​Farewell to Martin Niemeijer

Bestselling author leaves Bolk's Companions Group

 

Martin Niemeijer, who was a member of the Bolk’s Companions Group for ten years, bid farewell to his colleagues in May 2026. Gratitude was expressed to Martin, who, with great dedication, not only managed the group’s logistical support but also took the initiative to organize Companion team research into two fundamental themes on the subject of social inclusion.

 

The first was the constitution pictures, a topic on which he himself had previously conducted the most research. The second theme is attachment. For Martin, both themes were not merely specific medical topics but also held a broader human significance.
The theme of the constitution pictures is derived from Dr. Rudolf Steiner’s lectures in the book Healing Education. The pictures are “archetypal images” of child development—about arriving in one’s own body, becoming at home in it, and mastering it as a physical instrument. In the care of children, these pictures aid in diagnosis and the selection of therapeutic approaches.

Bestseller
Martin’s first Companion, From Special Needs to Realizing Your Full Potential: Working with Constitution Pictures (GVO 16 and 17), is a hit and has a great number of downloads. Martin’s second topic, Attachment, is currently being edited for publication in collaboration with pedagogue Loïs Eijgenraam. See also the interview with Majella van Maaren in this Newsletter.
Martin feels both understanding and writing about the background of his practice as a physician to be important. Both are essential for the Bolk’s Companions. 
Through his many years of work at the clinic and outpatient center of the Zonnehuizen in Zeist, Netherlands—a facility for children with developmental challenges—Martin gained extensive experience in the field of socially inclusive development in children. As a researcher, he had previously been involved with research departments in social pedagogy and the Chair of Anthroposophic Healthcare at Leiden University of Applied Sciences. At Bolk’s Companions, he encountered the educational side of Goethean phenomenology, which he found deeply fascinating. His authentic contributions to the frequent group discussions offered fresh perspectives and will be missed.

More People
He hopes to see continued engagement with the themes he brought to the Bolk’s Companions Group. He hopes that even more people will be reached and that individuals will be found to carry on the work—people who bring their own contributions and thereby ensure that the Companions’ approach continues to work in the world.
We thank Martin once again for his support and contributions to the Bolk’s Companions and wish him much joy and fulfillment in the next, perhaps quieter(?), phase of his life!