Jacob Vermeulen

I started with singing. For the better part of twenty years I taught authentic singing — holidays, workshops, retreats — fascinated less by technique than by something underneath it: change how a person feels, and the voice changes on its own. The reverse turned out to be true too. That was the thread I kept pulling.

Then life did what life does, and my focus moved from singing to sounding — from the voice that reaches for a beautiful note to the voice that tells the truth about what’s happening inside, in this exact moment. Both are real; I simply followed the second one. Out of that, over years and a great many sessions, Somatic Vocal Healing took shape.

I don’t think of myself as a healer. I hold space; people heal themselves. My job is to make that safe and possible, and then to get out of the way. I’ve had the privilege of doing this with thousands of people across Europe and South Africa, online and in person — and I’m still learning what the voice can do.

Jacob lives in Belgium with his partner, Lieselot. He works in English; the German-language practice is led by Carmen & Lorenz, and he collaborates with Karen Evans, Daniela Hess, and Lesanne across courses and retreats. He is currently writing his first book, Healing, Honestly.