The Programme

14 Days That Will Change Everything

A private, structured residential programme in Chiang Mai, Thailand, designed to create the optimal conditions for healing - balancing therapeutic work with physical restoration, contemplative practice, and genuine rest in a tropical sanctuary.

The Programme

A Day
Designed to Heal

Every day of your stay is structured to create optimal conditions for healing - balancing therapeutic work with physical restoration, contemplative practice, and genuine rest in a tropical sanctuary.

A client in a private therapy session

Daily One-on-One Therapy

Individual sessions with your lead therapist using EMDR, CBT, and NLP, tailored precisely to your presentation and adjusted daily as you progress.

A man exercising outdoors in a green park

Physical Restoration

Daily hatha yoga, martial arts, personal training, and guided nature walks to regulate the nervous system and rebuild physical vitality and energy.

A woman in a quiet moment of mindfulness outdoors

Meditation & Mindfulness

Guided daily meditation practice supported by Dirk’s rare background as a twice-ordained monk in the Buddhist tradition - authentic and profoundly grounding.

Fresh salad, salmon, fruit and nuts on a table with a nutrition planner

Nutritional Support

Chef-prepared Asian fusion cuisine - a nourishing regime of locally-sourced Thai and European ingredients designed to support brain chemistry and physical recovery.

A guest relaxing in a Finnish-style sauna

Spa & Recovery Therapies

Daily Thai massage, Finnish sauna, and saltwater pool - recovery tools that are genuinely beneficial for nervous system regulation, not merely indulgent.

Small dropper bottles of natural flower essences

Bach Flower Remedies

Dr Edward Bach’s natural remedy system used alongside evidence-based therapy to gently address emotional imbalances and support deeper healing.

A Typical Day

The structure is firm but never forced. Times are indicative - we adjust around your therapy work, sleep needs, and energy. What stays constant is the rhythm: nervous-system regulation in the morning, deep therapeutic work mid-day, embodied recovery in the afternoon, contemplative close to the evening.

  1. 07:00

    Morning Nature Walk

    A gentle walk through the tropical garden and surrounding lanes. Daylight, movement and quiet conversation set cortisol into a calmer rhythm and ease the body into the day before therapy begins.

  2. 07:45

    Hatha Yoga Session

    Slow, grounded postures with a focus on breath and proprioception. Settles the nervous system and rebuilds a felt sense of safety in the body - essential preparation for the deeper emotional work that follows.

  3. 08:45

    Nutritional Breakfast

    Chef-prepared, nutrient-dense and built around stable blood sugar - whole grains, slow protein, fresh fruit, no added sugars. Dietary preferences, intolerances and allergies are accommodated.

  4. 09:30

    Individual Therapy (EMDR / CBT / NLP)

    Your core 60–90 minute session with Dirk. Modalities are blended to your presentation: EMDR for trauma reprocessing, CBT for thought patterns, NLP for stuck states. Sessions are paced and adjusted daily as the work unfolds.

  5. 11:00

    Guided Meditation Practice

    Sitting practice led personally by Dirk, drawing on his Theravada Buddhist training. Builds capacity to observe difficult inner states without being overwhelmed by them - a skill that continues to pay back long after the retreat ends.

  6. 12:30

    Lunch - Chef-Prepared Cuisine

    A leisurely break with fresh, anti-inflammatory cooking inflected by local Thai produce. The pace is unhurried on purpose: digestion, conversation, and rest are part of the recovery work, not interruptions to it.

  7. 14:00

    Martial Arts or Physical Training

    One-to-one strength, mobility, or Muay-Thai-inspired conditioning with our trainer. Restores agency to the body, discharges trauma-held tension, and rebuilds the physical confidence that depression and chronic stress quietly erode.

  8. 15:30

    Finnish Sauna & Saltwater Pool

    Contrast therapy - heat then cool. Down-regulates the sympathetic nervous system, supports cardiovascular recovery, and provides a clean reset between the day’s therapeutic work and its evening practices.

  9. 16:30

    Thai Massage Therapy

    Traditional Thai bodywork from a senior local practitioner. Releases the muscular guarding patterns trauma typically locks into the fascia, and supports the parasympathetic shift that consolidates the day’s gains.

  10. 17:30

    Spa & Wellness Treatments (optional, at extra cost)

    On selected days: facial, body scrub, or aromatherapy session. Restorative rather than therapeutic in the clinical sense - but rest, comfort, and being well cared for are themselves part of the work.

  11. 18:30

    Evening Workshop or Reflection

    A short structured session: psychoeducation on what surfaced today, journaling around insights, or a Bach Flower remedy review. Consolidates the day’s emotional discoveries into language and a take-home framework.

  12. 20:00

    Dinner & Evening Meditation

    A lighter evening meal followed by a brief sitting practice. Closes the day with the same calm tone it began with and protects sleep - which is where the brain’s actual memory reconsolidation work happens.

Timings are indicative and subject to change. The schedule is adapted daily to your therapy progress, energy levels, and any clinical or personal needs that arise during your stay.

Common Questions

About the 14-Day Programme

Every day is structured to create optimal conditions for healing, balancing therapeutic work with physical restoration, contemplative practice, and genuine rest. Mornings begin with a nature walk and hatha yoga to settle the nervous system, followed by a nutritious breakfast. Individual therapy sessions with Dirk happen mid-morning, followed by guided meditation, lunch, and physical training in the afternoon. Late afternoon includes Finnish sauna, saltwater pool, and Thai massage. Evenings close with a workshop or reflection session and a lighter meal. The full timetable is on this page, but times are indicative and adapted daily to your progress and energy.

Entirely one-to-one. Every therapy session, every meditation, every training session is with you individually. There are no group activities. This is a deliberate choice: intensive trauma and mental health work moves faster and deeper when the pacing, focus and modalities can be tuned to a single presentation without having to accommodate the needs of a group. It also protects your privacy completely.

For many people, 14 days is enough to produce a fundamental shift, particularly when the work is intensive, one-to-one, and integrated across therapeutic, contemplative and physical dimensions. It is not, however, a cure delivered in a fixed dose. What 14 days reliably produces is the clearing of specific stuck material, a nervous system that has learned how to settle again, and a clear framework for the ongoing work. Many clients continue with online sessions for some months afterwards to consolidate what emerged.

The programme is designed for adults experiencing trauma, PTSD or Complex PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression, burnout, complicated grief, or the effects of sexual abuse. It works best where there is enough current stability to tolerate the surfacing of difficult material, and where a period of complete removal from daily life would allow deeper work than outpatient therapy has been able to reach. If you are unsure whether it is right for you, the free emotional evaluation is the best place to start.

The intensive is the beginning of the arc, not the end. Most clients continue with online sessions for some months afterwards to consolidate the work, stay accountable to the changes that emerged, and address material that surfaces once the initial integration has settled. Where appropriate, we can also coordinate with your existing therapist or GP at home. The 14 days do the deep work; the follow-up ensures it holds.

Ready to Begin?

Take the first step today - book a private session or request a free, confidential evaluation.

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