Esther van der Sande

Esther van der Sande is a somatic neuro-psychotherapist (MA), EMDR therapist, trauma therapist, Yoga Therapist, TCTSY-facilitator and a faculty member at The Center for Trauma and Embodiment at JRI Boston and trainer & supervisor of the Certification Program of TCTSY.

Esther is also the founder of Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland.

Esther has a love for working with people suffering from complex and developmental trauma. She uses trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive practices, as well as talking therapy integrated with movement. She has had her private practice for over 20 years, incorporating physical aspects and movement into her sessions.

Esther has lectured at the Australian College for Applied Psychology (ACAP) as an academic teacher. She is a Certified Yoga and Mindfulness Facilitator and specialises in critical interventions.
Esther has studied the unconscious in group dynamics, using the model of Transactional Analysis (TA) and she has worked for community centres as a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist.

After years of practising talk therapy in her own practice, she noticed that some people were finding it difficult to find a connection with their body. It seemed as if they were ready in their heads, but their bodies were being left behind and feeling unsafe.

Most of them had been doing talk therapy for years, but there was something missing. She realised that through movement, within a safe environment, her clients could finally feel at home in their own bodies and truly ‘come home’ to themselves.

Trauma-Sensitive Yoga and Yoga Therapy is the perfect combination to find a home in the body and to feel safe and nurtured.

At the Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy module, Esther’s caring and sensitive teachings include how to recognise and respect your client’s traumas, tools for referral, guided movement and breathing practices and safety protocols necessary for your work as a yoga therapist.

“No intervention that takes power away from the survivor can possibly foster her recovery, no matter how much it appears to be in her immediate best interest.” – Judith Herman