I will tell you about haptonomy and reintroducing a lost sense.
Before we start , I will tell you how and when Haptonomy came into
my life.
I am born in a big family in a small rural village in the North of the
Netherlands.
Right in the middle of the village was the church. In this church my
parents baptized year after year a new born baby .
I am the eldest daughter and grew up with 7 brothers and 3 younger
sisters.
When I was sixteen, I left home to become an au pair in England.
After this period I established myself in Utrecht, a city in the middle
of the Netherlands where I became a nurse in a hospital.
It was my goal to take care after people and give them warm
attention .
After a couple of years I became disappointed because of being too
busy without being able to really care for the patients.
So I decided to switch and become a social worker . I believed that I
would have more time to care, listen and help clients solving their
problems.
May be I have worked too hard ?
May be I tried too hard to help ?
Whatever, I became very tired and decided to work less hours.
Then I went to the University of Amsterdam to study philosophy.
Till a day in November 1986 , the day that one of my brothers died.
He was one year older but as children we were very close.
During several years as small children we shared the same bed.
Before we were going to sleep we told each one about our fears and
difficulties.
When I left home I did not have the chance to see him very often .
So I did not know that life was so hard for him until the day he passed
away, the day he decided that he could not live anymore.
When this happened I already worked as a social worker during many
years.
I talked to many people about their sorrows and pains.
And all of a sudden I was in deep pain myself.
I wondered if I should consult a therapist .
But I had no words.
I was also afraid to cry because I thought I would never stop.
Then a friend told me about a new type of therapy called
Haptonomy.
She said that this therapy is more about feeling and touching than
talking and understanding.
But she also said that it was difficult to explain.
I decided to try it and contacted a Haptonomy therapist
I clearly remember my first session and was astonished and
surprised.
For the first time I could really feel myself and felt what was going on
in my body.
The therapist touched me respectfully and with care which gave me
the shelter I needed so much at that moment.
For the first time I could cry deeply from within.
After that treatment I felt quiet and amazed how much a caring and
loving touch could mean to me .
I had several of these sessions.
After a few weeks I was able to deal with my pain and grief and felt
more resilience.
When people asked me about Haptonomy, I also found it difficult to
explain.
But I realized I had discovered something very special of which I
wanted to know, read and learn much more.
It was amazing for me to see that so few people knew about
haptonomy.
This was exactly what I have been looking for in my life and I decided
to go to the Academy of Haptonomy to follow the education for
several years.
After graduating I started my own practice as a therapist and also
became a teacher at the Academy.
Since then I wrote 3 books about Haptonomy .
And now I will start this Vlog/ Blog to tell and teach you all about
Haptonomy so you can develop your own feelings and touch to
become more graceful and happy.
If you have questions please leave your comments below.
