I offer support for individuals navigating difficult life transitions.
If you are looking for support as a couple, navigate here.
At times, life shifts in ways that are hard to orient within. You may feel stuck, uncertain, or as though the process of moving forward has slowed or halted. Coaching offers a space to reflect, regain clarity, and take the next step in a way that feels grounded and aligned.
My areas of expertise include:
Acculturation & Integration
Guidance through the process of acculturation and integration after moving countries. Finding your place in a new culture—even years later—can feel disorienting, particularly when those around you haven’t shared that experience. Together, we explore themes such as identity reconstruction, belonging, cultural tension, language fatigue, shifts in values, and the impact on relationships, sense of self, quality of life, and future direction.
Life Transitions
Support through periods of change such as grief, loss, burnout, career shifts, and changes within family or personal life.
Leaving Unhealthy or Harmful Relationships
Support in navigating the process of leaving and recovering from relationships marked by imbalance, control, or emotional harm—at your own pace and with care.
Non-Traditional Relationship Dynamics
Support in navigating open or polyamorous relationships, particularly when societal norms do not reflect your reality and it can be difficult to find understanding or guidance.
If you have questions or would like more specific information, feel free to reach out. Meditation is, at its core, experiential. Its depth cannot be fully explained—only encountered. As is often expressed, what is most essential is not something we arrive at through words, but through direct experience.
Couples Coaching
I offer coaching for couples who want to better understand themselves, each other, and the dynamic they are creating together.
This work can support both moments of difficulty and/or periods of growth—whether you are navigating challenges, feeling stuck, or looking to deepen your connection and evolve as a partnership.
I work with couples of all orientations and relationship structures, including LGBTQ+, open, polyamorous, and kink-aware dynamics.
How we work
We begin with an intake and assessment to understand your relationship, your patterns, and what you are hoping to move toward.
From there, we build a trajectory together.
Sessions are 90 minutes and may include:
guided conversation
practical exercises
communication tools and prompts
emotional awareness and regulation work
skill-building you can apply between sessions
We will work both together and, where helpful, individually.
Each session is different,
and the process is adapted to what you need.
Areas we may work with
Communication and conflict patterns
Emotional expression and regulation
Relationship dynamics and roles
Trust, safety, and boundaries
Intimacy and connection
For some couples, this may also include exploring aspects of intimacy and embodied awareness. These are approached as relational practices—not as performance or technique.
Approach
My approach is active and engaged. I won’t simply sit back and agree with everything that is said. I will ask questions, reflect what I see, and support you in working with what is actually present—especially the parts that are more difficult to face.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before starting.
But it does require a willingness to look honestly, take responsibility, and engage in the process of change.
Practical
Sessions are 90 minutes. There is no additional cost for couples sessions. Sessions are 120€ / 90 min.
Dating can bring up insecurities, uncertainty, recurring patterns, and questions about what you truly want. It’s not just about finding someone—it’s a space where deeper relational patterns, desires, and fears come into view.
This work is about approaching dating with greater clarity, confidence, and self-awareness—so you can relate from a place that feels aligned, rather than reactive, performative, demanding, or driven by urgency.
Together, we may explore themes such as:
working with anxiety, avoidance, or overthinking
building emotional availability and communication
navigating modern dating dynamics
understanding your relational patterns
how you move through intimacy, uncertainty, and desire
Whether you feel unsuccessful in dating, disconnected from mainstream dating culture, caught in repeating patterns, or are exploring alternative relationship structures, this work offers a space to reflect, recalibrate, and move forward with confidence.
A different way of meeting.
Slower.
More intentional.
Less performance, more presence.
These events are designed for people who want to meet beyond the usual scripts— without swiping, without pressure, and without needing to be anything other than themselves.
You don’t need to be outgoing or “good at dating.”
You just need to be willing to show up.
This will be guided but always optional. You won’t be left to figure things out alone— but you also won’t be pushed beyond what feels right.
Primarily for singles—but not only for finding a partner.
You are also welcome simply to experience connection:
to meet others in an open, present, and relational way.
It’s often surprising what becomes available when we allow ourselves to be seen a little more honestly.
