Experiences

Breathing sessions
During this period I did a lot of self-sessions, as well as some guided sessions. Since I am a breath facilitator, I was able to domy own sessions without guidance. It gave me the feeling that I had control over my disease process and that I could remain in charge with everything that was happening.
I was lucky that I didn’t need chemotherapy and radiotherapy. My treatment consisted of hormone therapy, which I have now ended in consultation with the doctor. I see myself as cured and have check ups once a year. That’s more because the protocol prescribes it than that I think it necessary for myself.

Acceptance
In summary and looking back, iwas able to achieve acceptance by staying in contact with my body by way of the connected breath. Such a diagnosis is tough. What I knew immediately, was that I wanted to keep the helm of my healing in my own hands. And TBr turned out to be a great support in that process. A breathing session every day during that tense and uncertain period helped me to remain centered, to continue to trust in myself and to look to the future with confidence, whatever that future might look like. It was nice to have a tool in hand to face the fear calmly and to let it go again with ease. TBr still helps me if I occasionally go through a valley of uncertainty.

Life is smiling at me again!

Sieka Hogendorf, age 58

Coach for personal development and support with cancer
www.verborgenkracht.nl

I have a family, I had 3 small children at the time (the youngest was 1 year and 9 months) and we also moved house after a year full of treatments. It was a busy period with a house that was not yet ready, immediate care for my youngest daughter and the treatments in the hospital. I tended to just get on with everything and probably asked too much of my body. If you have a young family, then you have to move on.

Out of balance
After my hospital trajectory I kept having complaints, not so much from the cancer itself, but from the consequences of cancer and the treatments. I was really off balance. Sometimes I was hyperactive and other times I was really tired, I had back problems and sometimes I didn’t sleep well, my body was completely out of balance.

I looked up breathing to create a little more relaxation in my body. I was having a lot of trouble with my breathing. It all got to me very quickly and I was rapidly short of breath. I also had stomach problems. My bowels were not working properly, possibly because of the medical treatment, but probably also because of my stress. I had had tests for this in the hospital, these turned up with nothing. In retrospect, I think there was too much tension on my diaphragm, which kept those intestines from moving. I also had problems with my thyroid gland, for which I took Thyrax. I had tried a number of other methods aimed at relaxation. I’d been doing yoga for a while, but it didn’t help enough. I am convinced that all those complaints have completely disappeared because of the breathwork. Six months after breathing, my thyroid gland was fine, eventhough they had told me in the hospital that I would have to take medication for the rest of my life. My thyroid gland has remained good since then.

Guilt
Mentally/emotionally I have gone through major changes. In the beginning of the breathing sessions it was a lot about guilt. I had this weird idea that the cancer had something to do with something I hadn’t done right, done wrong. Of course everyone says “that can happen to anyone, it’s bad luck, and so on”, but I also had old guilt somewhere and I think that also extended to the past. I was able to really release tension during my breathing sessions. I really liked that there was just someone there with whom everything was welcome.

In the beginning everyone was talking about the cancer, but I thought: “yes, that cancer, I’ll get over that.” However, it was also a fact that the treatments would make me infertile. I knew that. There was something definite about not being able to have children anymore. That was perhaps a greater loss for me than getting that cancer. Saying goodbye to the loss of things in your life, having children and losing the pregnancy (I was pregnant when the cancer was discovered), it was all welcome in the breathing sessions. There was space for everything that came up.

Without judgment
The nice thing about breathing was that everything was welcomed, without judgment, without others worrying about me. That is of course different than with friends and family. They care about you. You want to function well within your family. They are also stressed that all of this is happening. So I hid my feelings. In the breathing everything is allowed to be there, I thought that was very nice. That was difficult with people I knew, I found it difficult to show my feelings.

I don’t know exactly how, but breathing has really supported and opened me, also towards others.
I think that because of this period of illness, wanting to get better and the hard work, I had closed down. That had made me tense. Through the breathwork, I learned to gain more confidence, to relax, to allow what I had experienced, to receive and to be in contact with others and to open again in that sense.

