US psychotherapist uses creativity to heal

Holwerda, first came to Vietnam as a visitor in 2008. His
niece was living in Vung Tau and had just given birth to her first child, so he
stayed for a month and began to love the way of life in Vietnam.

He returned to Vietnam in 2009 and moved to Hanoi in
2011, when he started working as a psychotherapist at Family Medical Practice
and as a teacher of psychology at Griggs University. Soon he
co-founded the Hanoi Counseling Psychology Group.

When he looks back on a decade of experience here, he still
remembers his first impressions of Vietnam – how hot it was and how people
driving motorbikes filled the streets.

“I do remember that I felt comfortable and welcome,” he adds.

“Now that I have lived in Vietnam for a fairly long
time, all the things that seemed so amazing to me because they were so
different than what I was accustomed to have become more natural,” he said.
“But I still sometimes feel amazed and see life here as an adventure.”

“It is difficult to explain, but I feel a kind of freedom
here that I do not feel in the US”.

The once-daunting motorbike traffic has become a
source of joy for him.

“Motorbike travel is so much better than sitting in a car
stopped at a red light in a long line of traffic so familiar in Seattle,
where I am from,” he says. “I love taking trips into the countryside to see the
beauty and simple life that still exists”.

Living here has also enabled him to explore and grow within
his profession, as he forms connections and introduces new psychotherapy
programmes for Hanoians.

 He has recently started offering a lecture series on
“Empowerment”, designed to increase participants’ awareness of basic principles
used in psychotherapy so that can they can better know themselves, relate to
others and find their place in the world.

Holwerda feels very strongly about the creative
process. He stresses that one of the ways that people find healing is through
creative expression and a playful attitude. “It helps us to live in our bodies,
to be present, to explore new and different aspects of ourselves, overcome
inhibitions, to connect with others and to enjoy living life.”

“I almost always feel better after I have participated in
some creative activity, whether it is dance and movement or singing or painting
or just playing. I think it has value for all people and I am happy when I see
those who try it and discover some joy in the process. So many people think, ‘I
am not creative.’ But don’t realise that they really are if they let go and
enjoy experimenting with new things.”

Over the past few years Holwerda has organised many workshops
and lectures about this type of therapy, along with dancer Bui Tuyet Minh, the
leader of the Dance/Movement therapy group in Hanoi.

He developed “Creative Play”, which is now part of the
Dance/Movement therapy group, in Seattle 25 years ago with some
university colleagues. They decided to ask the question “What is creativity?”
and attempted to answer it by exploring different mediums like movement,
sounding, painting and role-playing.

They experimented with it together for six years almost every
week and came to see it as a way to learn how to be spontaneous, less inhibited
and more light-hearted. They could also see that it rubbed off onto other
aspects of their lives.

Over the past few years, Holwerda and his partners in the
Dance/Movement group have introduced these ideas to interested people in a
series of workshops. He said, “I love to see people playing with movement and
sound. It is amazing to see how fun it is to explore the corners of what is
possible. I also love to play with balloons… they almost always bring a smile
to those who are playing with them.”

Holwerda leaves Vietnam every summer to visit his family,
including his mother who happily lives in Michigan at the age of 89.
He spends the rest of the year in Vietnam to offer support and help people who
are dealing with the problems of life.

“For me the creative side of myself keeps me in touch with my
inner child, free to be spontaneous and find joy in the simple things of life.
I feel empowered to just be myself. I also think it helps me be a better
psychotherapist, present to others in ways that are helpful,” he said.-VNA