I write about mental health, psychosis, altered states, trauma, yoga therapy, nervous system regulation, philosophy, spirituality and the many ways people find their way back to themselves. My work lives at the meeting point of psychiatry, psychology, yoga, ancient wisdom traditions and what I call Original Medicines: the practices, relationships, rhythms and ways of knowing that reconnect us with body, community, nature and meaning. After more than 25 years working in mental health as a psychiatric nurse, therapist and yoga therapist, I’m especially interested in what becomes possible when we widen the conversation beyond diagnosis and symptom reduction — without losing discernment, safety or good clinical care. Through Terrapy, I work with individuals and groups and teach healthcare professionals, therapists and others who care. I also share reflections from my books, research, conversations, trainings and the questions I’m currently exploring.If you’re curious about a broader, more humane and integrative approach to mental health and healing, you’re very welcome!
This autumn energy is stirring something new... 🍂
Hey there, It took me a moment to let go of summer, but now I'm embracing the change. I find myself organizing, completing projects, and bringing clarity to different areas of my life — and loving every bit of it. As I sit on my veranda, the wind plays with my hair while birds chirp in the tree above and the gentle September sun warms my face. How are you navigating this seasonal transition, Reader? I'm making two exciting changes: Podcast and the Care Circle I've moved 'The Original Medicines Podcast' to a new hosting platform with more creative freedom — and less technical barriers! Same content about healing beyond labels and holistic trauma-informed care, raw conversations...but better organized so I can create more episodes (which I absolutely love doing!). Follow the podcast here. And, I'm (finally) opening the doors to something I've been thinking about since a long time: The Care Circle - Your online sangha for natural mental health and walking the conscious path The Care Circle exists because I believe healing is relational: towards your own inner parts, each oter and the nature. I love offering more integration support (mini courses like Story Medicine) because t works — in your own time, space and way for anyone interested in holistic health, practical tools and steady support. So, besides zoom meetings twice a month (with recordings), you can expect gentle work on dedication, devotion for change management. We will gather every 1st Sunday (English) and 3rd Sunday (Dutch) at 10:30 AM Amsterdam time in Sangha - the online sanctuary space. This is your Circle if: → You wish some support in between therapy or coaching sessions → You feel a bit alone on your (transition) path → You are too down-to-earth for commercialized spirituality → You're navigating uncertainty, stress, or spiritual emergence → You believe your sensitivity is here to tell you something → You are devoted to your own growth path → You don't have the money for therapy and coaching at the moment → The waiting lists are long for traditional therapy and you want to start The circle is forming — the very first gathering is September 21st — just 6 days away. We'll be exploring how to create sacred rhythms as we enter autumn's transformative energy. Will you join us?
Welcome home to the Circle, Love — Anneke 🌿 P.S. Energy transcends words and time zones. My community spreads over many countries, some who speak perfect English and others who trust their hearts to translate. The Space is in English but I offer one online meeting in Dutch for my people in The Netherlands. You belong exactly as you are. |
Terrapy | The Original Medicines
I write about mental health, psychosis, altered states, trauma, yoga therapy, nervous system regulation, philosophy, spirituality and the many ways people find their way back to themselves. My work lives at the meeting point of psychiatry, psychology, yoga, ancient wisdom traditions and what I call Original Medicines: the practices, relationships, rhythms and ways of knowing that reconnect us with body, community, nature and meaning. After more than 25 years working in mental health as a psychiatric nurse, therapist and yoga therapist, I’m especially interested in what becomes possible when we widen the conversation beyond diagnosis and symptom reduction — without losing discernment, safety or good clinical care. Through Terrapy, I work with individuals and groups and teach healthcare professionals, therapists and others who care. I also share reflections from my books, research, conversations, trainings and the questions I’m currently exploring.If you’re curious about a broader, more humane and integrative approach to mental health and healing, you’re very welcome!
5 min read · Full (hunter's) moon | October 26, 2026 Every transformation has a moment when the old way of being stops working. The ground crumbles. What held you (the roles, the certainties, the masks, the story of who you are) loosens its grip. And there is nothing yet to replace it. Like a free fall into a never-ending depth. The Greeks called it katabasis: the necessary going down into the underworld, the un-doing before again becoming. I know this place. I have gone through it, and I...
Dear Reader In 1967, psychologist Julian Silverman published a paper with a curious title: Shamans and Acute Schizophrenia. It's a question close to the heart of the online summit coming up: what happens when people move through reality-altering experiences that the world around them understands completely differently? Silverman argued the real difference wasn't only what happened inside the person, but what happened around them. Was there a cultural map? Was there a (safe) place for the...
Dear Reader, When I first started imagining this summit, I didn't begin with keynote speakers. I began with circles. I wanted to turn the usual conference model a little upside down — not four days of sitting behind a screen listening to expert after expert, but a living gathering where you can enter the conversation yourself. So throughout the summit there will be live circles — smaller, facilitated spaces built around shared experience. Some are pure experience, like Gaby's drum circle,...