What to expect
Each event is structured and guided throughout.
We move through exercises, prompts, and moments of interaction designed to support real connection—without forcing it.
A part of this experience is learning your own boundaries.
You are always free to say no.
Sometimes that no is clear and grounded.
Sometimes it comes from hesitation or fear—and that, too, can be explored gently.
This is part of what we work with, within a safe and supported container.
There are short tea breaks during the event, and space afterward to connect more freely with those you feel drawn to.
A WhatsApp group will be created for those who wish to stay connected, but communication afterwards is left up to you.
The atmosphere
Small groups (maximum ~30 people).
A balanced number of men and women for hetero events is aimed for.
This is a calm and intentional setting.
Do not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol during this event.
If you are visibly intoxicated, you will be asked to leave without a refund.
No cell phones nor photos allowed during the event.
Practical
Events are approximately 3 hours.
Locations: Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Hasselt, Antwerp. Coming soon to Brussels.
See the link, Dates & Tickets, for more details, dates, times, exact locations and tickets.
Photo credits: Sagar @sagavortex.life; https://medicinewithin.nl/, tantraschool.nl and @tycho.photo.
These workshops combine mindfulness, authentic communication, relational awareness, and guided group exercises to support healthier and more connected workplace dynamics.
Participants are invited into a structured space that encourages presence, reflection, emotional awareness, and more grounded communication—without pressure to perform or “get it right.”
Drawing from mindfulness-based practices, meditation instruction, interpersonal group work, and approaches inspired by Radical Honesty, these workshops help individuals and teams better recognize internal states, understand needs and boundaries, communicate more clearly, and listen with greater attention.
In fast-paced work environments, people often operate in a state of ongoing stress and disconnection. These modalities have increasingly been integrated into leadership development, workplace wellbeing, and team-building environments because they support resilience, emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and more sustainable ways of working together.
The emphasis is not on corporate performance culture disguised as wellness, but on creating the conditions for more honest communication, reduced reactivity, stronger collaboration, and workplaces where people can function with greater clarity, humanity, and trust.
Specs
Details, Structure and Format
Group Size
Workshops are designed for groups between 12 and 60 participants.
Smaller groups often allow for deeper interpersonal connection and more sustained interaction between participants, making them especially supportive for bonding within smaller teams. Larger groups create a broader sense of collective experience and familiarity across the wider organization, even when not everyone directly interacts with one another.
Both formats offer different strengths depending on the goals and structure of the organization.
Space Requirements
An open space where participants can move freely is ideal.
Movable chairs are preferred so the room can easily shift between seated exercises, paired work, and group interaction. Depending on the group and workshop format, floor seating may also be incorporated. In these cases, carpeted or softer flooring is recommended for comfort.
A quiet environment with minimal interruptions supports the depth and quality of the experience.
For longer formats, tea and water are encouraged when possible, as they help support a calmer and more grounded atmosphere.
Duration
The recommended workshop length for a more immersive experience is approximately 3 hours, including a 15-minute break.
Shorter formats are also available:
– 90-minute workshops
– 60-minute introductory sessions for smaller groups (typically around 12–20 participants)
Different durations create different kinds of experiences. Shorter sessions can still offer meaningful insight, connection, and practical value, while longer formats generally allow more space for depth, reflection, and sustained group dynamics to emerge.
Format
Workshops combine guided group interaction, communication work, mindfulness practices, relational exercises, and facilitated reflection.
Participation is always invitational. No prior meditation or workshop experience is required.
What’s Included
I provide facilitation, workshop structure, and speaker/audio/microphone equipment as needed.
Customization
Workshops can be adapted to different organizational needs, group sizes, and professional environments.
This may include:
– team-building and communication
– workplace wellbeing
– leadership and relational awareness
– stress and burnout-sensitive environments
– reflective or creative team processes
Pricing
Pricing is available upon request and depends on workshop length, group size, travel requirements, and organizational needs.
My background combines entrepreneurship, psychology, mindfulness, and group facilitation.
Over the years, I have built and managed businesses across multiple countries and worked within
environments that required leadership, adaptability, communication, and resilience under pressure.
