My book
The Sense and Nonsense of Being
Why we lose connection. And how we find it again.
On perception, presence, and the way we show up — personal experience woven together with modern neuroscience and centuries-old wisdom from Buddhism, Sufism, and Christian mysticism, among others.
Join the waiting list →Published in English · October 12th 2026 · Invicti Publishing
What it is about
We do not see what is there.
We see what we are able to receive.
Why do we sometimes feel disconnected from ourselves, even when nothing appears to be missing? Why do conversations become strained, relationships superficial — and why does even success not always bring what we hoped for?
Perhaps we have not so much lost our connection with the world around us, but with the way in which we meet it.
What we perceive is coloured by the state from which we perceive — by experience, by belief, and by the condition of the nervous system. When that way of perceiving changes, so does our relationship with ourselves, with others, and with life.
The book follows the six senses — seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling and emotional awareness — not as biological functions, but as gateways to a deeper quality of presence. Not an encyclopedia, but a spiral that turns ever deeper towards the same core.
Eight chapters
From sense to insight
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1
Eye consciousness · Seeing as self-recognition
How what we perceive is coloured by the state from which we look.
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2
Ear consciousness · Listening beyond words
Hearing what is truly being said — and what is not.
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3
Nose consciousness · The sense without a filter
Scent as a direct entrance to memory — the sense that arrives fastest and reaches deepest.
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4
Tongue consciousness · Tasting as an exercise in presence
What becomes possible when consuming makes way for receiving.
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5
Physical awareness · The body as a living archive
The instrument of knowing that the mind often no longer hears.
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6
Emotional awareness · The inner landscape
Emotion as a compass, not a disturbance.
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7
The unity of one · The vehicle through which you perceive
The nervous system as a mirror, the six realms as a landscape, and the shift in perspective that connects them.
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8
You are how you perceive · The question that brings everything together
Not what we see, but the state from which we look.
From the foreword
“I promise you’ll discover a deeper insight or a new level of awareness, even if it is subtle. The subtleties, in fact, often bring some of the most important messages.”
“What Steven offers is not a “technique”; he expands our capacities for perception. ”
Published in English · 12 October 2026
Ten people from this list will join.
On Friday 20 November I am hosting a day retreat built around the book: A Day of Slowing Down, an introduction to the practices it describes. Ten of the fifteen places go to this waiting list — free of charge, where a place normally costs €225, lunch and workbook included.
It is a try-out. The only thing I ask in return is three sentences at the end of the day about how it was for you. I use them to sharpen the programme and, with your permission, on the website.
The retreat is held in Dutch, near Utrecht.
You will receive one further message around the book's release, and after that only the newsletter, if you want it.
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