numb and desperate to feel something that I went completely overboard. Video games. Alcohol. Escorts. Drugs. Sex parties. Anything that might make me feel alive.

I woke up on Sunday morning and didn’t even recognize myself anymore. That scared me. I realized that if I continued like this, I was going to lose myself completely.

So I decided to find out what was actually going on inside me.

I stopped running. I began facing the things I’d spent years avoiding. My fears. My shame. My sadness. The emptiness.

I started learning how to feel what was happening inside me. Not just understand it. Actually feel it. And slowly, my relationship with myself began to change.

The awakening

Then, about two years ago, I experienced something I can only describe as an awakening.

For the first time, I felt completely like myself. No mask. No need to become someone else. Just me.

It’s difficult to put into words. And honestly, I don’t think words can do it justice. But it changed the way I experience life.

Today, I finally feel like myself. I still have difficult days. I still get triggered. I still have moments when I forget everything I’ve learned and fall into old patterns.

But something fundamental has changed. I no longer believe I need to become a different person to be okay. And that has brought a kind of peace and freedom I spent years searching for.

And then life took an unexpected turn. For years, I’d worked with people through sports, coaching, and group experiences. But after my awakening, I felt increasingly drawn toward something more personal. Sitting with people one-on-one. Exploring what was happening inside them. Being there when someone stopped explaining their experience and actually began feeling it.

For the past two years, this has become the heart of my work. I didn’t plan for it to happen quite like this. But somehow, life kept pointing me in this direction. And I love it.

Portrait of Raphael smiling softly

A little more about me

Still learning. Still making a mess of things. :)

These days, I live in Portugal with my family. I love the ocean, beach volleyball, meditation, nature, good conversations, and laughing at the absurdity of being human. I’m fascinated by consciousness and what it means to be alive.

I’m still learning. Still discovering things about myself. And still occasionally making a complete mess of things. :)

But I’m grateful for all of it. Which brings me to something I try to remember every day.

My credo

Thank you.
I love you.

And always remember…

Enjoy this beautiful, crazy, miraculous, unfathomable thing called life.

Raphael sitting on a wall at sunrise, looking out over fields

Enough about me. I’d love to meet you.

Work with me

You don’t need another explanation. Let’s experience what’s actually happening.

Maybe you keep reacting in ways you don’t want to. Maybe anxiety, anger, or fear keeps getting in the way. Maybe you’ve spent years working on yourself and still feel stuck. Or maybe you’re simply curious about what it would be like to feel more at peace with yourself.

Whatever brings you here, we can start there.

Raphael in an olive robe, listening to someone sitting opposite him

What happens in a session?

We start with what’s happening in your life.

Maybe you tell me about an argument with your partner. You know you overreacted. You know you don’t want to do it again. You’ve probably spent plenty of time thinking about why it happened.

But as you tell me the story, you notice something. Maybe your chest tightens. Maybe there’s heat in your stomach. Maybe you feel the urge to defend yourself.

Instead of continuing to analyze the situation, we slow down. I guide you to become aware of what you’re experiencing. To feel it. To notice what happens when you stop trying to push it away. We follow what’s actually happening rather than what we think should happen.

Sometimes a feeling changes. Sometimes something unexpected comes up. Sometimes you discover a part of yourself you’ve been fighting for years. And sometimes you simply experience what it’s like to be with a difficult feeling without needing to do anything about it.

There’s no fixed script. We start with you.

Why does this matter?

Because the way you relate to yourself changes how you experience life.

What could shift

  • Imagine feeling anxious without immediately needing to escape it.
  • Imagine being able to hear criticism without automatically becoming defensive.
  • Imagine recognizing that you’re about to repeat an old pattern and discovering that you have another choice.
  • Imagine no longer spending so much energy trying to control what you feel.

What might life be like then? More peaceful? More open? More alive?

I don’t know exactly what you’ll discover. That’s part of the beauty of it.

What we can explore

People come to me with all kinds of things.

  • Anxiety or overwhelming emotions
  • Anger, shame, or fear
  • Difficulty setting boundaries, speaking up, or feeling good enough
  • A relationship pattern they can’t seem to change
  • A feeling that something isn’t quite right

You don’t need to arrive with a clearly defined problem. You don’t need to know what you’re looking for. We can discover that together.

What makes this different?

I don’t want to give you another thing to believe in.

You can read about love. You can study its psychology. You can even understand the chemistry behind it. But none of that is the same as actually feeling love.

I think something similar happens with our inner world. We can spend years learning about ourselves without ever really experiencing what’s happening inside us.

My work is about the experience. Not another theory. Not another formula. Not another list of things you should be doing.

Just the opportunity to explore yourself directly, with someone there to guide you.

Is this for you?

This might be for you if…

  • You can see your patterns, but you keep repeating them.You know what’s happening, yet when the moment comes, you still react the same way.
  • You’ve tried to work on yourself, but something still isn’t changing.You’ve read the books, had the conversations, maybe tried therapy or coaching. You’ve learned a lot about yourself. But understanding hasn’t been enough.
  • You’re tired of fighting what you feel.The anxiety, anger, sadness, fear, or whatever keeps coming up. You’d love to experience what it’s like to stop being at war with yourself.
  • You want to feel more at peace with yourself.Not because you’ve finally fixed everything, but because you can be with yourself, even when life gets difficult.
  • You’re willing to be honest with yourself.Even when what you discover isn’t particularly comfortable.
  • You’re curious to experience something different.You don’t need to believe in anything I say. You’re simply open to finding out for yourself.

This probably isn’t for you if…

  • You’re looking for someone to tell you exactly what to do.I’m not going to give you a step-by-step formula for how to live your life.
  • You want another technique to get rid of uncomfortable feelings.We’re not here to make anxiety, anger, or sadness disappear. We’re here to explore what happens when you stop fighting them.
  • You’d rather keep talking about your patterns than actually feel what’s happening.Understanding can be useful, but our work goes beyond analyzing.
  • You expect me to fix you.I don’t believe you’re broken. And I don’t see my role as changing you into someone else.
  • You’re not willing to look at yourself honestly.You don’t have to be fearless. You don’t even have to feel ready. But you do need some willingness to explore.

And if you’re still not sure?

That’s okay. You don’t have to believe in my approach. You don’t have to understand it all. And you certainly don’t need to commit to some life-changing journey.

Come sit with me for a session. Experience it for yourself. Then decide.

Practical details

How do we get started?

Book a session. We’ll meet and begin with whatever is present for you. You don’t need any previous experience with meditation, body awareness, or personal development.

Everything practical, such as duration, format and pricing, is shown right when you choose a time.

FAQ

What if I don’t know what I want to work on?

That’s fine. We can start with whatever you’re experiencing, even if that’s uncertainty or confusion.

What if I find it difficult to feel anything?

That’s okay too. You don’t need to be good at feeling. Even numbness or the sense that nothing is happening can be something we explore together.

Is this therapy?

No. My work is experiential facilitation, not psychotherapy or mental health treatment. It may complement other forms of support, but it isn’t a replacement for professional mental health care when that’s needed.

How many sessions will I need?

There’s no fixed program. We can start with one and see whether you’d like to continue.

What if I’m not sure it’s for me?

You don’t need to make a big commitment. Come experience a session and decide for yourself.

What if you could finally stop fighting yourself?

Book a session

Choose a time that feels right.

Pick a slot below. You’ll see the duration, format and details of the session right there.

Calendar not loading? Open it in a new tab.