MICRO RETREAT

I see 2 main categories:

1: Small daily habits that create long-term, compound benefits through consistent practice.

2: Transformational experiences of insight and healing that give a new perspective on life and which choices to make./

When I started my path of “self-optimisation” I mainly focused on category 1 and started to see wonderful benefits through small simple steps (that’s what my book MindLift was about).

But as I dove deeper into my own psyche and learned more about the available tools for change, I started to have strong and shifting experiences of insight. This field first opened up to me through deep and intense breathwork, and later through psychedelic-assisted therapy, intense bodywork, sound healing sessions, etc.

Honestly, it has brought me a lot!

My mind is more open, I’m more aware of my body, and more in touch with my heart. I’m better at making intuitive life choices and find it easier to bring my plans to fruition with fewer worries about the outcome. Don’t get me wrong I still feel like a total mess sometimes, but it’s like I’m less identified with it.

But how does that work?

Often when I would have one of these “opening”, “transcendent” or “healing” experiences, it would seem so random that I would have that experience at that time…I didn’t understand how these experiences were created.

So over the years, I’ve been on a search for the best way to create these experiences at will.

And guess what? That’s impossible.

Yet I see these experiences happen in my work a lot…

The thing is: you can not decide for someone else whether they have a healing experience like this…but you can facilitate the right circumstances – almost like a gentle invitation – for it to naturally occur…should that be the right thing for that person at that time.

The best tools that I’ve found for this are:

• guided meditation / visualization
• conscious breathwork
• psychedelic therapy
• music and resonance therapy

The issue is that usually – especially with breathwork and psychedelics – the high intensity of the experience can create unwanted effects. For example with high-intensity breathwork, some physiological downsides can make it unsafe. And with psychedelics, a high dose can feel too confronting for some, or be so intense that they can’t process and integrate it into daily life. 

It can be awesome to have an overpowering, mindblowing experience…but if you can’t turn that into a tangible benefit for daily life, then what’s the point?

For me, venturing into Category 2 should inform and enhance our practice in Category 1. 

That’s why I work with something I call minimum effective dose:

Just the right amount of each of the modalities, to create a gentle and safe invitation to have your own experience.

Normally I only facilitate journeys like this in my multi-day retreats. But after many years of optimizing this protocol, I’m ready to do it as a 1-day event. 

Next to my guidance in breath and music, I have an incredible team by my side to make sure you have access to the best guides and space holders.

• My wife Anna Heil who is a highly trained and experienced guide for breath, cacao, and truffle ceremonies. 
• Our dear friend Vicky Etherington who is a trained Psychedelic Integration Coach (and Level 3 Breathcoach)
• My friend and COO Anne Aardening who is a masterful breathcoach, bodyworker, and neuropsychologist.
• A team of Level 3 Breathwork Facilitators who are trained in the art of holding space for the inner process.