About Santjes

I was born of Dutch parents and raised in East Africa and the Netherlands. I was educated in the Visual Arts in Amsterdam. In my artwork, I express my fascination of the experience with the place where the physical and dream worlds meet through multi-media sculptures and paintings.

 

My interest in life and the human potential led me to pursue studies in the Universal Shamanic traditions of the Tibetan Bon. I pursued studies in different modalities for awakening the physical body and connecting it to the spiritual possibilities within.

 

I trained in healing work across Europe as well as in the U.S. I combine therapies from multiple modalities from East and West. I completed my Holistic Health Practitioner certification in the U.S. in 1992, and is well versed in Swedish massage, circulatory massage, deep tissue massage, lymph drainage, passive joint movement (Trager), structural integration (Rolfing), cranial-sacral therapy, polarity therapy (Randolf Stone), vibrational healing, Tui Na, and Seitia Shiatsu. Additionally, as a teacher of yoga and sound therapy, I work with the healing power of breath and voice therapy.

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In group settings, I practice Shamanic tradition of healing family systems by tapping into the sacred power of the group field. In October 2023, I created WellWork: Rituals on the Wheel of Life, where my many years of healing work and artwork come together. 

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I am committed to my work and hold it as sacred, always seeking the physical expression of the locus where Art and Healing meet, greatly supported by my husband, Peter Lochtefeld, and I am the lucky mother of Zuzu (26), Sam (23), and Sophia (21).

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In September 2023, I joined Susie Tapley from MAST on Nantucket on the her podcast  Wellbeing - MAST - Santjes Oomen to talk about my work with my hands and opening the heart to let in the light. In February 2024, I joined her again to talk about the Year of the Dragon and how dragon energy is the red thread in my work: Wellbeing - MAST - Santjes Oomen.