These experiences continue to inform the way I approach team dynamics, human behavior, and
interpersonal connection within professional settings.
I am currently completing a double Master’s degree in Clinical and Organisational Psychology,
alongside ongoing training as a meditation instructor through Shambhala International.
My work is grounded in mindfulness, relational awareness, and creating spaces that support clarity,
presence, emotional intelligence, and meaningful human connection.
Alongside academic and professional training, my path has also included extensive cross-cultural
and contemplative experiences. I have spent time studying with indigenous healers in the Amazon,
explored contemplative traditions and plant medicine practices, and traveled extensively—including
sailing across the Atlantic. These experiences have deepened my understanding of change, uncertainty,
identity, and what helps people feel more grounded and connected within themselves.
In my workshops, I do not position myself as someone who provides fixed answers. Instead,
I facilitate experiences that help individuals and teams develop greater self-awareness,
stronger communication, and a more authentic and sustainable way of relating to themselves
and others.
This work is not about “fixing” people. It is about creating the conditions for insight,
growth, resilience, and more grounded ways of working and relating—both personally and professionally.
“...awaken to who you truly are: the fullness of freedom.”
— Adyashanti
What Is Liberation?
“This moving away from comfort and security,
this stepping out into what is unknown, uncharted and shaky—
that’s called liberation.”
— Pema Chödrön, Start Where You Are
We do not become free by escaping what we carry, but by learning to meet it. To feel without fleeing, to see without turning away, to let move what has been held.
We become lighter not by becoming less, but by becoming more fully ourselves. And this is the way in which we liberate, or become more free.
Over five days, we create the time and space to step outside the usual momentum of life and look more closely at what is actually happening — to stop, to observe, to share, to listen and to practice.
Unfortunately (full disclosure), awareness has side effects. You may notice things you can no longer un-notice.
◇
“The idea of freedom, liberation, is not based on happiness,
the pursuit of happiness at all.”
— Chögyam Trungpa
Happiness is one of the basic human emotions. By chasing it, we constantly go for the ride. Up. And inevitably back down. Which is inconvenient, because most of us had rather hoped personal development would eventually result in feeling good all the time.
When we learn to make room for what we are, what life is, and the full range of our human emotions, we begin to step out of the yo-yo. Just maybe not in the ways we might expect.
We carry more than we realize: histories, habits, defenses, longings, fears, identities, old strategies and ways of relating that once made sense — and sometimes still do. Some are obvious. Others have become so familiar that we barely notice them anymore.
Liberation is not about getting rid of all of this. It is about developing enough awareness, capacity and freedom that these patterns no longer have to make every decision for us.
Through contemplative practice, embodied work, emotional exploration, relationship, communication, movement, stillness and time in community, we begin to notice where we contract, where we disappear, where we hold on, where we perform, where we protect ourselves — and where something in us might be ready to move.
The aim is not to become permanently calm, endlessly positive, or some perfected version of yourself. It is to become more available to your own life: with greater awareness of what is happening, more choice in how you respond, more trust in your own inner guidance, and a little more freedom to move toward what matters.
To know yourself.
To trust yourself.
To express yourself.
To become more fully yourself.
To be more alive.
That is liberation.
NETHERLANDS◇28 FEBRUARY 5 MARCH 2027◇16 PARTICIPANTS
To retreat is to step away from the noise and demands of ordinary life so that we can turn our attention inward.
This is not a self-improvement program, nor is it a wellness holiday built around yoga classes and relaxation. There is a hot tub, but we make no promises that enlightenment will occur in it. There will be time for nature, rest and quiet, but they create the space for the deeper processing and the purpose of the retreat: to understand yourself more fully and explore how you move through your inner and outer world.
We will work. There will be teachings, workshops, guided practices, journaling and reflection, group discussions and experiential exercises. We will explore the inner world through emotion, psychology, relationships, the body and contemplative practice, alongside spiritual teachings informed primarily by Buddhist and Hindu traditions.
Some of the work will be intellectual. Some emotional. Some embodied. Some relational. Some contemplative. At times it may be challenging, at others playful, beautiful, emotional, quiet or deeply restorative. Occasionally you may discover that certain things you were absolutely certain were someone else’s problem are, conveniently, also yours.
