Psychologist Maria Klien lived for over 20 years under the weight of fear. She had recurring panic attacks, fought against anxiety, and endured long periods of emotional suffering. One day, unable to bear it anymore, she knelt down and cried.

She cried until she got angry and stood up.

This moment became symbolic in her journey. According to her, it was when she stopped seeking immediate relief and started seeking clarity. “The most powerful emotion to move out of the victim's place is anger. It was when anger showed up that I moved,” she says.

It is from this real and transformative experience that the book 'Self-Mastery Guide - For a life with more autonomy and lightness' was born, published by In-finita Editorial, in Portugal.

A short but deep guide

With 55 pages, the book is a direct invitation to reconnect with emotional wholeness. Maria proposes that each person is a palace with several rooms, and that self-mastery requires courage to open the most hidden doors, where traumas, fears, and repetitive patterns dwell. “It's not control. Self-mastery is presence. It's emotional intelligence to choose how to respond to what life brings,” she explains.

The guide brings together 20 therapeutic tools that integrate neuroscience, clinical experience, and personal experiences. The proposal is practical: read, reflect, and apply.

Cannabis as an ally in the process

In her search for emotional autonomy, the psychologist also found in medical cannabis a path to regulation and healing. The substance, still surrounded by taboos, was an essential part of the process that led her to reduce the use of conventional medications. “Cannabis reorganized my system. It brought me clarity, restored my sanity. Today I understand that it was an important support for me to be able to take the therapeutic plunge with more presence and less suffering,” she says.

The symbolic power of air

The book is the first of a series of four works, each inspired by the elements of nature. The chosen one to start the project was air, a symbol of breath, mind, and subtle movement. “You don't control the air, but you can master it. You can use breathing to regulate yourself, to calm down, to come back to the present moment. That's what the book proposes: a return to presence through self-mastery,” she states.

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An invitation to emotional responsibility

For Maria, emotional autonomy is an achievement, and it requires responsibility. “We live in a society that still values victimization. But we only mature emotionally when we take on our internal movements with honesty and courage,” she says.

She emphasizes that self-mastery is not about suppressing emotions, but about not letting them dictate our choices. “It's the adult within us taking the helm,” she summarizes.

A new well-being paradigm

With the 'Self-Mastery Guide', Maria Klien offers more than a book: she offers honest companionship, which does not romanticize pain but also does not turn it into destiny. For those lost between fears, crises, and feelings of exhaustion, her voice sounds like a lighthouse. “It is possible to come out of the bottom. But it is necessary to walk this path with truth. I wrote this book for those who are ready for it and need a flashlight on the way,” she concludes.