The Power of the Elements

“Agios Germanós, Greece”

In May, I visited Agios Germanós in Greece with a group of nine therapists.
Hier volgden we het ‘Elements of Prespa’ programma.
The nature reserve – situated in the mountains and surrounded by the vast Lake Prespa – radiated calm, silence, support and wisdom to me. An excellent opportunity to allow the power of the elements earth🌍, water💧, fire🔥, air🌬️ and ether💫 to flow through us.

Simply opening oneself up to the symbolism can open all sorts of doors. So clear and all around us, and yet often deeply hidden for many. As a group, we entered into a state of stillness and, in a conscious yet playful manner, emphasised the beauty of our surroundings. Combined with inner work and sharing our experiences, this allows us to create a collective field over the course of such a week that serves as a foundation.
We sought depth through, amongst other things, connected breathing, haptic touch, tones as a gateway to feeling, various rituals and constellation forms.

Earth 🌍 and Air 🌬️
Each day during this journey focused on a different element. By first discussing its layered meaning and then embodying its power, the element was able to penetrate me.
In the case of earth: it offers a foundation, boundaries and safety.
Air is therefore a beautiful counterpart. It opens up perspective, breathing space and movement.

Both in my work and on a personal level, I notice that the elements are increasingly presenting themselves naturally. Sometimes literally, by working outdoors more or using the floor as a work surface. Sometimes more subtly, as an inner quality in the connection. When we allow these layers to play a part, therapy ceases to be a linear process, but becomes a living whole in which body, consciousness and environment work together.
In this way, elements such as earth and air have, in fact, become organically integrated into my approach.

Water💧
During our time in Prespa, this element was not only visible in the lake and the currents of nature, but for me it was certainly also palpable in the connection between us.
Water forces nothing. It finds its own way.
It flows around obstacles, seeps through cracks that the mind cannot access, and invites us to soften.

Thus, one person is drawn more to one individual than another.
You could say: a natural, self-sustaining process. And at the same time, we bring depth together .
That collective – connecting – element forms a true underlying foundation.
Just as water needs a bed and is surrounded by earth.

Even though everyone has their own issues they face, there is often a common denominator.
It seems universal.
An underlying recognition.
Perhaps this brings us closer and closer to Ether.

Before we move on to the next element, it should be said that my dog Dias – whom I met during this journey – beautifully illustrates how the element of water can work for me in ‘practice’.
Where a frozen attachment was perceptible within me – reaching out to the other and not always being met – Dias is there. He can remain present in that connection. Without pulling, without walking away. That is co-regulation at its very best!
Exactly where water does its work: it thaws, softens and brings movement to what was stuck. For me, this element embodies the essence of healing: not solving something, but allowing something to flow again.

Fire🔥
From that flow, the next element naturally presents itself: fire.
It is often associated with strength, decisiveness and transformation. At the same time, it is also a fragile element. It needs a bed of earth so as not to be extinguished or to cause destruction.
A few months after this journey, this fire within me has been further kindled. Not explosively, but steadily.
An inner fire that provides direction, clarifies what is essential and invites embodiment.

It is the fire that makes ideas want to emerge, words present themselves, and creation take shape. At the same time, this fire calls for patience and attunement. Too much oxygen and it burns out; too little space and it goes out. Here too, the elements reflect this: true strength does not arise through forcing, but by remaining present with what wishes to unfold.

And then there is Ether💫
The most subtle and, at the same time, all-encompassing element. The realisation that there is a layer beyond the personal narrative in which everything is held.
In Prespa, ether was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The photographs taken there, with their images of nature and togetherness, embody that quality.
Not merely as aesthetics, but as a reminder of the magic of life.
In the silence of the mountains. In the light filtering through the trees. In the moments when words became superfluous and there was simply being. Ether is the space in which everything takes place. And at the same time, the spaceless. The field where earth, water, fire and air meet.

The elements in therapeutic practice
During this journey, I have once again experienced how powerful it is to return to natural principles that have always been present. They speak to a different level than cognitive understanding.
They offer symbolism, a space for experience and a sense of recognition without the need for explanation.

Knowledge and embodied experience of the elements:
Broadens the scope.
Deepens connection.
And can bring movement to places where words cannot reach.

A true enrichment ✨