Mette’s Experiments 🧪✨

A friend of mine took part in the creation of this film about human connection. It started as a burner art project and then expanded into the world Join me for the screening? Thursday 17 September, 19:00 Hackische Höfe Kino, Berlin Tickets: https://www.hoefekino.de/filme/lovebox-the-meaning-of-love-49858/ Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmkqLf4BKgM (feel free to PM me if you’re coming. Even if we don’t know each other. Maybe I’ll create a little telegram group)

Why I miss touch Spending the summer in a communal living place is bringing me a lot, but there’s something I deeply miss: touch. I notice how the lack of touch affects my nervous system. It can make me feel unsettled and alone. It takes me into my head and out of my body. A fellow resident told me that she avoids touch to prevent getting stuck in unpleasant situations. In other words, it doesn’t feel safe. There’s a paradox here. Touch can bring safety into the nervous system. But sharing touch with new people requires safety to begin with. Which is why it makes sense to me that there’s so little touch here. While this place offers many beautiful things, there are no systems for consent, resolving tension and conflict, or even giving feedback. The residents are expected to find safety within themselves or somehow create it together. Some people find safe connections to share touch. Many do not. I can’t help but think about what happened during Ambassadors for Humanity. This program is not about touch. Rather, it’s about developing inner safety and permission. It’s about nervous system regulation, authentic self-expression, and learning not to do it all alone. Over the weekends, a lot of inner and group safety develops. And as that safety grows, touch and playfulness emerge. Of course, not every participant wants to be in the middle of a cuddle puddle, and more distance is just as welcome. But when moments like the one in this photo begin to happen, I take it as a sign that people are feeling safe. Curious? The program runs from 30 October 2026 to April 2027, giving you the chance to share a significant part of your life with a dedicated group of people. It consists of 5 weekends in Berlin, 7 Zoom calls, and many optional Sunday sharing circles. We have 20 spots, and registration is now open. I’m hosting two orientation calls: • Tuesday 4 Aug, 19:30–21:30 CET ← COMING WEEK • Monday 7 Sep, 19:30–21:30 CET To join a call, simply join this telegram group. All program info: • https://ambassadorsforhumanity.org (For an objective impression, read the letters from previous participants)

Why I’ve been silent — and what’s coming 🛤️ Four months ago, when I last posted here, I was drowning a little. I was holding three different group containers, finding an ending to a lovely romantic connection, and getting ready to start traveling. By the end of April, I could finally take a break. I spent time with my dad and brother, visited friends, and then headed to Portugal, where I’ve been staying at a place called The Garden since mid-May. 🌳 Life is simple here. I’m staying in a little wooden cabin. Every day I swim in the pond, surrounded by frogs and dragonflies. I stretch, enjoy the sauna, trees, and silly kitchen conversations. I ride my scooter along winding mountain roads to explore the area. I just went to Elsewhere (the burn in Spain) for a week of dust, art, music, silliness, and community. My nervous system has slowed down. My social battery is recharging. And I finally returned to the book I started writing six years ago. 📚 My book introduces the Pyramid of Permission — the philosophical foundation of all my work. It has been deeply rewarding to finally have enough knowledge, experience, and regulation to write it the way I always wanted to. I hope it will be a medium to support people all around the world. If you’re curious, send me a PM and I’ll send you the link to read it for free. What’s coming 💨 After three years of offering many different formats, I’m letting go of some of them to focus on the ones that have had the deepest impact. The one I’m most excited to continue is Ambassadors For Humanity. 🧜‍♀️ I know not everybody likes the name, but to me it captures the essence perfectly. This 6-month program is for people who love experiencing their own humanity in spaces like workshops, retreats, and open-minded festivals, and who long to bring those qualities into their lives, relationships, and communities. People who may feel daunted by the idea, but who long to find a community to do it with. 💘 Last year’s group bonded more deeply than any group I’ve facilitated before. The impact of the program is still visible every day in the Telegram group. People meet up every week, go to festivals together (there were five of us at Elsewhere!), and we’re still actively using the Sunday sharing circle. It’s beyond obvious to me that this needs to happen again. Curious? The program consists of 5 in-person weekends in Berlin, 7 Zoom calls, and many optional Sunday sharing circles. It runs from 30 October 2026 to April 2027, which lets you share a significant period of your life with a dedicated group of people. We have around 20 spots, and registration is now open. I’ll be hosting two orientation calls: • Tuesday 4 Aug, 19:30–21:30 CET • Monday 7 Sep, 19:30–21:30 CET Sign up for free through the form or by joining the special telegram group. All program information: • https://ambassadorsforhumanity.org (You’ll probably get the most objective impression by reading the letters from previous participants.) I know it’s a big commitment. And I’ve seen what can happen when people make it. I’m excited to see who takes the leap, and to spend those six months with you. For now, I’m sending sunny greetings from Portugal. Maybe I’ll see you on Zoom in a few weeks. Mette

