Wendy Van Nooten
"Osteopathy is the art of listening to what the body is telling us, and the science of understanding what it needs."
Movement as My First Language
From the age of four, I trained intensively as a gymnast, competing at a national level in Belgium. Movement and body awareness therefore became a central thread throughout my life, laying the foundation for a lifelong fascination with the way the human body functions. This curiosity later led me to explore a wide range of disciplines, including various sports, yoga teacher trainings, meditation, dance, and many years of personal inner development. I am also a certified snowboard instructor. For more than twenty years, I have continued to study health, consciousness, and complementary medicine through postgraduate education and trainings around the world.
A Scientific Foundation
I grew up in a highly scientific environment—my father is a professor and cardiac surgeon, and my mother a cardiologist—which fostered a critical and analytical way of thinking from an early age. In 2003, I obtained my Master’s degree in Sport and Movement Sciences from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), followed by my osteopathy training at the International Academy of Osteopathy (IAO) in Ghent. I have been practising as an osteopath since 2007. After graduating, I worked as an assistant lecturer and taught osteopathy for nine years at several osteopathic training institutes, both nationally and internationally—an experience that further strengthened my scientific foundation.
The Moment That Changed My Work
During my osteopathy studies, I was involved in a traffic accident in which the car I was travelling in was struck by a truck, resulting in my first traumatic brain injury. My own recovery process brought me into close contact with cranial osteopathy and profoundly changed the way I understand the subtle effects that trauma can have on the nervous system and the body as a whole.
The craniosacral system refers to the functional relationship between the cranium (skull) and the sacrum, including the central nervous system, the spinal cord, the body’s stress response system, and the surrounding membranes and connective tissues. It requires a refined approach to both assessment and treatment, in which subtle palpation and gentle therapeutic intervention are central.
Where Science and Clinical Sensitivity Meet
Today, these worlds form the foundation of my work: a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, combined with the ability to perceive subtle patterns and tensions within the body. For me, science and refined clinical palpation are not opposites—they complement one another. By nature, I am highly sensitive and often perceive where tension or emotion is being held within the body. Through many years of personal development, I have learned to trust this sensitivity while always integrating it with analytical reasoning and scientific understanding.
During treatment, I aim not only to understand where a symptom is located, but also what the body may be trying to communicate—both from a clinical and an emotional perspective. Symptoms can reflect movement restrictions, compensatory patterns, chronic stress, or protective mechanisms. By carefully listening to the tissues and responding to the body’s signals, space is created for change, adaptation, and recovery.
I have a particular affinity for persistent, therapy-resistant complaints and for supporting people who are going through physically or emotionally demanding periods of life. In recent years, I have specialized in hormonal health and the complex role hormones play in overall wellbeing.
Who I Treat
In my practice, I treat a broad range of conditions, including headaches, neck and back pain, chronic pain, digestive disorders, hyperventilation-related complaints, sleep disturbances, hormonal and menstrual concerns, stress-related symptoms, and I provide support for people trying to conceive.
A craniosacral approach can also be particularly valuable for people recovering from whiplash injuries, concussion, and the long-term effects of physical trauma.
A Special Passion: Babies and Children
Because of my gentle and refined way of working, I have developed a particular passion for treating babies and children. I enjoy working with infants experiencing excessive crying, sleep difficulties, digestive complaints, reflux, and skin conditions, as well as children who experience high levels of tension, have difficulty expressing themselves, or would benefit from support in their growth and development. The subtle nature of craniosacral osteopathy makes it especially well suited to the developing and vulnerable nervous system of infants and children. It is therefore a patient group that I treat with great care, warmth, and genuine attention.