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A two-day workshop with Dutch facilitators Inga Freudenberg and Annemieke MeerstraHOW WE CAME TO WORK TOGETHER
I met Inga and Annemieke in Mexico at the ISCA 2025 conference during a workshop they facilitated, and I experienced the depth, clarity, and sensitivity of their work firsthand. It is not easy to describe the avalanche of unfamiliar feelings and sensations that moved through me there. I understood that my body was releasing inherited impulses and charges that had been carried forward. That was enough. In that moment, I knew with certainty that I wanted to invite them to Estonia as well, to open up the theme of collective and transgenerational trauma here within a very specific historical context.
Estonia is a country whose history carries repeated experiences of subjugation, occupation, and external pressure. Over the centuries, life here has been shaped by different foreign powers, and even today, questions of safety and freedom are not only matters of the past. All of this affects a person´s capacity to truly be themselves, to trust others, to feel inward freedom, and to move through life with greater ease.
There are also several points of contact between Estonian and Dutch history. As in many European countries, collective memory here contains many layers that are not always spoken about. It has often been easier to move on, remain silent, adapt, or leave difficult history unnamed. And yet history that has not been worked through does not disappear – it continues to exert influence in hidden but persistent ways.
I believe it is important to create space for those who are ready to look more deeply into questions of war, loss, adaptation, survival, and identity. This is how we can move toward the future with less burden, and with greater awareness, courage, and inner freedom.
This also touches deeply personal questions:
Who am I?
Who are we?
What is the identity of our land?
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
This workshop invites participants to explore how collective and transgenerational trauma shapes a person´s inner world, relationships, choices, and identity. Through systemic work, we will look at how historical experiences – especially occupation, fear, loss, adaptation, and silence – may continue as
patterns in the present day.
The workshop offers an opportunity to approach these themes safely, respectfully, and systemically. The aim is not to relive the past or become stuck in it, but to create a space in which invisible influences can become visible, and in which more inner clarity, peace, and movement can emerge.
Inga and Annemieke work in attunement with the land and the systemic field – not by imposing anything, but by listening to what wants to become visible. At the heart of their approach are safety, respect, slowness, and the kind of depth that emerges when both the person and the field are ready.
WORKSHOP CONTENT AND THEMES
In this workshop, we will explore tensions and inner movements that may live within individuals, families, and the collective consciousness of a people. Special attention will be given to polarities that may affect identity, relationships, trust, self-expression, and belonging.
KEY POLARITIES
1. Guilt ↔ Innocence – The tension between carrying transgenerational guilt – for example, connected to survival or choices made during occupation – and the wish for moral innocence. This may interfere with identity formation and open dialogue.
2. Occupation ↔ Freedom – The movement between historical subjugation and the longing for self- determination. Contemporary threats may reactivate old survival patterns and limit inner freedom even in times of formal independence.
3. Survival ↔ Living – For many generations, survival has been central: adapting, remaining silent, enduring. This may stand in tension with the desire to live fully, to be visible, and to take one´s place.
4. Adaptation ↔ Autonomy – Historical pressure and occupation created strategies of adaptation and obedience that may now conflict with self-determination and the wish to choose one´s own path.
5. Silence ↔ Speaking – Silence as a protective mechanism standing opposite the need to express truth, pain, and identity – both on the personal and the collective level.
6. Distrust ↔ Connection – Long-term threat and subjugation can create deep distrust, making genuine contact, trust, and cooperation more difficult.
7. Collective Interest ↔ Individual Self-Expression – Protecting collective safety may stand in opposition to a person´s wish to take up space with their own voice, desires, and identity.
8. Loss ↔ Grief ↔ Moving Forward – Unprocessed losses – of land, language, autonomy, and human lives – may collide with pressure to move on and remain “strong.”
9. Strength ↔ Vulnerability – National and personal resilience standing opposite the capacity to allow vulnerability, fear, and uncertainty.