The intention is not to tell you who you should become. It is to create the time, space, guidance and practices for you to look more deeply at who you already are—what you carry, what you avoid, what guides you, what limits you, and what might become possible when you begin to meet more of yourself directly.
This is a time to retreat from the outer world, in order to later return to it knowing yourself more deeply, and perhaps having changed.
The Work
What We Explore
Through a carefully designed progression of mindfulness, dharma talks, embodiment, emotional and relational practices and individual (body) work, we move through different dimensions of the human experience. Here is an overview of the aspects we will touch on:
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
— Rumi
How We Work
This is an experiential retreat.
Rather than only talking about change, we explore through direct experience.
“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.”
— Pema Chödrön
Our methods may include:
Meditation & Tai Chi
Mindfulness practices
Embodiment
Movement and breathwork
Partner exercises
Small-group exercises
Communication practices
Emotional expression
Life-force practices
Dance
Nature
Fire ceremony
Ritual
Reflection & journaling
Optional individual coaching for integration and follow-up (additional cost)
Optional massage and craniosacral bodywork (additional cost)
Specialist consultations with an Akashic Records Oracle
Rest
Community
References and referrals
Continued practices for at home
Podcasts and other recommended guidance materials for at home
Meditation will not make your problems disappear. It may, however, make some of your more creative bullshit considerably harder to believe. The upside is that it may also make creative helplessness less effective as well.
Every practice is invitational.
Participants are encouraged to work at their own pace and to remain connected to their own boundaries, needs and aspirations throughout the retreat.
You may modify, pause or decline a practice without needing to explain your choice.
Touch and no-touch alternatives are provided where appropriate.
Before, During & After
The residential retreat is the heart of the experience.
The retreat stands on its own as a five-day residential experience. Optional support is available before and after for those who have the time, desire or need to work a little more deeply.
BEFORE
Optional preparatory work is available if you would like to begin the process ahead of time. It is not mandatory or a condition of attending the retreat. (There will be no spiritual homework police.)
Intention setting
Suggested reflection and preparatory practices
Space to identify themes or questions you would like to bring with you
RETREAT
Five days together at InnEssence Retreat Center, with accommodation, meals, workshops, contemplative practice, movement, rest and community.
Five-day residential experience
Group workshops and specialist offerings
Meditation and Tai Chi
Embodiment, movement and relational practices
Breath and life-force practices
Ritual, ceremony, dance and nature
Akashic Records reading included
Optional massage or craniosacral bodywork at additional cost
Rest, journaling, down-time and hot tub time
AFTER
After the retreat, a group integration call and the private participant WhatsApp community help the group stay connected as the experience settles into everyday life.
Post-retreat group integration call
Private online community (WhatsApp)
Optional individual coaching or follow-up support at additional cost
Retreat participants may receive a discount from normal published rates, depending on the private session or treatment chosen
The Rhythm of a Day
(for the residential period)
Individual Sessions
Your Individual Experience
Alongside the group journey, there is time for you.
Individual support is available from members of the facilitation team. Some offerings are included and others may be booked separately at additional cost.
These sessions provide different ways of exploring and integrating the questions you personally bring to the retreat.
MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Individual guidance from a Tibetan Tantric Buddhist meditation practitioner with over 25 years of study under teachers in the Karma Kagyu line.
Support is adapted for both beginning and experienced meditators and may include working with the mind, identity, distraction, difficult emotions, uncertainty, grounding and developing a sustainable personal practice.
COACHING & INTEGRATION
Individual mindfulness-based coaching around your retreat intention(s), potential current life transitions and opportunities for emotional growth.
After the retreat, private coaching or integration sessions can be booked individually at additional cost if you would like more follow-up, continued work or support through integration. Retreat participants may receive a discount from normal published rates depending on the type of private session or support chosen.
BODYWORK & RESTORATIVE SUPPORT
Professional massage and craniosacral bodywork are available to book at additional cost if you would like a massage, restorative support or extra support in moving blockages.
These sessions are optional and are not included in the retreat price.
AKASHIC RECORDS CONSULTATION
An included reflective consultation exploring personal themes, direction and larger life questions from a spiritual perspective.