You’re both trying to survive, especially in a young family. There was, however, a certain distance between us. Everyone deals with it in their own way. I think it is very important if you do these processes together, to really connect with each other.
You can talk about it, but then it can rapidly decline into reproaches or that the feeling arises that the other person is not enough for you, while it is just a different way of doing things. When you start breathing together, you feel the essence again. I think it will be very nice to breathe together.

​Dreams like this happen to me every now and then and I’ve learned to listen to them. They have become recognizable to me as different from an ordinary dream, because I am very consciously involved in a dialogue in which I ask questions and receive answers. The next day I went to the family doctor, who advised me to bring a stool sample to the Day Hospital in my hometown.

After a few days, I got the result that blood was found in the stool. A colonoscopy was scheduled for the following week. In the meantime, I took all possible information about what to do in the event of a cancer diagnosis. From Monday on, I started with dietary changes and incorporated my breathing exercises of Transformational Breath seriously with 5-10 minutes connected breathing 3 times a day, creating a very large oxygen supply. The results of the colonoscopy revealed a degenerative intestinal polyp: an adenoma. It was not in a palpable or painful stage. Without the warning, I might have discovered it too late.

New examinations
The doctor advised to have it removed. I have not had this done, despite his insistence. With the help of an orthomolecular doctor in the Netherlands who prescribed a number of supporting products to restore the intestines, the breath and my diet changes, I kept going with my new regimen. Six months later, new examinations showed that the tumor had completely disappeared. Some small polyps were still visible. Again, it was advised to have them removed for prevention. However, I firmly believe that this is not necessary and that my daily high oxygen intake, along with my revised dietary habits, will protect me sufficiently.

Alexander, Belgium, age 57

Reclaim Your Breath

“I feel really different now after the weekend. Lighter, more alive and with more understanding of myself. Based on the breathing analysis, I received very specific feedback about who I am. I can control the way I breathe, so I can change that myself. What a beautiful and safe remedy!” – A. Wesselius

“I feel lighter in my body after the Reclaim your Breath weekend. The breathing sessions and the great professional guidance ensured that I could open myself.” I. Smits

“The weekend has literally given me breathing space to focus on love and life.” – Anonymously

“At last, I know how to breathe and can really experience the breathing space. I feel centered and peaceful again.” – Anonymous

“After years of working on my inner clearing, this seems like the finishing touch. There is room for new needs and challenges: finally a way for pure breath and to stop smoking!” – C. Buggenum

“This weekend was a gift to myself. What a discovery that my own breath can feel and bring so much life in my body. Transformational Breath brings me to deeper layers and blockages, dissolves them and provides more love and space and for myself. Thanks to the loving and professional guidance I dared to dive in completely.”  – Connie

“This weekend has helped me to gain more space in my head and heart and to be really quiet.” -Anonymous

I look back on such a nice weekend! It has brought me so much. I am much more aware of my breathing – notice how often I stop it. I also manage to ‘start’ the Transformational Breath more often in daily life. – Danielle Hermeler (43), senior communications advisor“The weekend with Nadja and the facilitators is very rewarding. I recommend it to anyone who wants to change something in his/her life, to purify something or to grow. Nadja is experienced and very inspiring” – Anonymous, 51 years

“For me, Transformational Breath has been a huge liberation and a wonderful opening to myself to receive life” – Anonymous, nurse, 47 years

“You don’t know how it happens, you can only experience that in real life: there are obstacles in your body and head which diminish by breathing. It’s a fearless way to deal with struggles you may not have even known existed. The literal (how the breath moves) and the figurative (your beliefs) come together. Insights come from breathing: new insight and space” – Anonymous, designer, 29 years

“I went diving! I found that very exciting because of my hyperventilation. But I really wanted to do it anyway.
And it went really well, and I really liked it. I saw it as a victory over myself! I didn’t let feelings of fear hold me back, but I went for it. It felt euphoric when I surfaced again and I breathed out freely at a depth of 10 meters! This experience was a great example of ‘enjoying life to the fullest’!”- Anonymous

“I gave myself a weekend of Reclaim Your Breath as a gift to allow my personal development to grow. I went back home with a feather-light backpack full of experiences, advice and beautiful memories, to unpack something every day to work with.” – Lieke

“It was a very special experience; to meet people who share their love (for breathing) with others and who support each other in awareness. This, the environment and the breathing have done me a lot of good!” – Nynke, nursing teacher, 44 years old

“It was a wonderful weekend and I was able to surrender to the process. My head was in the background, allowing my heart and soul to be. The connection with myself, with the group and the environment was wonderful to experience. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” – Anonymous, secretary, 47 years

“In less than 48 hours, this workshop has made me laugh and cry like I haven’t in many years. The work has given me experiences and insights that will form a rich foundation for my personal development in the coming years.” – P. Kauffman, entrepreneur, 44 years.

