Address: HNK Houthavens 20-200 building, Van Diemenstraat 92, Amsterdam

Date and Time: 27th of January, arriving at 9:00, and the program starts at 10:00 and ends around 22:00. Open socializing until 23:00.

Logistics and other essential things

• The event will take place in the EA Office in Amsterdam, arriving at 9:00, and the program starts at 10:00 and ending around 22:00. Open socializing until 23:00. The address is HNK Houthavens 20-200 building, Van Diemenstraat 92, Amsterdam
• I will provide a safe container and the structure & guidance of the retreat. Bring anything you need yourself, including food, drinking bottles, meditation pillows, and yoga mats. We can use the yoga studio in addition to the office space; there are a few yoga mats there. There is also a small kitchen, fridge with limited space, and microwave, but no cooking possibility and the cafeteria is closed on the weekend. There are a few cafes and restaurants nearby, and ordering food is possible
• Joining or leaving later or earlier during the breaks is possible, but the idea is that you join for the whole day. In case you do join or leave earlier/later, let me know
• If something gets too much, you can always opt out of an exercise and take some quiet time yourself
• The retreat might bring up some personal things. You do not have to share anything. The day can be followed in a way to keep everything for yourself if you desire to do so. If you decide to share anything, the default policy will be to not share this further in a way that might identify the person who said it.
• You are welcome to bring along anyone you would like, but they need to fill in the Google Form and have a call with me
• Open socializing until 23:00 after the event is over

Recommended readings before the event

Research paper investigating the HEAL method to learn the science behind it (optional but gives a pretty good description of the HEAL method).

Check out these resources to get the most out of the retreat.

• Videos providing an overview of the research paper by Rick Hanson himself
• Book Summary: Unlocking the Emotional Brain by Kaj Sotala (introduces the concept of memory reconsolidation, which shares many similarities with the HEAL method) (25 minutes reading time)
• Replacing Fear by Richard Ngo (Sequence that describes fear and excitement-based motivation and why the latter is more beneficial.) (56 minutes reading time)
• https://rickhanson.com/writings/books/hardwiring-happiness/ Optional and by far the largest item on this list. The book Hardwiring Happiness that covers the HEAL method and why this is important. (300 pages)

Consider thinking beforehand about a specific issue you want to work on during the retreat.