Coaching

⛪Independent of religiosity, merely being in a church building has been linked to a host of positive psychological effects, even when we're not attending a service. Foremost among these is probably Awe, an emotion that is steadily gaining scientific interest. Awe, an emotional cousin of Wonder, draws us into the present moment and reduces self-focused thinking. Excessive self-referential thinking is in turn intimately connected to many species of mental suffering. Church buildings, and other places of worship, like mosques and synagogues, have been designed to spark transcendence in it's visitors. Many houses of worship, like the depicted Krijtberg church in Amsterdam, are filled with beautiful intricate & colorful geometric patterns. People who have experience with psychedelics or "watch this if you're high"-videos on YouTube will likely see the parallels with church art. Personally, even though I'm not religious I meditate in churches from time to time and find it can greatly deepen the meditative state. The spaciousness and patterns appear to help facilitate a reset of the mind. Ofcourse, I want to honor that for many people who had difficult experiences with religion, churches dont exactly feel like places that stimulate inner peace and freedom. For those interested (especially the meditators out there) I definitely recommend giving meditating in a house of worship a go!🧘🏻‍♂️ #psychology #transcendence #church #wellbeing #amsterdam #krijtberg #awe #psychologie #therapie #coaching #therapy

🌲Eco-regulation: a way our nervous systems get regulated that doesn't nearly get talked about as much as it deserves. It is a term for the soothing and rejuvenating effect that time spent in nature has on our wellbeing and functioning. Many people report that time in nature makes the things that are bothering them feel much smaller. Unfortunately many of us living in urban areas aren't getting close to the amount of nature time that would allow our minds to flourish. Some commentators even throw the term "Nature Deficit Disorder" around. Nature's positive effects, celebrated by philosophers, artists and mystics since milennia, are also increasingly receiving scientific support . Some studies have found more rapid recovery times in psychotic patients lying in hospital beds facing trees than in patients with the same affliction looking out at a brick wall. Many other studies found improvements in anxiety, depression and attention in people exposed to even fairly modest amounts of nature. Personally I love to visit a park close to my house (picture) with a notepad to recenter and jot down some ideas that the slowing down and greenery helps to inspire. The invitation is to experiment with trying to incorporate more nature time in your week! Speaking anecdotally, even a regular 5 minute walk in a park can help a lot in shedding unnecessary stress and continuing our day well-regulated. Enjoy!🌲♥️ #psychology #naturetherapy #nature #natuur #wellbeing #amsterdam #psychologie #therapie #coaching #therapy