About Reece Backhouse | Holistic Coach & Reiki Practitioner Amsterdam

My journey

I walked away from the version of life I'd been building, and started travelling. Not to find myself, at least, that's not what I told people. But somewhere between unfamiliar places, long journeys, different cultures and a lot of time alone, something began to shift. I started noticing things I'd been too busy to notice before: how the body holds tension, how quickly the mind fills silence, and how differently people carry grief, joy, fear and desire. The further I travelled, the less interested I became in having all the answers. I became more interested in asking better questions.

THE WORLD BECAME MY TEACHER. Hong Kong showed the intensity, pace and constant exchange of a city where ancient traditions sit alongside modern life. The Philippines showed the power of connection and community and Indonesia brought me closer to ritual. Japan taught me something about presence, the beauty of simplicity, attention and being fully where you are.
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Australia gave me space and perspective, and cohabiting with nature. New Zealand brought pure wonder and remoteness. Nepal brought stillness and a deeper sense of listening and Italy simply reminded me that pleasure and connection don't always need to be earned.
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And then there was Patagonia. Vast, wild and humbling as I stood there, surrounded by mountains and open space, I felt very small. (More so than when standing in a crowd of Dutchies at a concert!)
But, not insignificant, just part of something much bigger. Travel taught me to pay attention to the things both on and beneath the surface: the energy, presence, connection, intuition and the body. Those experiences eventually became part of how I work. Different places. Different lessons. One deeper understanding.

THEN I DISCOVERED THE BODY

Not as something to train. Not as something to improve, but as something to listen to. Reiki introduced me to energy, while Breathwork showed me how quickly the breath can change our experience. Sound taught me that you don't always need words to shift something but before all this, coaching had taught me the value of a really good question, by both having a coach and being a coach. Slowly, these things began to make sense together.
Different doors.
‍The same house.

WHAT I BELIEVE NOW
I don't think we need more people telling us how to live because we already have enough access to advice and guidance. I think we need more spaces where we can hear ourselves clearly. That's what I try to create in my sessions and for myself: a space that is warm without being fluffy, spiritual without being dogmatic, masculine without being hard, and intuitive without losing its grounding. A place where you can put the armour down for a while and feel held.

Based in Amsterdam,  Open to the World

SO, THIS IS WHAT I DO
‍I work with people who are curious enough to look beneath the surface. People navigating change, who have achieved a lot and still feel something is missing or who are tired of living entirely from the neck up. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we breathe, or sometimes, because there is no script, we sit in silence. However, the common theme throughout these methods is that I work with energy.
‍There is only the person in front of me.

AMSTERDAM IS HOME
‍I work from a cosy and care driven, consciously curated space in Oud Zuid, Amsterdam. It's intentionally simple, warm light, easy textures and quiet for a city location. A place where the pace changes as soon as you walk through the door. I work with people in Amsterdam in person, and with clients further afield through online coaching and distance energy sessions. Different location, same intention.