Get the most out of your psychedelic experience
Professional support with the preparation & integration of your Plant Medicine ceremony
My Story
Hello, I am Marijntje (1981) and I see it as my mission in life to make your Plant Medicine journey go smoother than mine. For you to truly reap the fruits of your work with these sacred ‘Teachers’ and lead a happier, more fulfilled life.
My own ‘path of the plants’ started well over 10 years ago when I had my first glass of ‘Daime’. After its first introduction, I kept returning to this mysterious brew from the Amazon many times and slowly but steadily started turning my life upside down.
The years that followed were by no means easy.
I clearly felt that the life I was leading (tied to a stressful international job and caught in an unstable love relationship), was not making me happy and fulfilled. But…where to go from here? I spent years in a grey zone, intuitively knowing what I wanted to leave behind, but not yet seeing clearly where to navigate.
Being introduced to psychoactive plants (Ayahuasca, Psilocybin and San Pedro) has been a true blessing. It has helped me enormously to shed all that was not serving me anymore, to regain self-trust and an honest look in my ‘inner mirror’ while going forward. Saying that I am not the same person I was a decade ago is not an exaggeration (in the slightest), but this process was a lot of hard work and required commitment and perseverance every step of the way.
No Quick Fix
Plant Medicine are not a ‘quick fix’, but I see a lot of people who think they are. That the ceremony itself will automatically solve their issues and that psychedelics are some magic bullet. But the ceremony is only one piece of the puzzle because there are 3 phases you have to go through: 1) Preparation, 2) Experience and 3) Integration.
I am here to help spreading this important message and to offer professional guidance on how to make your ceremony ‘harvest’ much more bountiful.
Because the truth is that the real work starts after the ceremony. In becoming an embodiment of your insights, instead of a collection of experiences that eventually fade into the background. This is where my specialized support comes in, because my objective is to help you in sustaining the transformation and change in your everyday life in a way that lasts.
To maximize the benefits of your work with these powerful and ancient entheogens.
“ If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation. ”
Lao Tzu, 604-531 BC
Life After Ceremony
During my first years on the ‘path of the plants’, I noticed the complete lack of attention for the ‘life after the ceremony’ phase in the Plant Medicine communities that I was becoming part of. The result was being left alone and in the dark about the integration or ‘after the ecstasy the laundry’ part of the experience. The coming back home after a difficult, confusing or impactful hallucinogenic experience that has turned you inside out in every way imaginable.
Via word of mouth, I was informally approached for Spiritual Counselling sessions and organically started supporting ‘fellow travelers’ in their spiritual development. Offering a safe container for questions and worries, being an accountability partner in bringing new plans into the world and sharing my own experiences in working with these sacred Plant Teachers.
Being educated as an Anthropologist, I soon realized that ‘we’ in the West live isolated lives and lack the genuine ‘togetherness’ that defines a traditional community. A safe container where there is attention for your experiences, emotions, existential doubts and worries coming out of an altered state of consciousness. A trusted space where you feel welcomed, validated and seen. Something that is embedded in the original fabric of the many indigenous communities around the world and the traditional wisdom keepers that are working closely together with Plant Medicine like Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, San Pedro, or Peyote (to name a few).
My Transformation
Soon after my first glass of ‘Daime’, I started to regularly participate in various Plant Medicine ceremonies and eventually found my Spiritual home in the Umbandaime lineage from Brazil where I have been a student ever since. These ceremonies accelerated the transformative phase I was in and it has been an enormous adventure (don’t worry,
I promise to write a book about it someday), but I can truly say that it would have been less rocky with the professional preparation and integration support that I am offering today.
After this transformative decade of doing a lot of spiritual and personal development work (‘cleaning out my closet’),
I felt ready to truly start giving back and serve the Plant Medicine community that I became part of by offering my wisdom and expertise. To bridge the missing link that I noticed many were searching for and was stopping them from truly reaping the benefits of being in communion with these wise plants.
Stepping Up
After some years spent at the University of Amsterdam, I had finalized a BA in Cultural Anthropology and an MA in International Relations (Political Science) and had spent the first decade of my professional life in various international job sectors (from development to journalism, diplomacy and law to human rights + health). Next to this, I had become immersed in many different cultures from a young age, by frequently traveling to the different regions of this beautiful planet (from Southeast Asia to West and Central Africa to Central and South America, the Caribbean, Oceania and Europe).
Being born in a family of ‘helpers’ with both parents working in the therapeutic field and from their private practices (my father as a Counsellor and my mother as an Acupuncturist), it felt very natural to pursue a similar path. I had always been deeply interested in the human mind and grew up in a house full of knowledge on spirituality, esotericism and alternative (mental) health.
Eventually, I didn’t find my way to study regular psychotherapy because I felt that, especially after my own direct experiences as a client, other schools of therapy would fit me better. I had been in regular psychotherapy (‘talk therapy’) for some time after experiencing burn-out and the consequences of repressed trauma + grief and started to notice that the elements that were making me truly feel better were connecting with my body (through various forms of yoga, meditation and mindfulness techniques) instead of ‘just talking’ and cognitively trying to make meaning of my life experiences, beliefs or coping strategies.
In short: The body talks to you all the time, but the body whispers while the ‘mind’ shouts.
In a very natural way, I was drawn to Counselling and it turned out to be a perfect fit.
After completing my 2-year training as an allround Counsellor with a focus on grief, stress, and trauma-related issues,
I felt ready to officially open up the doors of Practice Lazet; My private practice that serves as a haven for those in need of trust and support in their life journey.
Bringing it together
The positive impact that working with Plant Medicine can have is enormous, but when I started offering Counselling sessions, I noticed that most of my clients who came back from Plant Medicine ceremonies and retreats also experienced difficulties successfully integrating these experiences into their everyday lives.
