Sitting with Yourself (NL: Zitten met Jezelf)

Msc Clinical Psychologist (University of Amsterdam; Masters Degree), Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (Forta Amsterdam; Basic Degree), Mindfulness Trainer (Mindfulness Acadamy Amsterdam; Basic Degree)

Everyday, Amsterdam timezone

Ranging from 40euro to 100euro per session (depending your financial situation). Is the lowest price still not affordable for you? Then please contact me to discuss the possibility of free sessions.

An old but vividly alive Buddhist monk sang the following mantra during our guided meditations in Malaysia: "accept all things: don't reject, follow, or ignore." In one sentence, he explained what radical acceptance is. Radical acceptance is to stop avoiding negative experiences, stop seeking positive experiences, and stop ignoring all other experiences.

When you try this during meditation, after a while, you may notice something strange happening: your world of experience suddenly becomes extremely clear and conscious, thoughts decrease or disappear, your sense of time and space seems gone, and the experience of yourself and the world merge into a whole. Such an initial experience is often called 'waking up' and these kinds of experiences can completely turn your life upside down. It's as if you were living in a dream until then (in ACT this is called the 'autopilot'), and now you see things as they really are. And that is terribly liberating. Suddenly you understand why it always felt like something was wrong, like something was missing in your life. You realize that this all has to do with perspective: Instead of 'I have to achieve this and that to be good enough,' you realize 'this moment is perfect as it is, I am perfect as I am.' If you decide to practice this, expect that it may change a lot in your life. You will be less and less controlled by the autopilot, making your values clearer than ever. And that can clash with the way you are used to living and/or evoke existential fears. This transformation has happened to me, and it has happened to many others who walked the path of mindfulness. If you decide to practice this without guidance and get stuck in the process: There are plenty of coaches, psychologists and meditators on this website who have gone through a similar process and can help you get through it. So, don't hesitate to seek help.

I understand that all this may sound a bit to good to be real. So if you feel any resistance, I see where you're coming from. I can only emphasize that regardless of whether you choose to work with me or not: go for it! You will be immensely grateful to yourself for embarking on this journey. However you see it, if your curiosity has led you to this site, then the seed has long been planted, and likely, the plant is already growing: The process of 'waking up' is already underway, and your life will naturally unfold. You can trust in that.

I wish you an abundance of love, happiness, and wisdom.

Daniel

Daniël is an incredibly warm, open and welcoming person. He has a lot of knowledge about mindfulness and meditation, but is just as strong in making you feel at ease and welcome. The sessions allow for a mix of discussing difficult things or issues that you are struggling with, on the one hand, but also for immediately working on certain exercises in a practical way. Very nice!!

English, Dutch