Sex as a portal — free zoom call Tuesday 31 March 2026, 19:30 – 21:30 CET Which life skills can improve your sexual experience? And what does sexuality reveal about your life? In this free online workshop, you'll learn new concepts, try them in small exercises, and connect with other curious humans. Join as a standalone experience, or as a first taste of the 22–26 April 2026 retreat in Berlin: Rebirthing the Sensual Self. Sex as a portal Date: Tuesday 31 March 2026 Time: 19:30–21:30 CET Where: Zoom Price: Free Join via Telegram or the website See you there?

4 things many people don't know about sensual/se⨉-positive retreats: 🧘‍♀️ 1. Everything is built on safety If people aren’t collectively invested in the well-being of others (by considering their perspective) and themselves (by letting themselves skip exercises, open a window, say no, or ask for help), whatever else happens won’t really work. When safety is co-created like this, the nervous system can shift from protection to presence and connection. That shift is what everything else builds on. 🏄‍♀️ 2. Most growth happens after the exercises Exercises invite new behaviors — saying pause, asking for what you want, sounding, or moving freely in your body. But if these behaviors aren’t carried into the rest of the retreat, it doesn’t change much. Two days later, at lunch, in a conversation that overwhelms you: do you still say pause? Do you still follow your body and walk away? When you do, that’s where you take ownership of your experience, things start to shift, and you even inspire others. 🧠 3. Language creates possibility Without clear language, experiences blur together. You might feel something is off, amazing, or confusing — but without the words to describe it, it’s hard to understand what’s happening or what to do. When you can name your experience in simple, precise terms, clarity emerges. We work with 4 core terms that describe the conditions in any interaction (outer safety, inner safety, outer permission, inner permission), and 4 skills that let you access your authenticity from moment to moment (noticing, welcoming, honoring, questioning). With that clarity, many new options open up. ❤️‍🩹 4. Vulnerability breeds intimacy The deepest experiences don’t come from trying to look good or having everything together — even when there’s a sensual or se⨉ual interaction. When people show the parts of themselves that feel risky to reveal, and others don’t turn away but toward them, the depth of connection shifts. That’s where many realize how their seemingly unlovable parts are actually a gateway to much deeper intimacy. Mucho tempted? Mildly terrified? Great, that combination is the sweet spot :) Rebirthing the Sensual Self 🔥 22–26 April 2026 • Berlin https://mettekoppelaar.com/rss26 Orientation call: se⨉ as a portal Tuesday, 31 March 2026, 19:30 – 21:30 🔗 Zoom link in this Telegram group Personal “is this for me?” call ☎️ Free 15–30 minute call with Mette

The intake calls for my sensual retreat reveal so much humanity. I ask: “When someone does something you don’t like, how do you respond?” Many people say: “I withdraw and avoid that person.” When I ask: “And when something in my facilitation isn’t working for you?” Many people draw a blank. So I explain: “You can interrupt me and say you zoned out and didn’t hear what I said. I want you to ask for help—especially when you don’t know what you need.” It takes a while for people to trust this. During these calls, I hear so many common struggles. And also each person’s unique needs. Specific traumas or patterns they want to transform. I use this input to shape the program. And we brainstorm how they can create empowering experiences for themselves. For example: “If you didn’t manage to say no to a hug you didn’t want, what if you approached the person the next day and kindly told them? That could be a step toward owning your no.” Doing this beforehand with every participant changes the nature of the retreat. It’s not a generic experience with an agenda for what you should experience. It’s a playground. A lab. A place to experiment with new ways of relating to yourself and others—supported by the team and the group. To let go of the old and rediscover your playful sensual self. And this process starts long before we’re even there. Does this speak to you? Fill out the application form, book your call, and I’ll speak to you soon! Rebirthing the Sensual Self 🔥 22–26 April 2026 • Berlin https://mettekoppelaar.com/rss26 (we’re 70% full) Or join the orientation call on the 31st of March. Thanks for reading! Leave a ❤️ to let me know I reached you :)

