Villa Torrent & Patrick
From Amsterdam to Space
My name is Patrick (42). Three years ago, I left the Netherlands for Spain, looking for peace, space and a different way of living.
After my student years in Tilburg, I ended up in Amsterdam, where I worked as a sales manager at our startup. In 2016, we successfully sold the company to an American-Canadian company and I stayed on board for another two years.
Business was going well, but personally I struggled with addiction. After two clinical admissions, I knew in 2021 that something had to change.
I took a sabbatical and spent a year in the Amerongen forest. That's where recovery and clarity emerged. I noticed how big the influence of your environment is when you really want to change something.
A new beginning in Spain
Not much later, I emigrated to Spain and found Villa Torrent: in the middle of the countryside, close to Valencia.
Together with my dog Guus, I started over here. Now it's three dogs and eight chickens.​
Here I discovered how good nature, movement and simplicity are for me. Long walks, healthy food and slowing down naturally became part of my life.
Villa Torrent became my home.
From home to a place for recovery
Villa Torrent consists of my house and three rental cottages. In my second year here, I gained experience organizing retreats.
I got to know the area, found the most beautiful walking routes and cooked more and more often for small groups.
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What touched me was how quickly people found peace. Not through a full program, but through simplicity, nature and being together.
That's how the idea arose to open Villa Torrent to others in recovery.
Why Villa Torrent
Because environment matters
Villa Torrent is not a treatment and not a therapy.
It's a safe, peaceful place for people who are sober and want to land for a while. A place alongside or between recovery steps, with a small group of like-minded people.
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The focus is on being outside, moving without pressure, eating well and space for rest and reflection. Without rush. Without judgment.
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I guide the retreats from my own experience and with respect for everyone's process. You don't have to solve anything here. You can just be.