Participants are invited to interpret this guidance within their own worldview and belief system.
Integration
“Enlightenment is a destructive process.
It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier.
Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth.”
— Adyashanti
The residential retreat ends after five days, but what opens there may continue to unfold after you return home. Sometimes beautifully. Sometimes as an uncomfortable realization on an idle Tuesday at the office three weeks later. Both count.
A post-retreat group integration call will be arranged, and the private participant WhatsApp community offers a way to stay connected with the group.
If you would like more individual follow-up, continued work or support through integration, private coaching and other one-to-one sessions can be booked separately at additional cost. Retreat participants may receive a discount from normal published rates depending on the session or treatment chosen.
Integration is not an afterthought. It is where insight begins to become practice—and where the retreat begins to enter the life you actually live. Which, regrettably, will still contain to-do lists, traffic and other people. And these are exactly the entry points for integrating what we practice.
Who Is This Retreat For?
You may feel at home here if...
You understand yourself intellectually but want to experience yourself more directly through the body.
You have emotions that seem to be stuck and want to work towards moving through them.
You don’t know why relationships don’t really go the way you want them to in your life.
You want deeper relationships without abandoning yourself within them.
You want greater access to emotion, confidence, pleasure, expression or vitality.
You notice yourself controlling, suppressing, performing or overthinking.
You have already done personal-development work but want to move beyond understanding yourself conceptually. You can explain your attachment style beautifully and would now like to work with what happens when someone actually annoys, triggers or challenges you.
You have a meditation or contemplative practice and want to explore its relationship with emotion, embodiment and everyday life.
You are curious about the parts of yourself that may have become hidden, controlled or suppressed by what is socially acceptable in your circle; you function well in everyday life but feel that something in you has become quiet or lost.
You want serious personal work without approaching yourself as a problem that needs to be fixed.
“The bad news is you’re falling through the air,
nothing to hang on to, no parachute.
The good news is there’s no ground.”
— Chögyam Trungpa
Investment
Taking time away from ordinary life to turn toward yourself is an investment — not only in how you feel during these days, but in how you meet the life you return to.
The way we relate to ourselves shapes the way we relate to our partners, our children, our work, our communities, and the world around us. The work we do within ourselves does not end with us.
“Hence, we should devote our most serious efforts to bringing about mental peace.”
— The Dalai Lama
THE EXPERIENCE
Your investment includes the five-day residential Liberation Retreat at InnEssence: accommodation, nourishing meals, group practices and workshops, meditation and Tai Chi, embodiment and movement work, relational and emotional practices, ritual and ceremony, an Akashic Records reading, rest, nature and community.
Optional preparatory work is available before the retreat for those who would like to begin the process ahead of time. Afterward, a group integration call and the private participant WhatsApp community are included.
Massage, craniosacral bodywork and individual coaching or follow-up sessions can be booked separately at additional cost. Retreat participants may receive a discount from normal published rates depending on the private session or treatment chosen.
RETREAT PRICE
The price includes the residential retreat, accommodation and meals, all group retreat work, the included Akashic Records reading, optional preparatory materials, the post-retreat group integration call and access to the private participant WhatsApp community.
Liberation Retreat
€2,222
Payment plans are available.
The Complete Liberation Retreat Series
The full turning of the wheel
The Liberation Retreat unfolds through four seasonal passages, each offering its own entry point into the work.
InnEssence Retreat Center
Stokershorst 1 | 6034 RG Nederweert-Eind, Netherlands
Nestled between the UNESCO Biosphere Region KempenBroek and National Park De Groote Peel in the Netherlands' southernmost province, Limburg, this non-profit retreat center, InnEssence, sits on its own 4 hectares (10 acres). Complete with 7 km of walking trails on the property, and adjacent to over 15 km of trails on public land, it's the perfect spot for a getaway.
This land is host to a living community and is in the beginning stages of growing more and more of its own organic herbs, vegetables and fruit.
The heritage site includes buildings over 150 years old with a rich history, including its own stone chapel.
