Over Gijs
My name is Gijs Tecklenburg. I have been studying the human mind, meditation and consciousness for almost fifty years. First as part of my own personal quest, and later also as a therapist and trainer.
I have worked for more than twenty years in regular mental health care, including in crisis intervention and outpatient therapy. Since 2006, in addition to individual therapy, I have been giving mindfulness and meditation training. By now, I have supervised almost 200 full eight-week mindfulness training sessions, with over 2,500 participants.
Nowadays, I guide Triptherapie individual psychedelic sessions and groups. In doing so, I combine my therapeutic experience with my years of practice in meditation and my interest in the deeper dimensions of consciousness.
Guiding people through a psychedelic experience is something I find particularly meaningful and valuable.
Everyone carries within themselves the capacity for healing and clarity. Sometimes that simply requires the right container. With professional experience and attentive presence, I help you to encounter that space within yourself once more.
My own search
My interest in meditation began in 1977. I was then a young man who was struggling with anxiety and depression myself.
I had experience with therapy. That helped me to understand myself better. But when I started meditating, I discovered something different. I experienced a peace, space, and joy that I hadn’t known for a long time. That made a deep impression on me.
In the years that followed, I became increasingly involved in meditation and spirituality. I spent many months in meditation retreats, explored various traditions, and met many teachers.
Along the way, my search changed. Initially, I primarily sought ways to feel better and become freer from fear and gloom. But there also grew a desire for something I could hardly describe. A desire to completely come home in silence. Ultimately, I would also call that a desire for God.
In 2011 I met Sri Mooji, who became my most important spiritual teacher. I spent a long time with him. His teachings profoundly influenced my life and my view of consciousness.
What struck me most in this was the invitation to directly explore who or what we really are. Not only our personality, thoughts, emotions, and life history, but also that which is aware of all those experiences.
In my own experience, a deep peace and freedom can arise when the constant identification with our personal story fades away.
What is special is that that peace is not something that you have to achieve. It is already there, but it is easily overlooked.
For me, spirituality is therefore not a matter of believing in certain ideas. It is something that you can explore and experience for yourself. I am fond of simplicity, clarity, and a humble approach, with all the space for wonder and the magic of life.
From psychology and therapy to mindfulness and Open Focus
My professional background is in mental health care. I worked for over twenty years as a therapist, partly also in crisis intervention. During those years I helped people with very diverse psychological and personal problems.
In 2006, I introduced mindfulness training within the psychiatric care sector in Den Bosch. Shortly thereafter, I started my own practice.
In the years that followed, I attended numerous training courses and seminars, including those with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli. I further specialized in mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), compassion training, Interpersonal Mindfulness, breathing exercises, and various body-oriented and meditative approaches.
In early 2011, I traveled to Princeton in the United States to learn about Dr. Les Fehmi’s method of Open Focus from psychologist and neuroscientist. Later, I introduced this approach in the Netherlands.
Open Focus has taken an important place in my work. It is a surprisingly simple way to open up and broaden your attention. As a result, the constant thinking and analysis that used to take center stage can disappear, leaving more space, peace, and clarity.
Over the years, I have come to appreciate more and more how powerful simplicity can be. Not always just another technique, another analysis or another exercise, but sometimes doing less and being more present instead.
What appeals to me in psychedelic therapy
What particularly fascinates me about psychedelics is that they can sometimes give people access to experiences that are difficult to access through talking and analysis within a few hours.
These can sometimes be confronting experiences. Old pain, fear, sadness, or unprocessed memories may surface. But there are often also moments of deep love, connection, silence, or a sense of belonging.
Some of the most beautiful moments I have experienced as a counselor were with people who had been in therapy for years. They had worked incredibly hard on themselves. They examined their past, analyzed their patterns, and tried to improve themselves.
And then, during a psychedelic session, something unexpected sometimes happened.
Suddenly the search stopped. The struggle for a while came to a halt. And sometimes people would start laughing exuberantly at all that hard work they were doing for themselves.
Those are moments that really touch me.
Not because their previous therapy was pointless. On the contrary, that might have been an important preparation. But because at that moment they experienced that they might not have to become someone else first in order to feel at peace.
I recognize something in that from my own spiritual quest.
Sometimes therapy and working on yourself can unintentionally become a way of continuing to search. The idea that you have to solve, process, or achieve something first before you can truly be happy.
And then a fulfilled life always remains somewhere in the future. Always on the go….
Sometimes something happens that suddenly brings someone completely into the present moment. Without anything else needing to happen. That to me is beautiful.
At the same time, I am aware that a special psychedelic experience does not automatically lead to lasting change. Therefore, I find preparation, careful guidance, and above all integration afterwards to be so important.
How I guide you
I think people perceive me as calm, engaged, sober and direct. I enjoy an open and personal atmosphere, without unnecessary formalities.
My years of experience as a therapist help me to remain calm even in situations of difficult emotions, anxiety, or confusion. I am familiar with the different ways in which people can struggle with themselves.
During a psychedelic session, my main goal is to create a safe environment where you can follow your own process.
I don’t have to constantly do or say anything. Sometimes it’s actually important to leave some space, without wanting to intervene or interpret immediately.
At other times, more active support is needed. My therapeutic background helps me to carefully tailor it to the situation.
I have no fixed idea about what someone should experience during a session. Not everyone needs to have a spiritual experience. Sometimes it’s mostly about grief, fear, relationships, or events from the past. Sometimes there’s a lot of joy, wonder, or silence instead.
Basically, everything is allowed.
What I find important is that you feel safe enough to allow yourself to experience difficult experiences and that we look back together at what the experience means for you afterwards.
