email update | Nov 11, 2025 | #33 Dear Reader Throughout my years working in Amsterdam’s acute psychiatry and crisis wards, I encountered countless individuals facing their darkest moments. I also experienced personal crises that shook me to my core. From these experiences, one conclusion became painfully clear: Crisis is here to teach us something. Yet, despite this truth, many of us find ourselves wanting to run from it, fight it, or avoid it. As we learn through the lens of Polyvagal...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
email update | Nov 11, 2025 | #33 Hi there, Yesterday, I wrote to you about the emotional whirlwind I’ve been in — saying goodbye to a friend who’s moving away, seeing my daughter head off on her first school trip, and navigating an intense day of crisis interventions in Amsterdam. And of course, there was that unexpected layer added by speed dating, where I was face-to-face with some of my inner parts in ways I didn’t expect. Today, Reader — I want to talk about something that has been...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
email update | Nov 11, 2025 | #33 Dear Reader This past week has been a bit of a whirlwind 🍂 — a mix of transitions, goodbyes, and unexpected reflections. Maybe it’s the autumn air, the full moon, or just the natural cycles of life, but everything feels more intense lately. Relationships seem to be at the center of it all for me. I spent a full day in Amsterdam yesterday, visiting some of my therapy clients in their homes. It was an intense day of crisis interventions, real conversations, and...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
email update | Nov 11, 2025 | #33 Dear Reader Last week, the first edition of the Terrapy Retreat took place, which was a great succes! An unique blend of self-discovery, community, nature, rest and amazing food! We dove deep into learning about ourselves through the lens of the polyvagal theory, release of Pohaku (Hawaiian for the 'stone that is bothering us') with traditional Ho’oponopono practice, and practicing introspective yoga. We grounded ourselves, quite literally, by putting our...
about 1 year ago • 3 min read
email update | Nov 11, 2025 | #33 I am inspired daily by what happens in Terrapy Reader — in my sessions with clients and beyond. Yesterday, working with a young woman in my practice, she drew a card from my favorite card deck by Adriana Ayales about the NETTLE. Nettle is a hardy plant known for its stinging hairs that can cause discomfort when touched, but she also has many HEALING properties. This duality symbolizes the idea that strength and resilience often come through challenges and...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
email update | Nov 11, 2025 | #33 Overprikkeling, bedrog, verdriet, boosheid en angst... Hoe composteer je dat Reader? 🥺 Hoewel de donkere dagen van de winter niet voor iedereen gemakkelijk zijn, voelen velen zich ook verloren in de stormen van het leven en overspoeld door emoties en prikkels in de zomer. Mijn praktijk is momenteel niet rustiger dan in de winter. Er wordt geworsteld met chronische stress, burn-out, (sociale) angst en gevoelens van somberheid en depressie. Slechte nachtrust en...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
email update | Nov 11, 2025 | #33 Hi Reader — Ongeveer 15 jaar geleden volgde ik mijn hart en combineerde mijn liefde voor yoga met mijn passie voor psychiatrie. Wat er toen gebeurde, was bijzonder. Ik ontdekte een patroon. Mensen verlangen intens naar beweging en verbinding. Verbinding met zichzelf, anderen en met Natuur (de aarde, de zee, de zon, maan, dieren en lucht..). En, verbinding brengt veerkracht. Beweging en behoefte aan verbinding zie ik óók terug in de principes van...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
email update | Nov 11, 2025 | #33 Dear [Recipient’s Name], We seek health and get lost in the cures. We seek (inner) peace and we end up in (inner) war! We look for wholeness and end up in pieces.... We are facing a massive disillusionment with existing political systems, struggling with the overwhelming pressure of modern life and witnessing the rise of a technology-laden, artificial existence, where loneliness, chronic disease and mental illness grows e-v-e-r-y day! We live in a world full...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
email update | Nov 11, 2025 | #33 Hi there, Reader, Fear is a universal emotion that impacts us all. In our interconnected world, fear is often used as a tool to manipulate, influence, and control. Whether by media, businesses, or even religious and governmental institutions, fear can be a powerful force. Despite its pervasive presence, we recognize that fear is not a reliable guide. However, in moments of fear, we also possess the remarkable capacity to liberate ourselves from its grip....
over 1 year ago • 2 min read