10. Inside ↔ Outside – “Us” and “them”: Estonians and occupiers, but also present-day relationships with different alliances and countries, which may deepen or polarize questions of identity.
WORKSHOP AIMS AND POSSIBLE IMPACT
- explore Estonia´s historical and systemic context and notice how collective trauma still affects personal life today;
- develop awareness of the polarities that create tension within us, in relationships, and in society;
- gain deeper contact with one´s loyalties toward the survival strategies of previous generations;
- experience how freedom and safety are systemically connected;
- increase the capacity to remain present within tension without freezing or withdrawing;
- learn to distinguish historical danger from present-day reality without denying history;
- feel more inner space to be oneself even amid collective uncertainty;
- notice where distrust is an old layer of protection and where new trust is possible;
- experience a stronger sense of grounding in both personal and national identity, no longer defined only through experiences of occupation.
METHODS USED IN THE WORKSHOP
- systemic approach – constellations in different formats;
- practical exercises;
- embodiment and the inclusion of the body;
- systemic rituals;
- anchoring;
- completion of a self-reflection portfolio;
- as well as music, poetry, and guided imagination.
WHO IS THIS FOR
This workshop is intended for people who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the connection between history, collective trauma, and personal life. It may especially resonate with therapists, constellation facilitators, counsellors, trainers, leaders, and all those who feel called to look more deeply into themselves, their system of origin, and the broader societal context.
FACILITATORS
Inga Freudenberg-van Gastel is the founder and partner of the Dutch training and development center Freudenberg, and an experienced coach and trainer. For more than 25 years, she has worked with individuals, teams, and organizations, integrating personal development, communication skills, and a
systemic perspective on human functioning. At the center of Inga`s work are the invisible patterns, roles, and loyalties that shape both individual choices and collaboration within systems. Her approach is practical, deep, and humane, supporting awareness, responsibility, and inner clarity.
Annemieke Meerstra-van Putten is a partner at Freudenberg, a certified work and organizational psychologist (NIP), and a coach. She works with people from a systemic perspective, exploring how individual behavior is connected to broader work, family, and organizational systems. Annemieke integrates psychological analysis, systemic thinking, and practical coaching, helping people understand their place within a system, restore balance, and make conscious and sustainable changes.
PARTICIPATION
- Dates and time: 1-2 August 2026, 9:00-17:00. (Estonian time)
- Venue: Mercure Hotel, Lennujaama 2, Tallinn (next to Ülemiste Centre).
- Venue Website: https://www.mercuretallinn.com/
- Parking: Paid SNABB parking in the hotel car parks in front of and behind the building.
- Seminar language: English, with consecutive interpretation into Estonian.
- Seminar fee: Early-bird registration until 31 May 2026: 380 EUR.
- Registration from 1 June 2026: 450 EUR.
- Payment: By bank transfer, based on invoice, in 1 or 2 installments.
The seminar fee includes: two highly experienced facilitators with diverse and long-term experience; tea and coffee breaks with light snacks, drinking water throughout the seminar; a certificate of participation, and handout materials.
The seminar fee does not include: lunch, accommodation, or transport.
Cancellation policy: Please see the confirmation letter received upon registration.
ORGANIZER
Jaana Saar is an internationally certified psychotherapist and body psychotherapist with 13 years of experience. She is a certified systemic structural and family constellation facilitator (Systemic Phenomenological Solutions – Moscow Institute of Systemic Consulting). She has completed advanced training in family systems and systemic constellations (International Family Constellations Institute). She is the founder of Minade Kool, a facilitator of training programs, and a guest lecturer in private schools.
She creates and leads trainings, seminars, group therapies, and intensive retreats for adults rooted in transpersonal psychology and the systemic approach. She has organized numerous professional events in Estonia with international guest speakers and shares knowledge and experience in prenatal psychology in Estonia. More information can be found here: https://minad.ee/en/about-me/
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Event Venue
Mercure Tallinn, Lennujaama tee 2, Lasnamäe, Tallinn, 11101 Harju Maakond, Eesti, Estonia
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