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meet Tessa
Tessa is a somatic therapist and relational mentor. Through relational mentorship, somatic therapy and teaching, she works with women, men and groups to transform pain into beauty, and challenge into empowerment. Tessa's work is informed by formal study, continued learning and daily devotional practice over the last 15 years in the realms of psychology, feminine embodiment, yogic practice, ayurveda and sacred sexuality. She runs her private practice, with one to one therapy and mentoring online and offline in Amsterdam. She offers workshops, retreats and group programs.
"From all angles, Tessa's work is insightful, unveiling, and authentically brings people in relationship to themselves and their bodies"
- in Marie Claire, NL, on the book and her work
Tessa is passionate about embodiment and empowerment to creating resilience and intimacy in our lives, with ourselves, our loved ones and the world around us. Her work lies at the intersection of personal embodied practice through yogic science, ayurvedic wisdom and art of living coupled with philosophical and theoretical frameworks originating from (jungian & depth) psychology, somatics, quantum science, anthropology and accounts of human flourishing. She believes in a choiceful life, a life lived flourishingly, in deep relationship to ourselves, our body, our inherent beauty and attuned to how we perceive and in relationship to both our traumas and triamphs.
Biography
Tessa's formal studies began with her BA in International Studies. With a focus on Asian cultural anthropology, she graduated on cultural bodily veiling from Leiden University, Tessa continued her studies in the field of Organizational Anthropology and graduated from VU University (MSc) on women's diversity studies and the influence of visibility, lookism and bodyism in social settings. She published her insightful and personal ethnographic research on facial difference after graduation. Her academic trajectory gave birth to her project To Face The World, through which she raised awareness on beauty, lookism, and body visibility. Alongside she grew her private practice in somatic psychotherapy and relational mentorship which has her full devotion today.
Tessa' has extensive academic extracurricular course-training in human flourishing, Buddhist rhetoric, comparative accounts of human flourishing, philosophy and (depth and positive) psychology and additionally studied and trained in/as an Ayurvedic nutrition, emotional focussed therapy, Jungian psychology, feminine spiritual/sexual embodiment practice, marma skin therapy, epigenetics, kashmir shavism, vipassana meditation, and has a devoted daily practice since the age of 17.
With her personal journey in living, loving, and with loss, with the limitations of her body and with the relationship to her skin, Tessa has found ground, presence and inner flourishing to live wholeheartedly. She is inspired to live an embodied life.
Since 2019, Tessa has guided individuals from all corners of the globe and has taught groups on embodiment, empowerment, beauty, visibility, belonging, longing, loss and relating deeply to life. She has done so through private mentorship, psychotherapy, keynote speaking, university teaching and heartfelt writing.
Her first book was published in 2022 at Kosmos Uitgevers, NL.
Tessa runs her private practice from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She travels the world for teaching and speaking. She is a lover of ceramics, reading and dance as creative self-expression and can often be found on the shores of Portugal's wild coast.
Qualifications and training
BA International Studies (Hum)
Leiden University
MSc Organizational Anthropology (COM)
VU University, Amsterdam
Mindfulness-based Stress Reducation Certification,
MBSR, Centrum voor Mindfulness, Amsterdam
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ICM Institute
Effortless Coaching Certification
EC Nederland
300 hr yoga training / 15+ years daily practice / several Mysore study trips
Delight Yoga Academy / India, Indonesia
Vipassana Meditation in the tradition of SN. Goenka - 3x 10 days meditation retreat
Sri Lanka 2017, Belgium 2019, Thailand 2025
Ayurvedic Nutrition 200hr trainingDelight Yoga Academy
Wild Wisdom - Women's training in Love, Yogic Intimacy, Sacred Feminine Practice
Nina Lombardo - Way of Devotion
12 Facets of the Feminine + Women"s Study Group
Michaela Boehm
Hakomi Mallorca - Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy
Foundation Year 1
Depth Psychology Training, Hakomi Institute Mallorca.
Somatic Sex & Relationship - Certification 2024-2025
Specialized in Trauma Empowerment, Sex & Ability, Body Image, Relationship Design, Sex & Motherhood.
Women of Depth Psychology
Dr. Estes' Women Who Run With The Wolves Study group & analysis
Wild Women's Circle Training - Michaela Boehm
Certification January 2025
Temple of Radiance, The Initiatress Training, Portugal
team assistance
Path of Love, Broughton Hall, UK
INBODY Method, Ailey Jolie, 14-week program in somatic psychology
Temple
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