a pioneer in personal growth experienceS
Founded in 2019, the Essence Institute has been a pioneer in offering personal and spiritual growth experiences in the Netherlands. We support people in their process of transformation and self-realization. Our psychedelic retreats are 100% safe, legal, and sacred with truffles being fully permitted under Dutch law.
Venues such as Venwoude, Athanor, and Samaya host The Essence Institute offering a beautiful natural setting. This offers the perfect environment for a peaceful psychedelic retreat. We use truffles containing psilocybin in combination with traditional methods like breathwork, bodywork, yoga, mindfulness, or meditation to guide you beyond ordinary perception and into expanded awareness.
professional, passionate and dedicated
It goes without saying that your well-being is our top priority. Our unique team of mental health care professionals has crafted a secure and comfortable environment in which you are able to explore your true potential. All of our team members are highly skilled in working with people on a psychological, emotional, physical, and spiritual level. Please have a further look below at our team.
Having experienced our own profound transformation with psychedelics, it's our mission to pass on the wisdom and groundbreaking results of this powerful medicine to those who seek to delve beyond the surface of conventional interventions. At the Essence Institute we offer the gateway to a profound personal discovery.
Lead Facilitators
Each member of our team has valuable wisdom and experiences to share. Most of us have scientific backgrounds in psychology and mental healthcare, as we are interested in the workings of the human mind. However, we know that there is a world to explore that goes beyond our daily consciousness, as we've also spent many years walking a spiritual path.
Willem Fonteijn (1949)
Co-founder, Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Mindfulness Trainer
Sepideh Ravahi (1970)
Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist
facilitators
Marco de Graaff (1978)
(Breathwork) Coach/Trainer
Leslie Stoel (1969)
Healthcare Worker, Breath-Bodywork Coach, Yoga Teacher
Priscilla Knip (1985)
Breath-Bodywork Coach, Yoga Teacher
Guus Janssen (1980)
Healthcare Manager, Physiotherapist, Coach
Karin van Camp (1967)
Coach, Back Office Manager
Roots
Essence Institute consists of a group of professionals with extensive experience in guiding people to heal and to evolve spiritually (growing up and waking up). We honor the boundless clarity and freedom that arise from recognizing our inherent, ever-present awareness. Through safe, expertly guided plant medicine experiences and integrative support, we invite individuals to directly encounter their own true nature, beyond the limits of time and space and free from the need for self-improvement, problem-solving, or conceptual constructs. Our mission is to create a nurturing environment in which participants can gently relax their striving and rest in uncontrived presence, thereby experiencing profound healing, authentic connection, and a naturally awakened way of being.
We’ve spent many years walking a spiritual path, exploring consciousness. We have experienced our own transformation (through the use of psilocybin) and it is our mission to provide a safe space for others to experience this healing power.