My life on and off the water
In addition to my work as a therapist and meditation teacher, I lead a rich and adventurous life.
Water plays a big role in this. I have lived most of my life on the water, nowadays on a houseboat in Den Bosch.
I worked in the diving world for many years. I had my own diving school and travel agency and worked as a diving instructor in Egypt and the Maldives.
Over the years, I have also extensively renovated or restored two inland waterway vessels and a sea vessel. One of them was a former ship of the Dutch Navy that I converted into a diving vessel. With this, we operate to diving locations in Zeeland and on the North Sea.
Thanks to all those shipbuilding projects, I have become a skilled welder and an experienced boat builder. I love working with my hands and building or repairing things.
Another great passion of mine is Argentine tango. I have been dancing for thirty years now and regularly participate in tango marathons in various European cities. These are weekends when people from all over the world come together to dance a lot, sometimes until very late at night.
In addition, I enjoy traveling by motorcycle. I take my tent along the back and travel on small roads, through remote areas and regularly off-road. I love being on the road and not knowing exactly what lies behind the next bend.
Whether I’m dancing, riding a motorcycle, sailing a ship, or meditating: I enjoy being fully present in what I am doing. I love freedom, improvisation, and the unexpected.
De Bedding: my own place for psychedelic sessions
My sessions can take place at people's homes or in a suitable accommodation in the Den Bosch region. In addition, I have my own space for training and therapy De Bedding:.
De Bedding is a living space located in a quiet spot on the water in Den Bosch with the opportunity to enjoy a walk in the green surroundings. I have decorated this space for meditation, training and psychedelic sessions.
There is plenty of privacy and tranquility. The space is suitable for individual sessions, duos, and small groups of up to four participants. There is also the option to stay overnight after a session.
The latter is a great advantage. After an intensive experience, you don't have to immediately return to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. You can stay a little longer, rest, and let the experience sink in calmly.
I feel very comfortable on the water myself and I enjoy welcoming people to this special place.
What I hope you take away from a session
Of course, I hope that a session will help you gain more insight into yourself, recognize old patterns, or process difficult experiences.
But perhaps what I hope most of all is that you discover something of the space and freedom that can also be there when you stop trying to change yourself for a moment.
That you can look at yourself more kindly. That you gain more confidence in your own inner wisdom. And that you may experience something of the peace and serenity that are not dependent on whether everything in your life is in order.
I have searched, studied, practiced and meditated a lot in my life. And perhaps one of my most important discoveries was that we don’t always have to go somewhere.
That sometimes, in the midst of ordinary life, we can suddenly experience that we are actually already at home.
Reviews of psychedelic sessions with Gijs
By reading the reviews about Gijs, you can get a better idea of whether Gijs is a good fit as a guide for your psychedelic session. It is also enjoyable to read through these reviews to get an idea of what can be experienced during a psychedelic journey and how Gijs guides it. Use the button below for all reviews about Gijs.
Contact Gijs
Would you like to connect first before booking a session with Gijs? That’s perfectly understandable! You can contact Gijs via one of the following options. For phone contact, it’s best to send a message to me via Whatsapp, Telegram or email if you don’t hear from me.
Book a psychedelic session with Gijs
The sessions can take place at your home or in a rental accommodation in the region of ’s-Hertogenbosch. This includes cities such as Utrecht, Zaltbommel, Nijmegen, Oss, Uden, Best, Eindhoven, Tilburg and Breda. Please note that I will only stay for a maximum of one hour. Outside of rush hour that can be more kilometers than during rush hour. Therefore, I would like to take that into account in my planning. In that case, you will be charged travel costs based on the distance. The distance is calculated from and to the postcode 5231 EK.
However, you can also make use of my own training and therapy space: De Bedding. This is a quiet place with complete privacy that is also equipped for these sessions. Afterwards, it is possible to stay overnight there, allowing the experience to sink in peacefully.
Sessions and ceremonies in De Bedding
At the Bedding location in Den Bosch, you are well connected to the water. This ark is suitable for up to four people. You can book a private session here or participate in the group ceremonies that are organized here. Overnight stays are possible at this waterfront location. (No location fees are currently applicable for individual sessions)
You can read more about the location de Bedding in ‘s-Hertogenbosch or book a session/ceremony using the buttons below.
Frequently asked questions about Gijs
Gijs can facilitate sessions in Dutch (mother tongue), English and German. If you are unable to speak these languages, you might consider bringing an interpreter along for a private session.
The price may vary depending on the chosen options. The base price for the intake, preparation advice, preparation consultation, psychedelic session and integration consultation is 850 euros or 1350 euros for duo sessions. Travel costs will be added for sessions at people's homes. Click here for the on-site pricing calculation. There is no extra charge for the sessions at the De Bedding location and you can stay overnight for free.
Gijs Tecklenburg facilitates psychedelic sessions at the client's premises within a radius of approximately one hour's travel time from ’s-Hertogenbosch. He uses this approach in doing so 50 cents per kilometre travel expenses from and back to postcode 5231EK (Den Bosch).
In concrete terms, this means that he can come to your home or to accommodation you have rented (for example, a hotel, Airbnb or holiday address) in towns and regions that fall within that travel time. Examples of places that may fall within his working area include: ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Breda, Tilburg, Eindhoven, Uden, Oss, Nijmegen, Utrecht, Zaltbommel, Waalwijk, Best, Zutphen, Arnhem, Vught, Rosmalen, Boxtel, Schijndel, Veghel, Helmond, Geldrop, Oisterwijk, Drunen, Heusden, Cuijk and Wijchen.