Your accommodation includes:
Private bedrooms including linens
Private en-suite bathroom
Three organic meals each full day
Daily tea and coffee breaks
Large communal dining and living spaces
110 m² floor-heated ceremony space
Free on-site parking
Airport, bus or train station transfer (up to 1.5 hr drive from the property)
Low guest-to-staff ratio
Meet the Team
Katie “Hoku” Kirkland
Lead Facilitator & Retreat Architect
My background combines entrepreneurship, psychology, mindfulness, and group facilitation. Over the years, I have built and managed businesses across multiple countries and worked within environments that required leadership, adaptability, communication, and resilience under pressure. These experiences continue to inform the way I approach team dynamics, human behavior, and interpersonal connection within professional settings.
My work is grounded in mindfulness, relational awareness, and creating spaces that support clarity, presence, emotional intelligence, and meaningful human connection.
Alongside academic and professional training, my path has also included extensive cross-cultural and contemplative experiences. I have spent years studying with indigenous healers in the Andes and Amazon, practiced contemplative traditions, done plant medicine work, and traveled extensively—including sailing across the Atlantic. These experiences have deepened my understanding of change, uncertainty, identity, and what helps people feel more grounded and connected within themselves.
In my workshops, I do not position myself as someone who provides fixed answers. Instead, I facilitate experiences that help individuals develop greater self-awareness, stronger communication, and a more authentic and sustainable way of relating to themselves, and others.
This work is not about “fixing” people. It is about creating the conditions for insight, growth, resilience, and more grounded ways of working and relating—both personally and professionally.
Devin Francis Rivard
Tibetan Tantric BuddhistProfessional MasseurTai Chi Master
Devin received his BA from Naropa University, the Buddhist university in Boulder, Colorado, in 2007, with a double major in Religion and Traditional Eastern Arts. While at Naropa, he met Bataan Faigao, with whom he studied Yang-style T’ai Chi for seven years; as well as Reginald A. Ray, a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in the Kagyu-Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, whom he also studied under for a decade.
Devin took refuge and bodhisattva vows with Reggie Ray and participated in several dathüns (month-long meditation retreats). He also studied and attended numerous retreats with teacher David LaChapelle until LaChapelle’s passing in 2010.
Over the years, Devin has taught meditation, facilitated men’s groups, studied Nonviolent Communication, and become a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner. His work brings together contemplative practice, embodied awareness, communication, and movement.
Devin currently lives in Central California, where he continues his Buddhist study and practice under Khenpo Karten Rinpoche of the Kagyu lineage. He offers massage and craniosacral work and teaches T’ai Chi and meditation in Big Sur, California.
Stel Ursa, aka “Ursa Major”
Akashic Records Oracle
Stela offers Akashic Records readings informally to those who seek her out. Through vivid visions and impressions, she sees through a window into stories, connections, and truths that seem to exist beyond the boundaries of ordinary knowing.
Originally from Moldova, where she studied law, she now lives in Belgium with her husband and three sons.
Samuel Engelen
Facilitator of Connection & Attraction
Samuel is a facilitator of connection and attraction, exploring the often-unspoken dynamics of how we approach one another, recognize interest, create chemistry, and allow connection to unfold.
His approach is practical, playful, and grounded in respect. Rather than offering formulas for attraction, he invites people to become more comfortable with desire, uncertainty, vulnerability, and the courage to express interest when something is genuinely there.
His interest in this comes from years of relationships, reading, reflection, and an ongoing fascination with what happens between people when we stop performing and start paying attention.
Originally from Belgium, Samuel is a designer, web developer, musician, and father of one son. He has an enduring tendency to become fascinated by things that are difficult to explain neatly, which has proved both useful and occasionally inconvenient.
Nav Wic
Director & Board Member of InnEssence Land Steward Space Holder & Retreat Guide
Safety
Deep work deserves careful holding.
The Liberation Retreat is designed to invite honest contact with ourselves — including emotions, memories and patterns that we may ordinarily avoid. At times, this work can be challenging. We believe depth should never come at the expense of care, choice or personal boundaries.
Participation is always invitational. You will never be required to share something you do not wish to share, disclose personal experiences to the group, participate in physical contact, or push yourself beyond what feels appropriate for you. You remain in choice throughout the retreat.
