Retreat Program November 4th – 8th 2024
A comprehensive journey to increased well-being and health

Our 5-day intensive retreat program is open to those who want to enhance their inner growth, health and well-being and personal leadership through working with the mind-body connection. Blending therapy based on the healing power of nature with concepts, tools and techniques derived from cognitive-behavioral psychology, the program is restorative and comprehensive and offers the opportunity to align yourself with your nature, to re-align one’s life to one’s passions. The purpose of this work is to create a healthy state of mind in order to better deal with life challenges.
This program takes place in Netherlands. Wherever we are, we create a home for our week and will be in proximity to nature.
Hippocrates, father of Western medicine, pointed to the value of understanding the connectedness between the healing power of the nature residing within us and the healing power of the nature surrounding us.
May the beauty of surrounding nature during the week enable you to find, restore and develop your personal inner connection with nature.

Our staff has a rich and varied background.
Barbara de Beukelaar and Annelies Hupkes present and work with you on the content of the program. Rogier Sluyter facilitates your experience by acting as chef de cuisine. We enjoy delivering retreats together for many years now, either tailorized business programs or open subscription like this one. Participants seem to experience us as we do ourselves: different, equally important and powerful in contributing to your overall experience. We may have guest facilitators and/or trainees.

We are indebted to many teachers and mentors who have impacted our professional lives and guided us on our personal journeys. Our program is particularly inspired by the pioneering work of Dr O. Carl Simonton, one of Barbara’s teachers, who lead the way in mind-body medicine from 1971 until his death in 2009.
After having participated in a retreat program in 1999, Barbara studied the work, returned to the Simonton Cancer Center for training and later worked in its staff.
In its comprehensive approach our program integrates cognitive, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of our being; we address our wholeness as human beings. All that we teach is based on ancient knowledge and current medical and psychological scientific research. The focus is on learning self-help tools that decrease stress and emotional or physical pain and that increase happiness.
The program is a 5-day residential program and includes lectures, assignments, meditations, structured and unstructured experiences, exercises in working groups, and one-to-one meetings as desired.
Participants are offered ways to impact their own wellbeing and health. One learns how to think healthier and feel better. Studies have shown that beliefs, attitudes and emotions can impact our health and the course of a disease. Healing does not always mean the body gets well or recurrence can be prevented. The program includes learning how to deal with the unknown, and how to create peace of mind around death and dying in order to live one’s life to the fullest today.
Concepts addressed are: emotional competence and thought transformation – responsibility – change and resolving old issues – dealing with stressors – spiritual beliefs – living with hope and trust – inner wisdom/guidance – non attachment – and more. One learns how to think healthier, feel better and connect with surrounding and inner nature.
We empower and challenge ourselves through connecting deeply with our own nature and the nature that surrounds us.
All that is offered is aimed at strengthening the underpinnings of effective personal growth and leadership through self reflective learning, which deepens the connection with our authentic self. It is through more deeply connecting with our own nature that we can meet our fullest potential as leaders in our own lives and move to increased health and well-being.

Although this program is open to everyone and focused on how to increase personal growth, we especially welcome those who are facing or who have healed from an illness. If one is currently dealing with an illness please know that the program supports people in whatever medical treatments they are already following, while offering an additional mind-body approach for mobilizing their own healing energy.
If you are dealing with or have healed from an illness we do advise you even more strongly than others to bring a support person to the program.

Training Program
Since its foundation in 2012 Hekademos offers training to educate therapists, social workers, nurses, physicians, psychologists, coaches and volunteers. By offering training we hope to serve the community in two ways.
First of all we wish to support professionals in their personal as well as professional life so they can take care of their own well-being and enjoy increased quality of life. Secondly we offer professionals training and support in dealing with their patients/clients in a holistic and comprehensive way – with hope, camaraderie and compassion.
Participation in only one 5-day retreat session generates immense knowledge, insight and immediately applicable skills. Further training helps one in guiding clients or patients through emotional distress and in becoming well equipped in a comprehensive approach, one that speaks to emotional, cognitive, behavorial, social and spiritual aspects of our being. Feel free to contact us.

Schedule & Location
We will welcome you at the venue on Monday between 14.00 and 15.00. There will be an intake, time to settle into your room, dinner and an introductory evening program.
Tuesday through Thursday, the morning program is from 9.00 until 12.00 and the afternoon program from 14.30 till 17.30.
The teaching staff is available at any time during the day, ensuring that each participant receives personal attention.
There may be evening programs.
We close on Friday morning.
Since the retreat program requires full attention 24/5, we strongly advise you to liberate yourself from other commitments.
Outside the planned sessions there will be assignments, one-on-one meetings and time to digest.

This week we will work at ‘Kasteel van Oijen’, close to the river Maas. Only the foundation is left of the medieval castle itself. The outbuildings have been turned into a comfortable venue that has proven to be an ideal location for our work.
Rooms are comfortable with private, ensuite bathrooms.
We provide all meals as well as in between teas/coffees/snacks. For the sake of the purpose of our program, alcohol will not be served on the premises.
If you have any dietary requests, please send them to us together with your registration form.
If you’re flying into Amsterdam we will gladly be of help in arranging your onward journey to the venue.

Language
The working language will be English if participants have mixed nationalities, otherwise Dutch. We will make sure each and everyone gets utmost out of the program and will translate to Dutch as needed. The program book and hand-outs will be in English.

Cost & Registration
Cost of the program is € 1.950,– per participant who attends for the first time.
Company price, for those who participate through their employers, is € 3.450,–.
If one is returning with us, cost is € 1.550,– and company price is € 2.950,–.
Especially if you are dealing with or have healed from an illness we advise you to bring a support person to the program. The cost for the support person is € 975,– if you share a room and if you’re a returning participant € 775,–.
Included in the price are lodging, three meals a day, selected drinks and snacks.
At the time of registration, please pay half of your cost and complete your payment at least 2 weeks prior to start of the program.
After registration we will send you some forms to fill in and return to us in order for us to prepare for the week.

Please email, call or whatsapp us if you’re curious to hear more:
Barbara: barbara@hekademos.org | + 31 (0) 65477 38 95
Annelies: a.hupkes@intuitievetrainingen.nl | + 31 (0) 622 434 568
Rogier: rogier.sluyter1@gmail.com | + 31 (0) 653 64 6212