I have been treating people with physical and psychological problems for over 30 years. My deep interest for healing the human body started when, as a young top athlete, I got injured badly because I ignored my feelings while playing in the Dutch national hockey team. The injury ended my top athlete carrier, but has set me on a journey of learning and healing.
I have been working as a physiotherapist and haptotherapist. I deeply understand the body’s mechanism and its inner language and know how to work towards it’s healing.
In my work I offer a broad approach, which includes giving attention to the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. The main focus is on exploring the movements of the body; how one moves and especially what is moving inside the body and what is stuck.
I guide my clients to explore and listen inwardly, to look for and sense the clues the body gives about the emotional and mental issues that he or she is struggling with.
In my work I often meet people who are stuck in life. Some have reached a burnout collapse, or are rapidly approaching it. Some people suffer from some kind of fear or have physical distress and come for relief or healing. There are also people who are experiencing some kind of crisis and are searching for themselves and the direction they want to move on to in their lives.
I often notice that people experienced a disconnection from their inner life; they have no knowledge of, or not enough contact with their ‘inner compass’.
Without an inner compass we all risk getting lost in the overwhelming demands others and life has of us. For many generation, as kids we were all raised and trained to look only outside in order to understand what is important. No parental or school education encouraged and directed us to look inside, to get to know who we really are and to find and trust the inner compass.
I too was one of those kids. I had talent for hockey and I was extremely motivated and pushed myself hard and reached the top: the Dutch national team. At the time I experienced that it gave me happiness, it also gave me a lots of friends and fun. I also learned that by setting goals and having tough discipline, I would achieve better results. However, in my ambition, passion and dedication to succeed I had no balance. I gave everything I had and ignored my inner self and pushed over my own physical and emotional boundaries. When I was emotionally vulnerable because my parents divorced, playing hockey became a way to supress my sad feelings. I started pushing too hard and by going over my limitations, it resulted in a serious injury. I learned to look inside the hard way.
In the journey that followed, during my education for haptotherapist, I learned that each body has its own boundaries and has signals indicating when we approach the boundaries and when we have gone over them.
Physical suffering as well as burn out often happen after a long period of ignoring the signals and constantly going over one’s own boundaries.
I help my clients the art of reading their ‘inner manual’ and respond adequately to it. Listening inwardly helps to recognise the signals when we need to learn to stop in time and rest before we have already gone over the boundary.
I help my clients to develop a better contact with their inner compass so they can make choices that empower their life instead of choices that drain them of energy.
Another important thing that I learned is that reaching success, in top sport or at any other field, has very little to do with happiness. In their desire for happiness so many are searching for gratification, hungrily looking for it outside; over-working for appreciation or so they can own a lot of stuff, over-travelling out of a strong need to relax, excessive physical training, over-eating, drinking and drugging, or desperately seeking relationships.
I learned that all these “over-activities” are often due to feelings of uneasiness or an expression of a sense of lack or emptiness of some kind. A suffering from INSIDE.
When I started looking for the solution inside I found my way back to happiness and gratefulness. I got to know my inner compass which gives me, day by day, the sense of direction and the power of choice. My spiritual experiences showed me the unique path I am on in the inner map of my life. This was and still is an on going inner work of consciousness development.
I have learned that everyone carries his or hers own inner compass and unique map. With a commitment to do the inner consciousness work and with some support, one can find both and their guidance will become available.
The only thing we really own is our ‘steering wheel’, our consciousness. For me consciousness is the key to happiness, inner peace and a meaningful life.
I have learned that having more physical, emotional, mental and spiritual balance is important for being able to continue to really be in life and do what really matters.
Every life is more than special, however life doesn’t spare you. Life didn’t (and it still doesn’t) spare me either. Even though I’m a therapist and I have many tools; life isn’t always easy.
I also meet difficult challenges; I struggle with myself, with my body, with my fears and with others.
I know that when this happens, after it has been peaceful for a while, it means that another change is needed. That I am called to grow and I will have to move outside my comfort zone again in order to meet the unknown. To meet the new growth that is calling me. I also know that I cannot do it alone so I reach out to get the support I need for my process.
Sport still plays a big role in my life. I am still active as a hockey player at veterans level, (also internationally) and I have also been able to guide various teams and athletes on their way to success.