About Gijs
In guiding psychedelic sessions, all my experience and knowledge come together.
I have more than thirty years of experience as a trainer and therapist. My basis lies in regular mental health care where I worked as a practitioner in crisis intervention and psychotherapy and in my personal and professional spiritual training and development.
I started meditating when I was 19. Out of interest, but then mainly out of necessity. Because I was struggling with anxiety, panic and depressive symptoms at the time, I was desperately looking for a way out of that misery. Meditation brought me a lot and has remained a common thread in my life ever since. The experience of what it is like to feel completely trapped in fear and gloom has been particularly valuable later. Because I got to know that human experience of struggle and suffering from within early in my life, it helped me to develop a clear intuition and sensitivity to what is going on in someone.
In the years that I worked as a practitioner in mental health care, I was fortunate that I was also able to attend several long meditation retreats. Because meditation brought me so much good, I was looking for a way to combine meditation with therapy within my work. I therefore implemented mindfulness training within mental health care in 2006.
Since 2008 I have only worked from my own practice. In addition to individual psychotherapy and coaching, I have given hundreds of meditation group trainings such as mindfulness training and in-depth training (including compassion training, interpersonal mindfulness, ACT, Open Focus) and meditation retreats and workshops.
In 2010 I met Mooji, a spiritual giant. In contact with Mooji, deep spiritual experiences and insights arose that permanently changed the perspective and inspiration from which I live. It had a decisive impact in my life. He has been my most important teacher ever since and I spend time with him every year. Now I work as a therapist for Triptherapie and as a trainer and therapist for Open focus.
Specialism
I have gained a lot of experience within regular mental health care and have followed a wide range of training courses within that context. But my way of working has slowly but surely changed dramatically and is increasingly intertwined with spirituality. I offer therapy and coaching in which the foundation is a down-to-earth spirituality.
I consider the separation that has always existed between traditional therapy and spirituality to be a tragic mistake. Because it is precisely the spiritual dimension within us that is healing and where we find strength and healing.
In my guidance you can see elements of mindfulness and other meditative approaches, compassion training, ACT, breathwork, hatha yoga and non-dualistic forms of psychotherapy.
Some courses that supported me in this were the mindfulness trainer training and mindfulness-based stress reduction in mind-body medicine with the founders of mindfulness training, Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli, mindfulness & psychotherapy with Ronald D. Siegel, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT (Rino 2008, Gijs Janssen 2012), compassion training MBCL, Interpersonal Mindfulness trainer, Walking Coaching, Breathwork and Open Focus trainer (Dr. Les Fehmi, Princeton USA).
My own experiences with psychedelics
I have made several trips with LSD and magic mushrooms in the past. But that was recreational. That is a completely different experience than a guided and purposeful inner journey. I found my first guided psychedelic journey a revelation. It felt like a big cleaning. An inner journey in which I embraced and welcomed all kinds of parts of myself and in which I was also able to let go of parts with great determination. It was like a lot of puzzle pieces fell into place. It was such an effective and beautiful way of working that I also wanted to use it in my work as a trainer and therapist. I started to gain more experience. With micro-dosing and with normal to very high doses. I immersed myself in the literature and scientific research and took various courses as a trip facilitator and for psychedelic therapy. I now see how all my previous experiences and knowledge with therapy and spirituality have come together.
My approach
Simplicity and effortlessness are the foundation in my guidance. No complex psychological explanations, but a gentle and very direct approach. Whatever your path, be friends with yourself. You don't have to psychologize endlessly. Be kind, loving and forgiving to yourself. Otherwise you will continue to stumble over who you are.
Spirituality requires and offers the strength to face things as they are. Allow this moment to be as it is now. Make peace with this moment. Opening up to what is there and letting go of the fruitless fighting and struggling.
It is precisely here that psychedelics can play an enormously beneficial role. Psychedelics easily open you to your spiritual dimension. It can bring you insights and experiences of deep connection and gratitude and open you up again to the beauty and magic of this moment.
A psychedelic journey is not a frivolous endeavor; When entered into in the right way, it is a profound exploration of yourself. It invites introspection, reflection and asking questions that get to the core of who you are. It is a search for happiness and satisfaction, not in the outside world, but within yourself. It helps you to see what's getting in your way there. And the greater your willingness to take it on, the more fruitful and easier your journey will be. It is an invitation to explore the mysterious depths of your consciousness and discover what is waiting there to be revealed and integrated. So that you experience more connection, space and peace. So that you come home to your Self.
I help with preparation
Once your trip has been planned, we can be in touch (by phone or online) to discuss your expectations and what you hope it will bring you in more detail. Maybe you also find it exciting. That is understandable and very normal.
I will tell you about what to expect, about your guidance and about how to prepare.
Just like when preparing for any adventurous trip, it is a good idea to consider a number of things, such as: why and from what intention do you want to make this trip. What do you hope it brings you? – What do you need during this trip? This also concerns skills that you can train in advance. I will tell you about what to expect, about your guidance and about how to prepare.
I will then send you some reading material and any preparatory exercises. The most important goal is that you get a clear picture of the entire process and the guidance therein and that you have a clear idea of the intention with which you are making the inner journey.
Psychedelic therapy
In addition to the sessions at the customer's location, you can use my practice space on a beautiful estate near 's-Hertogenbosch. That is in a beautiful rural area with forests and fields. Preferably book this in combination with an overnight stay, so that you do not have to travel immediately after the trip. There is sleeping accommodation for 2 people, so if you wish you can invite someone to spend the night together. Please contact me if you are interested.
Contact Gijs
Would you like to connect first before booking a session with Gijs? That's very understandable! You can contact Gijs via one of the options below. For telephone contact, if there is no answer, it is best to send me a message via Whatsapp, Telegram or email.
Book a psychedelic session with Gijs
I am available in an area around 's-Hertogenbosch, a maximum of 1 hour's drive away. This includes cities such as Utrecht, Zaltbommel, Nijmegen, Oss, Uden, Best, Eindhoven, Tilburg and Breda. Please note that I allow a maximum of one hour travel time. Outside rush hour this may be more kilometers than during rush hour. So I like to take that into account when planning. The rate is 50 cents per kilometer. The distance is calculated from and to the zip code 5231EK.
You can of course also book my practice space including overnight stay, a nice space on a beautiful estate near 's-Hertogenbosch. Please contact me if you would like to discuss or get acquainted.