“This was indeed a fabulous weekend, it is just indescribable what it had given me and many others. You (the mentors) have taught me so much during these two days and I felt deeply touched. You are fantastic people, all angels on earth. I am sure now that they exist. I will definitely follow more sessions with you, so thank you once more and see you soon.” – Magda, 49 years

“Last year I was able to experience a breathing workshop with Nadja Benschop. It’s unimaginable what simple breathing can unleash and heal. In a pleasant and loving way, Nadja and her assistant taught us to breathe the right way. I still regularly do the “100 breaths” and I feel more vital and refreshed afterwards. Nadja, thank you for the pleasant way in which you led the workshop. I recommend everyone to follow a breathing workshop with Nadja Benschop!” – Jannie Nijkamp, ​​55 years old

“I recommend everyone to follow such a weekend. It does so much good for you! It was a busy weekend where different activities followed one another. This always brought a different experience.
During a breathing session, deep negative experiences, feelings (sadness, anger, pain…) are released, but are pulled out of your body in such a fast way that you don’t have to go back into that experience or talk about it.
Breathe in a good way and everything will come loose! Unbelievable. The meditation, the state of rest after a session is so beautiful, so blissful, really a gift.
I would like to thank the facilitators especially, because they treat you so sweetly, respectfully and patiently. You can just be yourself and this is such a good feeling. If you need someone they are there for you right away.
The setting was beautiful and the food tasty.
After this weekend I felt very energetic, I wanted to sing, dance, jump and laugh… what a good feeling – This was so long ago!
Definitely a motivation to keep going.
Thank you everyone for letting me experience this” – Linda Meert, 48 years old

“Fantastic experience! Jeanine, the beautiful tones of your singing bowls make my body vibrate and relax. Nadja, the Transformational Breath has taught me to breathe deeper, and was very liberating. You both made me feel that willpower is a central quality in my life. I will work with these deeper insights in the near future. I think that the day is excellently organised, where your sound and breathing session fit together perfectly. Thanks for everything!”- Anonymous

“It felt to me that my vulnerable part could be there, that I could be there, as far as I can get to my essence. I also got very emotional very quickly in contact with you. That cannot really be explained rationally and I don’t think you should want to explain it rationally. The contact touched me on a deeper level”.- Anonymous

“You could say that you ‘brought me back to myself in a very loving way’ ” – Marijke van Veelen

“I find the sessions very loving and attentive. I experience the sessions as liberating” –Eveline Calf

” It was fantastic. I never thought this simple technique would be so effective. It was a new step for me to transform my body. I have a lot of experience in personal development and body work, but this was new to me. For me, the workshop was the beginning of dissolving all my emotional and physical blockages. After the workshop I felt like a different person, with an unlimited amount of life energy. I am still doing the exercises I learned in the workshop. As far as I’m concerned, the guidance was very professional, both the transfer of knowledge and the loving guidance during the exercises. A must for anyone who takes themselves and their body even a little seriously!” – Jort Bijleveld

“Breathing is a gift and is ‘perfect’ for everyone if you “just” do it. Don’t think, lie down and breathe, experience what it does to you and what you achieve with it!! It helps you in every way. Nadja is very professional and can determine the right intention for a session with you like no other, so that the effect is maximum.” – Erik Sol, Consulting manager IT company, 39 years

It was a nice day. By means of visualization exercises you prepare yourself for the rest of the day. This allowed me to form a clear picture and keep in mind what I wanted to achieve with the breathing session. The breathing session itself was intensive, I had the feeling that I first had to cross a threshold, resulting in peace and a deeply anchored feeling in myself. – Anonymously