We work slowly and with attention to individual capacity. Practices are offered with alternatives, and participants are encouraged to notice their own limits rather than override them.
Confidentiality, consent and respect for personal boundaries are fundamental agreements within the group. There is also space for individual check-ins when something needs additional attention.
This is a personal-development and contemplative retreat. It is not psychotherapy, medical treatment or crisis care, and it is not intended to replace professional mental-health support when that is needed.
The aim is NOT to break through your defenses, force catharsis or push you toward a particular experience.
The work is to become more able to meet what is already here — with awareness, honesty, compassion and greater freedom of choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need meditation experience?
Not at all. No previous meditation, mindfulness, or retreat experience is necessary. Everything we do will be introduced and guided, and you are welcome to participate at your own pace.
Is this therapy?
No. The Liberation Retreat is not psychotherapy, and we are not providing psychological or medical treatment. Our facilitators bring experience in mindfulness, coaching, contemplative practice, emotional exploration, and personal development, but the retreat is designed as an educational and experiential journey rather than a clinical intervention.
It can be deeply personal and transformative, but it is not a substitute for therapy, psychiatric care, or other professional healthcare when those are needed.
Can I come alone?
Absolutely. In fact, we expect many participants to come alone.
The retreat is intentionally designed to create a warm, welcoming environment where you can arrive without knowing anyone. There will be plenty of opportunities for connection, shared experiences, and meaningful conversation—as well as space to be by yourself whenever you need it.
How intense is the retreat?
That depends considerably on you.
We create opportunities to explore your emotional world, patterns, relationships, beliefs, and the questions you are bringing into your life. How deeply you engage with that process is your choice.
For some people, the retreat may feel gentle and reflective. For others, it may open significant emotional material. You are never expected to disclose something you do not want to share, and you may step back from an exercise whenever you need to.
Our intention is not to push you toward catharsis or intensity. It is to create the conditions in which you can meet yourself with greater honesty, awareness, and freedom.
How much free time will I have?
This is a full retreat program, but we deliberately leave room to breathe.
There are generally 15–30 minute breaks between workshops, and on most days there is also a two-hour period with nothing scheduled. You can use this time to rest, journal, walk in the forest, garden, sit by the fire, spend time with others, or simply do nothing.
Participation in individual offerings is also voluntary. If your body or mind is telling you that what you need is rest rather than another workshop, we want you to listen to that.
Are there medical or psychological contraindications?
There can be.
This retreat includes meditation, emotional and relational exploration, movement, and breath-based practices. While most activities are gentle, some practices can be psychologically or physiologically activating.
For that reason, we ask you to tell us when you book about significant physical or mental health conditions, recent psychological crises or hospitalisation, pregnancy, relevant medications, or anything else you think we should know.
Certain circumstances may mean that a particular exercise should be modified or skipped; in some situations, we may recommend that the retreat itself is not appropriate at this time.
Please do not exclude yourself simply because you have a diagnosis or health condition. Tell us about it when you book and we can discuss it together. When appropriate, we may ask you to consult your doctor or treating mental-health professional before participating.
What are the contraindications for breathwork?
The retreat may include breath practices ranging from gentle conscious breathing to more activating techniques.
More intensive breathwork may not be appropriate for people with certain cardiovascular or respiratory conditions, uncontrolled high blood pressure, a history of seizures or epilepsy, some neurological conditions, glaucoma or retinal problems, recent major surgery, pregnancy, or certain serious psychiatric conditions.
If any of these apply to you—or if you are unsure—please tell us before participating. This does not automatically mean you cannot attend the retreat. It may simply mean that we adapt the practice or that you sit out a particular exercise.
Your safety always takes priority over completing an exercise.
How physically demanding is the retreat?
Not very.
Movement practices are gentle and may include Tai Chi, mindful movement, and walks in nature. You do not need to be particularly fit to participate.
As is traditional in many retreat settings, we often gather in a circle and some participants choose to sit on cushions on the floor. You are never required to sit on the floor. Chairs are always available, and it is very common for a group to be divided between people sitting on the floor and people sitting in chairs. We want you to be comfortable enough to actually be present for the practice.
