People ask me this in different ways. Will it help my back? Will it help me sleep? I have tried everything for my anxiety, is this different? The honest answer is that it depends on you, and I would rather describe what I see in my practice than promise an outcome.

This page is about who comes to me for Touch & Awareness in Amsterdam, what they tend to notice, and when I would suggest something else. For how I work, read the principles of Touch & Awareness. For how a session unfolds, see the main Touch & Awareness page.

Who comes to me

Most people who book a Touch & Awareness session are not in a crisis. They are functioning, often very well, and something underneath is not right. The patterns I see most often:

• Long-term stress and burnout. Years of running on reserve. The body has forgotten what resting actually feels like, and a holiday does not fix it.
• Tension that does not release. Shoulders, neck, jaw, lower back. Massage helps for a day or two and then it is back. The muscle is not the problem; the holding is.
• Chronic pain without a clear medical cause. You have been checked and nothing was found, yet the pain is real. The body is saying something that has not been heard yet.
• Poor sleep and insomnia. Falling asleep is hard, or you wake at four with a racing mind. The nervous system is not switching off at night because it has not switched off during the day either.
• Anxiety and panic. A tightness in the chest, a stomach that is always on edge, moments when breathing becomes difficult for no obvious reason.
• Emotions you have put away. Grief, anger, fear that were never given room, often from a long time ago. They have not gone anywhere. They live in the body as tension.
• Experiences that are still in the body. Things that happened to you, sometimes early in life, that your body still responds to as if they were happening now.

And then there is a group that does not fit any of these. They simply want to feel their body again. They spend their days in their head, in meetings and screens, and they want an hour where attention goes the other way. That is a perfectly good reason to come.

What people notice

I will not promise you results. I can tell you what clients report, during and after sessions.

During the session, most people notice the breath changing first. It deepens on its own, without trying. Then the muscles I am working with soften under my hand, sometimes with a small movement or a sigh. Some people feel warmth spreading, or a heaviness that is pleasant. Some feel emotion rise and pass. Some feel very little the first time, and that is fine too.

In the days after, the most common reports are sleeping more deeply, being less reactive, and feeling the body more clearly. People tell me they noticed their shoulders were up, and put them down. That sounds small. It is actually the whole point: you cannot release what you cannot feel.

Over several sessions, the changes become more stable. Tension that used to return within days stays softer for longer. Anxious moments are still there but there is more room around them. People describe feeling more grounded, more in their body, more able to say what they need. Emotions that were stuck find a way to move, usually more gently than people feared.

I also need to say this: sometimes the first sessions bring things up. Muscle sensitivity for a day, like after exercise. Tiredness. Old feelings that want attention. This is normal and it settles. It is one reason I suggest keeping some quiet time after a session rather than going straight back to work.

What it is not for

Touch & Awareness is a body-oriented method. It is not psychotherapy, and I am not a psychologist or psychotherapist. I work with the body and with what you notice in it. I do not treat mental health conditions.

If you are in acute psychological distress, if you are having suicidal thoughts, or if you are living with a condition that needs clinical care, it is wise to have that care in place first. My work can sit alongside therapy and several clients come on their therapist’s suggestion, but it is not a replacement for it.

It is also not a medical treatment. If you have pain that has not been investigated, I would rather you saw your doctor first. Once you know what is going on, we can talk about whether this work can support you.

How many sessions

One session will give you a sense of the method and often a noticeable shift. If it resonates, I suggest at least three, around two weeks apart. The first session is mostly about arriving and learning that it is safe. The second and third tend to go deeper.

After five or six sessions, many people describe a change in how they relate to their own body day to day. Patterns of tension or anxiety are easier to notice early and easier to let go of. For others, the gain is simpler: they feel at home in their body in a way they had not for years.

There is no programme to sign up for. We decide together after each session whether and when to meet again.

Not sure if it is for you?

Then ask me. I would rather have an honest conversation before you book than have you come with the wrong expectations. You can contact me or book a session in the centre of Amsterdam. If I think a different approach would serve you better, I will say so.