English

With my guidance, you can heal and reawaken the deepest parts of your soul for a fuller, more fulfilling life, whatever the obstacles you may face right now.

As your depth psychologist and spiritual counsellor I use an integrative approach that draws on the best of western and eastern psychology and spirituality. I call this approach:

Therapy of the soul

Depth psychology and spirituality both provide freedom from suffering. Yet each aims at this freedom on a different level with a different approach. In my practice, I combine depth psychology and spirituality in one integrative approach to healing.

Depth psychology makes the unconscious conscious, so that we become whole again. By healing complexes and trauma that reside in the unconscious, we grow in consciousness and clear the path towards further development and expression of ourselves. In this way, we grow a healthy ego that is capable of experiencing more fulfilment.

Freudian and Jungian depth psychology help us to function in the world by developing a healthy ego. We need a healthy, individual sense of self – an ego – to function in this world. However, in each individual development, there comes a time when the ego is saturated with experiences. This is where psychology ends and spirituality begins.

An integrative approach to healing

Though we experience more happiness through psychological growth, we still suffer because we have not yet awaken from the dream: the illusion of separation from our true, infinite Self. As long as we have not awakened from the dream or illusion of the separated ego, we remain chained in Plato’s cave – whether we experience positive or negative projections on the wall.

Spiritual traditions aim to awaken us from the illusion of separation by addressing the deepest roots of our suffering: our identification with the ego. Spiritual systems such as Advaita and Buddhism help us dispel the illusion of separateness by calling into our awareness our divine nature.

Thus, spirituality guides us beyond this world through the death or transcendence of the ego. This is the difference between living a happy dream (psychology’s aim) and waking from the dream (spirituality’s aim).

Buddhism meets psychotherapy

In his book Already Free, Bruce Tift explains the complementarity between depth psychology and spirituality in another way.

Western psychology uses the developmental approach. This approach centres around self-development or personal growth. By improving our sense of self and our life circumstances, we experience more happiness. In other words: we live happier dreams, but we have not awakened from the dream. Our illusory sense of existing as a separated self or ego remains.

Eastern philosophical and spiritual traditions, such as Buddhism and Advaita, use what Bruce Tift calls the ‘fruitional’ approach. According to this view our true spiritual nature is always already perfect and free. By recognizing this, we change our perspective and become free. This is referred to as the ‘fruitional’ approach because it aims to harvest what is already there: our perfect spiritual Self.

The developmental, psychological approach to healing can be summarised as ‘becoming’, and the fruitional, spiritual approach as ‘being’.

‘Becoming’ states that there are actual difficulties in our lives that can and should be resolved. ‘Being’ states that how we relate to these difficulties is more important than the difficulties themselves.

Both perspectives on the human condition are true.

How I work

As a depth psychologist trained in the Jungian and Freudian tradition, I embark with you on a journey of uncovering your psyche.

Together, we make the unconscious trauma and beliefs that create the struggles you face conscious. Not only will you become aware of the things you have repressed, rejected or simply never noticed, but you will integrate and heal the complexes they create, that keep you in vicious circles of pain and defeat.

As a spiritual counsellor, I use a contemplative and meditative approach to help bring your spiritual essence into awareness. This brings to the therapeutic relationship qualities of mindfulness, compassion and intuition, helping you access your essence, which holds your fundamental goodness and natural wisdom.

As a therapist and spiritual counsellor I combine insights and techniques from different depth psychological and spiritual schools:

• Depth psychology (Jungian and Freudian psychoanalysis)
• Psychosynthesis (Assagioli)
• Transpersonal psychology (‘height’ psychology)
• Diamond Approach (Almaas)
• Pathwork (Pierrakos)
• Perennial philosophy (Eastern and Western)
• Non-duality traditions (Buddhism, Advaita, Christian mysticism)

In therapy, not only do I use enquiry to understand the unconscious as it relates to the context of a person’s individuation process, but also active imagination, creativity (e.g. drawing), regression and the symbolic interpretation of dreams and synchronicities (e.g. the events in your life).

Besides these methods relating to depth psychology, I use spiritual practices such as contemplation and meditation to make people aware of their original, always-existing spiritual, non-dual essence.

About me

I was born in 1976. Early in life, I became interested in depth psychology as I experienced inner and outer conflicts that traditional, cognitive and behavioural psychology could not resolve. Since then, I have been in a continuous process of study, therapy and spiritual self-inquiry.

My personal experiences have contributed to a genuine understanding of the depths and complexities of the psyche and the obstacles in the development of consciousness.

Having travelled extensively and lived in different countries, I appreciate and understand cultural differences and mindsets, and how to help individuals from all backgrounds heal trauma and achieve greater awareness.

Education:

• Master of Science in Depth Psychology, graduated as a licensed Jungian psychoanalyst, Jungian Institute in the Netherlands (2007 – 2013)
• Master of Arts in Communication, University of Amsterdam (1996 – 2000)

Start therapy

My integrative approach, combining therapy and spiritual counselling, can help you overcome the deepest struggles of your psyche and your soul. These include:

• Depression, feeling of loss, emptiness
• Isolation & loneliness
• Anxiety
• Self-esteem, self-confidence
• Neurosis (obsessive compulsive disorder)
• Psychosis
• Personality disorders
• Psychosomatic symptoms
• Trauma
• Burn-out & career issues
• Sexuality
• Relationships & divorce
• Bereavement & loss
• Chronic/terminal illness
• Life transitions
• Identity
• Finding meaning in life

Pricing

I work on a sliding scale principle (income based fee), meaning that you pay according to your means as follows:

• The standard rate for one hour is 100 euro, paid at the end of each session.
• Persons with a higher income pay a higher rate, according to their means (to be agreed upon), while persons with a lower income can contact me about a reduced rate.
• Sessions are held either in person or online. In-person sessions are held in either Heerlen or Maastricht (the Netherlands) and online sessions on the platform of your choice (e.g. Google Meet, Skype).

Contact me

• info@sandervideler.com
• (+31) 06 – 2167 9610
• Heerlen: Willemstraat 91 (nearby train- & bus station)
• Maastricht: Elisabeth Strouvenlaan 51A