Johannes B. Schmidt, trauma therapist, a.o. trained in Somatic Experiencing (Peter Levine), Craniosacral Biodynamics (Franklyn Sills) and Systematic Constellation Work (Hellinger) and author of the book INNER NAVIGATION, wrote me:

Dear Jaap,
I send this email today to just let you know that your seminar and you as the person you are are still with us. ... I enjoyed to see you, your struggle, your anger, your enthusiam and in short, the richness of your personality and also very much the message you brought across in your workshop.
The seminar is still very closely with us and the first 3 days afterwards we felt like being in another world. We were and still are very touched and also estranged from the world around us .
I every now and then manage to read a few pages of your book "Dynamik der Morphologie und Entwicklung der menschlichen Gestalt" and I have to say that for me it is essential to have met you before reading this as to understand, feel and resonate with "the flesh on the bones", which is the way you live what you teach.
Warmly,  Johannes

For me as a longstanding Psychotherapist with specialization in Constellational Trauma work, body-based Trauma work and Craniosacral Work Jaap van der Wal is one of THE most competent and distinguished presenters in his field that I have met for years. Apart from his wide and most enlightening knowledge base his personality and personal engagement in the issue is a rare and most appealing gift. His lecture changed my view of people and my personal attitude towards the existence of human beings. Jaap van der Wal speaks from a admirable stance of personal experience, academic expertise and compassionate resonance with his audience. His critical mind and heartfelt love for people flavours the anyway relevant issues of his lecture with a compelling immediacy. From my point of view meeting Jaap van der Wal is an indispensable must for every professional trauma-therapist and craniosacral therapist to widen one's view on the work therapists do and gain an in-depth understanding of the existential situation of us human beings.

Ray Castellino [Doctor of Chiropractic (retired), Registered Craniosacral Therapist, Registered Polarity Practitioner], the Clinical Director of the Institute for Prenatal and Birth Training, Santa Barbara, USA  wrote:

Jaap van der Wal gives voice to the embryo and takes his students there with him. Studying with Dr. van der Wal is a must for all practitioners and students interested in  pre and peri natal psychology, cranial sacral therapy, polarity therapy and embryology. Dr. van der Wal's passion is inspiring and deepened my keen interest and understanding in embryology. I find that his teaching helped me see and feel the presence of the embryo in a way that is directly applicable to my work. It is a privilege to study with him.

Ray Castellino, DC, RCST, RPP.

January 2006
 
In Spanish:

Jaap van der Wal da voz al embrión y lleva a sus alumnos allí con él. Estudiar con el doctor Van der Wal es imprescindible para los terapeutas y estudiantes interesados en la psicología pre y perinatal, en el terapia craneosacral, en la terapia de polaridad y en la embriología. La pasión del doctor Van der Wal es inspiradora y profundizó mi gran interés por entender la embriología. Considero que esta enseñanza me ha ayudado a ver y sentir la presencia del embrión de un modo que puedo aplicar directamente en mi trabajo. Es un privilegio estudiar con él. 

Ray Castellano, terapeuta craneosacral registrado.

Michael Shea, PhD, Craniosacral Therapist and Director of  Shea Cranial Education Group, Inc. 2006 Juno Beach, Florida, USA, wrote in January 2006:

"I invited Dr. van der Wal to come to the United States and teach several years ago.  I had heard him lecture on embryology and life development at a conference and found his teaching to be very important and especially for therapists.  He excels as an embryologist, a philosopher and a physician.  This background and his depth of knowledge in these fields allow him to relate to the therapy community of cranial practitioners and many others in the health care professions. His knowledge and skill at imparting it is absolutely necessary in healing today’s culture and society. Embryology is now a fact of life in the consciousness of the planet.  It is our new anatomy and new spirituality. Dr. van der Wal is able to show us how the embryo is still present in our adult body and how it speaks to us, not just as a figure of speech but as a reality in our daily bodily life.  His teaching is vital to have an understanding of life. I recommend everyone study with him in order to find their own embryo and learn how to relate to its healing abilities." 

In Spanish:

Hace algunos años invité al doctor van der Wal a venir a los Estados Unidos para enseñar. Le había oído hablar sobre embriología y desarrollo de la vida en una conferencia y hallé que sus enseñanzas soy muy importantes, especialmente para los terapeutas. Él es único como embriólogo, físico y médico. Su amplia formación y su profundo conocimiento de estos campos le permiten relacionarse con la comunidad de terapeutas craneosacrales y muchos otros profesionales de la salud. Sus conocimientos y su habilidad al impartirlos son absolutamente necesarios para sanar nuestra cultura y sociedad. Actualmente la embriología es un hecho de la vida en la conciencia del planeta. Es nuestra nueva anatomía y nuestra nueva espiritualidad. El doctor van der Val es capaz de mostrarnos cómo el embrión sigue presente en nuestro cuerpo adulto y cómo nos habla, no sólo figurativamente, sino como una realidad de nuestra vida cotidiana. Su enseñanza es vital para comprender la vida. Recomiendo a todo el mundo que estudie con él para que cada uno pueda encontrar su propio embrión y aprenda a relacionarse con sus habilidades sanadoras.

Doctor Michael Shea , doctor en filosofía, terapeuta craneosacral registrado

13878 Oleander Avenue, Juno Beach, Florida

Michael Kern, author of the book WISDOM OF THE BODY and   Course Director of Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust in London, senior lecturer for the University of Westminster and College of Osteopaths, and author of the acclaimed book 'Wisdom In The Body – The Craniosacral Approach to Essential Health".

“Jaap van der Wal's work is of great relevance to an understanding of biodynamic craniosacral therapy because the movements of our embryological development are driven by the same organising forces that continue throughout life and are expressed as the motion patterns of "primary respiration". If we understand the motions of embryological development we come closer to an understanding of the forces that fundamentally organise our form and function”.

In Spanish:

“El trabajo de Jaap van der Wal es de gran relevancia para entender la terapia craneosacral biodinámica porque los movimientos de nuestros desarrollo embriológico están conducidos por las mismas fuerzas organizadoras que continúan a lo largo de la vida y se expresan en los patrones de movimiento de la “respiración primaria”. Si comprendemos los movimientos del desarrollo embriológico, nos acercamos al entendimiento de las fuerzas que organizan fundamentalmente nuestra forma y función”.

Michael Kern es director del curso del Craniosacral Therapy Education Trust en Londres, conferenciante para la Universidad de Westminster y el Colegio de Osteópatas y autor del aclamado “Libro completo de la terapia craneosacral”.

Caryl Johnston, Summer course RSI Vermont 2004:

"I began reading your articles and enjoyed them in anticipation of your course "Human conception - overcoming reproduction" is truly deeply interesting and amazing research".