Hula instructor Iwalani Tseu has been called many names — hoarder, knick-knack lady, pack rat, clutterbug.

While some people saw Tseu's excessive accumulation of trinkets and antique goods as quirky and maybe a little funny, she says the problem was a manifestation of deep psychological issues.

"There was so much emotional stuff going on in my marriage," said Tseu, who is now a recovering clutterer. "I would go out and see something beautiful and bring it home to fill a void."

After finally realizing she "no longer owned the stuff, the stuff owned" her, Tseu decided to purge her 3,000-square-foot Mililani home. But even after years of donating and giving things away, she still has a whole lot of stuff.

"I'm still purging," Tseu said. "I make it a mental game to get rid of something every day."

And Tseu is not alone. An untold number of people are dealing with their own clutter. The problem is so prevalent that it has its own industry. Professional organizers advertise their services in the phone book — some have their own television show — there are tons of books dedicated to the topic and national and local support groups.

One local support group, the ClutterStompers, has nearly 300 members, all of whom are dealing with some degree of hoarding compulsion. Just drive down almost any street on O'ahu and you'll spot at least one home with possessions oozing onto porches, into garages, no longer fitting in the house.

Clutter can manifest for all kinds of reasons, said David Tasaka, co-founder of ClutterStompers. Some people can't get rid of stuff because they have deep-seated fears that they may need them someday. Others hang on to the floor-to-ceiling piles of newspapers and magazines because they have become the most stable part of their lives.

"Our particular approach is looking at causational factors rather than symptoms. The symptom is the clutter. What's causing it could be anything," Tasaka said.

Personal organizer Marilyn Nagel said like any addiction or compulsive behavior, a person has to realize that he or she has a problem first.

"You can drink a glass of wine, but you're not an alcoholic. But for other people, they really do have an addiction," she said.

"If you're in control of your clutter, it may not be a problem. But when you're not in control, that's when it becomes serious."

In Tseu's case, she'd been collecting trinkets for more than 30 years during her travels around the world. But for eight years, her pack-rat tendencies were exacerbated because of her troubled marriage, she said.

"When you're at dis-ease, that's when disease can set in," Tseu said. "I had a lot of beautiful things, but it got to the point where my home started to look like an antique shop."

While clutter is not unique to Hawai'i, Tseu said, local culture and beliefs can contribute to a pack rat's behavior.

"In Hawai'i, we know that everything has its own special mana. How do you get rid of that?" she said.

She also said many local tutu or elders tend to accumulate because they grew up with very little.

"My mother is 83, and she has all this stuff. She's the eldest of 10, and when she was growing up, she had absolutely nothing, and now with tons of stuff, it makes her feel like she has a lot."

Tseu's home is still filled with Hawaiian collectibles, souvenirs amassed on trips through Europe and Asia, and personal memorabilia — framed newspaper clippings, autographed photographs, certificates and awards.

Even though her home still resembles a small museum, she says, it has come a long way from the days of overflowing closets, a six-car garage full of clothes and blocked walkways. Now divorced, she said she has learned to accept and move on.

"I had a lot of beautiful things, but after a while, it doesn't look too beautiful because I had so much of it," Tseu said.

Tseu said what helped her overcome her hoarding was the feeling she got each time she gave away something she treasured.

"I really believe it goes back to good health. When you start changing things around and giving things away, it gives you a new feeling," she said.

OVERCOMING HOARDING

Some pack rats seek the help of personal organizers to get their lives in order, but not everyone can afford it. Local personal organizer and life coach Marilyn Nagel offers the use of her trademarked "AAHAA!" system:

Acceptance: Accept whether or not you have a problem and acknowledge the need to change.

Assess or analyze the situation: How bad is it, and how would you like the situation to be?

How to: Find resources, books or people to help figure out how to take action.

Action: "You can't get anywhere without taking the first step," Nagel said.

Accountability: "This is as important as everything else," Nagel said. Find someone — a support group, a friend, a partner or a relative — "who will hold you accountable but won't make you wrong when you don't do it."

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.