If you have mobility limitations, injuries, chronic pain, or anything else that might affect your participation, please mention this when you book so that we can discuss any accommodations you may need.
Can dietary requirements be accommodated?
All meals during the retreat will be organic and vegetarian, in keeping with the philosophy and policy of the retreat centre.
And don't worry: vegetarian does not mean you will be living on salad for five days. The meals are designed to be nourishing and substantial, with plenty of protein, and you will not be left hungry.
We will also do our best to accommodate additional dietary needs. Please include all dietary requirements, allergies, and intolerances when you book. We will confirm with our caterer what can be accommodated before the retreat.
What should I bring?
Bring comfortable clothing for indoor practices and layers suitable for the season. You will also want rain gear and good walking shoes for nature walks—including possible evening walks—as well as a bathing suit for the hot tub, a journal or notebook, pens or pencils, and a reusable water bottle.
And one thing we ask you not to bring into the retreat:
Work.
Please arrange your responsibilities so that you can genuinely step away. Remote work, business calls, Zoom meetings, and “just checking in with the office” are not part of the retreat. Creating some distance from ordinary demands is part of what makes this experience possible. Your inbox has survived without you before. We believe in it.
How do I get there?
The Liberation Retreat takes place at InnEssence Stokershorst, Stokershorst 1, 6034 RG Nederweert-Eind, the Netherlands, a former monastery surrounded by nature in Limburg.
If you are travelling by car, parking is available at the property. Please let us know when you book if you would be willing to offer a ride share to other participants attending the retreat.
If you are travelling by public transport, Weert and Roermond are the nearest railway stations. We will coordinate arrival times with the group and provide designated van transfers for the final part of the journey.
If you are flying from elsewhere in Europe, Eindhoven Airport is the closest airport and is approximately 30 minutes from the retreat centre by car.
For those travelling intercontinentally, you will most likely arrive through Amsterdam, Brussels, or Düsseldorf. From Amsterdam, you can travel by train to Eindhoven, where we can arrange a group transfer. From Brussels, you can travel by train either to Eindhoven, NL, or to Hamont-Achel, BE (at the end of the Belgian rail line), where a transfer can be arranged. From Düsseldorf, we will coordinate group transport depending on participant arrival times.
We don't expect you to figure out the last leg alone. Once the group is confirmed, we will coordinate arrival times and transfers so that participants can travel together wherever possible.
Exact transfer locations and times will be provided well before arrival.
What is the cancellation policy?
We understand that plans and circumstances can change. At the same time, this is a small retreat with limited places, and we make substantial commitments in advance based on confirmed participants.
More than 60 days before the residential portion of the retreat: 100% refund.
30–60 days before the residential portion of the retreat: 50% refund.
Less than 30 days before the start of the retreat: No refunds can be issued.
By this point, catering and other retreat costs have already been secured, and we may no longer be able to fill your place.
If we need to cancel the retreat ourselves, participants will receive a full refund of all retreat fees paid.
Book the Retreat
If something in these pages has spoken to you, we invite you to take the next step.
The Liberation Retreat is intentionally small, with a maximum of 16 participants.
HOW TO BOOK
Send us an email and tell us which Liberation Retreat you would like to book.
You don't need to write anything formal. Please include:
Your name and where you're coming from
Which retreat are you registering for?
A little about what is bringing you to the retreat at this point in your life
What you hope to explore, understand or change
Whether you have any questions or concerns about participating
Any dietary restrictions, allergies or intolerances, so we can check with the caterer
Your experience with meditation. All levels are welcome; this simply helps us tailor the teachings to the group.
We'll reply personally with registration and payment information and answer any questions you may have. Your place is confirmed upon payment of the required deposit.
Before the retreat, optional preparatory work will be available if you would like to begin reflecting and working with your intentions ahead of time. This is entirely optional.
After the residential retreat, we will arrange the group integration call and keep the private participant WhatsApp community open. If you would like additional individual coaching, bodywork or other follow-up support, these can be booked separately at additional cost.
A different way of meeting.
Small groups (maximum ~30 people).
Events are approximately 3 hours. 