There and then, I received the final confirmation to further specialize in Plant Medicine after-care (or: ‘integration’).
Soon after, I enrolled in two Plant Medicine integration training programs (led by specialists in the field Mark Aixalà
and Atira Tan). As ‘icing on the cake’, preceded by two 200-hour yoga teacher trainings (both Vinyasa and Yin yoga), I had already completed a Trauma-Sensitive Yoga teacher course created by Bessel van der Kolk’s Trauma Centre Boston and received a 100-hour training in the Vipassana meditation technique.
This rich body of knowledge about yoga, meditation and breath work has also been embedded in my work as a somatic (‘body focused’) practitioner.
And… the rest is history.
For the past few years, I have been successfully supporting many clients from all over the world. Also embedding the extensive ‘hands-on’ experience of my own plant medicine journey that started over 150 ceremonies ago.
Clients often describe me as ‘open-minded’, ‘knowledgeable’, ‘compassionate’ and ‘cheerful’. As a ‘respectful and well-grounded space holder’ and a ‘good listener who creates an empathetic and welcoming environment where you can feel safe, secure and accepted in all vulnerability’.
Credentials:
* Integration Specialist Training Program, led by Mark Aixalà (ICEERS).
** Somatic Plant Medicine Integration Training Program, led by Atira Tan (Aya Healing Retreats).
*** Trauma Sensitive Yoga Teacher Training, led by Esther van der Sande (Trauma Sensitive Yoga Netherlands)
Contact?
Are you curious about how I can support you?
Or would you like us to touch base?
You are more than welcome to contact me,
Because you don’t have to walk this path alone.
I’ve been there too,
My support is on the way.
“The deep psychological and spiritual dynamics potentially brought to our awareness during ceremony require guidance, both before and after, for their full integration. Even participants who have lovely experiences may not derive the complete benefit without some guidance and help with interpretation.”
Dr. Gabor Maté
Somatic approach
During all my sessions, the main point of focus is on the sensations of the body (or: your ‘inner experiences’). Following the somatic approach, I will offer trauma-sensitive support in decoding what the body is communicating to you (via emotions, physical sensations, thoughts, or messages through mental images or visions). We will do this together and always from a place of safety and with respect for you and your unique process. To make this more concrete, we will take small steps, move slowly and, at all times, we will work together. Always honoring your autonomy and inner wisdom by following only what feels good for you in the present moment.
In sum: You lead the way and I will meet you where you are.
By consciously connecting with the sensations of the body in the present moment and allowing them to shape into emotions, you will be able to make meaning out of your (ceremony and day-to-day) life experiences. Learning to work with your body like this could be a very helpful tool for the rest of your life. It will help you to become more aware of what you need and to better identify your feelings, needs and boundaries. And as a result, feel empowered, confident and safe in your body.
How does a Counsellor work?
The approach of a Counsellor is based on unconditional trust, respect and belief in the client’s inner wisdom, strength to overcome obstacles and ability to find answers. A Counsellor is not a Coach and not a Therapist either, but is positioned more or less in the middle of these schools of thought. I don’t use the ‘pro-active action plan orientated approach’ of a Coach and I am also not focused on the ‘protocols and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy methodologies’ of a general Psychotherapist.
Therefore, please note that formulating a clinical diagnosis or treating mental health conditions is not within my scope of work. If needed, I have a few trusted professionals in my therapeutic network to whom I can refer you instead.
Doing versus talking
Similar to the ‘experiential’ and ‘client-centered’ forms of therapy, Counselling is ‘not just talking, but also doing’, in providing the client with countless opportunities to experience, practice, visualize and ‘re-live’.
In a non-directive and solution-oriented way and always with the choice and agency to let you fully take charge of your life. As a Counsellor, I provide a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental space where there is room for you and the struggles, teachings and victories that make your path in life valuable, sacred and unique.
What happens during a session?
Next to specialized Plant Medicine Support Sessions, I offer a 3-month follow-up Counselling trajectory, further focusing on the specific themes and issues that came up during your Plant Medicine integration process. This personalized route is well-suitable for those who would like to deepen their somatic (‘body focused’) work and receive increased guidance and e-support in between sessions. Themes that I often work with are related to (but not limited to): spiritual development/crisis, grief, stress, trauma and the inner child.
To make this more concrete; it is not uncommon that working with Plant Medicine will bring unconscious or suppressed memories and traumatic experiences to the surface. Near-death experiences, spiritual- and existential questions (or even crises) are also frequently reported after an experience with psychoactive plants (for example: ‘What is my greater purpose?’ or, What happens after we die?’ or ‘Why does human suffering exist’?).
Many clients also knock on my door because (often with the help of their psychedelic journey) they realize being stuck in recurring patterns or unhealthy behaviors and recovered the willingness to learn to connect better to their body and its needs, messages, wishes and limits.
Generally, we will focus on a specific theme or issue per deepening integration trajectory and take a break after this has been sufficiently addressed before we possibly continue our work. Because you might find that, over time, resolving one element might spontaneously bring positive movement into other areas of your life as well.
Next to working Trauma-Informed, I also incorporate tools and techniques from: (Somatic) Experiencing, Hypnotherapy, Curious Inquiry, Gestalt therapy, Somatic Psychology, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, Internal Family System (Inner Child work), Existential therapy, Mindfulness and both Stress & Grief Counselling.
Before booking this Solid Foundation Trajectory (5 sessions plus extras), it is recommended to first schedule a (free) 30-minute Introduction Chat to further meet and chat about how we could start to work together. Also, it will allow me to assess if and how I can support you*.
* Please note: There is always a possibility that I need to refer you in case your specialized needs exceed my field of expertise. If needed, I have a few trusted professionals in my therapeutic network to whom I can refer you instead.