I teach (belly) dance. I also give talks on living with a history of psychosis. This overview includes a section on my talks, on dance, and on a stint in the rat race.
Lectures
How does psychosis actually feel? And what is it like to live with three full-blown episodes of psychosis under your belt? I’ve given guest lectures on this topic at universities and colleges. Interacting with students helps advance my narrative. In addition, I explore different perspectives at conferences, drawing on foundations from philosophy, psychology, biology, psychoanalysis, and anthropology. This regularly results in blogs and publications. The blogs are mostly in Dutch, but some are in English.
The most recent inquiry concerns “thinking in motion.” As a dancer, I pay special attention to both my own movements and those of others. I used this skill to better understand my susceptibility to psychosis, and I presented the resulting essay at the Too Mad To Be True IV conference in Ghent in May 2026.
I also draw and paint from time to time to capture remarkable experiences.
Dance
Check out my dance school, ‘Raqs Enschede’. Do you already have some dance experience? Join us on Wednesday evenings! Or sign up for the newsletter and mailing list so you can join as soon as a new beginners’ course starts. I also offer customized dance workshops for adults and children. For those interested, additional stage classes are available to help you prepare for a performance.
A stint in the rat race
In addition to dancing, I’ve also spent some time working in a corporate environment. You can find those activities on my LinkedIn page if you scroll down a bit.