“Spots are filling up fast.” As an organizer, this is such a tempting phrase to post. People are in doubt. They say that they might join. But I still have a bunch of free spots and I would love to be sold out. So let’s create a little FOMO. Let’s create a little pressure. And maybe more will join. “I would LOVE it if you joined” is another one. In conversation with a potential participant, it’s so tempting to point out just how happy it would make me if only they’d sign up. I only say it if it’s true. But, still, it implies how unhappy it would make me if they didn't. Just a little pressure. And maybe they will join. It’s so incredibly tempting to look for the yes. To hint, nudge, and persuade. To create scarcity and set expectations. To frame the “yes” as good, and the “no” as bad. But it leads to awkwardness. People feel pressured and stop replying, only to apologize the next time I run into them in person. Many of us know about consent. You ask permission before you touch someone. Duh. But it is so much more than that. It’s the act of welcoming the “yes” as much as the “no”. It means doing the inner work so you can receive a genuine “no” and keep your heart open. It means to genuinely look for the no. Inside the bedroom and out. Because when the “no” can freely flow, things don’t have to get awkward. It tells people they’re safe, welcome, and free to do what’s right for them. It allows them to stay connected with you — even when they don’t want the same things. From 22–26 April, I’m organizing the fourth edition of Rebirthing the Sensual Self: ☆ A 5-day sensual journey through the cycle of rebirth 🌒 A space to let go of the old and rediscover your playful, sensual self. We centralize the beauty of saying no and invite full authenticity. Sensuality and sexuality are welcome — yet we focus on human connection in the broadest sense of the word. It takes place in a cozy farmhouse near Berlin, with up to 27 curated humans. There are 13 spots left. Will you take one of them? I very much welcome your “no.” All info: https://mettekoppelaar.com/rss26 Thanks for reading! (Photo taken during Rebirthing the Sensual Self 2025)

Permission to Want After two beautiful gatherings (focused on fulfillment and emotion), next week’s Community Gathering (Wednesday, 25 Feb in Berlin) turns toward desire. Is it okay to want things? Is it okay to ask for them? Is it still okay if others don’t want the same? How can you feel safe while asking for something edgy? How do you stay open when you risk receiving a no? Come explore it with us this Wednesday ✨ Sign up for at least one gathering, and I’ll add you to the group where I share all weekly announcements: Mette’s Community Gathering ⛺️ Feb–April 2026 · Join 1–9 evenings · Donation based https://mettekoppelaar.com/mcg26 And if you’re curious about the sexuality retreat in April, joining ‘Permission to Want’ is also a good way to sense whether the retreat is for you: Rebirthing the Sensual Self 22–26 April 2026 · Berlin https://mettekoppelaar.com/rss26 Maybe see you next week!

The way you navigate sexuality can reflect how you navigate honesty, emotional and physical expression, voicing desires, saying no, and regulating your nervous system. Sex is such a mirror — and also such an opportunity to see where your expression can become more aligned, so you can create deeper intimacy and connection — with anyone, and regardless of what happens on a physical level. ✨ 2 Free Zoom Calls ✨ I’ll host two free Zoom calls on this topic: Thursday 19 Feb and Tuesday 31 March 2026, 19:30–21:30 CET. They're orientation calls for the Berlin-based Rebirthing the Sensual Self retreat (22–26 April 2026), yet you’re super welcome to join them as a standalone experience. Come as you are. Leave more regulated, more connected, and with some insightful embodied experiences 💛 Get the Zoom link in this group or check the details on the website 🔗 PS. If you’re new in this channel: No, not all my posts are about sex :) It’s just for a little while now, because it’s the period before my annual sexuality retreat 🙏