My passion as a therapist  is Somatic Psychotherapy or Body Psychotherapy. The particular approach that I study and incorporate in my practice is called The Hakomi Method. I hope this explanation will make it accessible to the visitors of my website who may not have trained as therapists and are curious about this alternative to the traditional ‘Talking Therapy’ approach. 


                                                                                        The Hakomi Method
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Hakomi is a Somatic (Body) Psychotherapy, created by Ron Kurtz, and is a little different from regular Talking Therapy. Hakomi is a Hopi Indian word, which translated means … How do I stand in relation to these many realms? … meaning … “Who am I?”. The Hakomi Method offers us more information  about ourselves because it pays close attention to what you are saying non-verbally not just verbally.

Hakomi is curious about how you organise yourself in your life, which means how you experience the world from your perspective. Your perspective (experience) is organised by ideas and habits. When the ideas that organise our experience are operating outside our consciousness, they are called Implicit Beliefs. When our actions are organised by behaviours that are automatic, outside of conscious awareness, they are called Reactions.

                       “… until you know what you're doing its hard to do anything else.”
                                                                                                                                    (Moshé Feldekrais (1904-1984)

In Hakomi we assist clients to study their present experience for clues about their implicit beliefs and reactions that influence how they live their lives. Some habits/ideas create experiences of suffering, which are, in effect, unnecessary. Unnecessary Suffering can be present because of difficult life events happening in present time and also unsupported emotional pain related to past experiences. Many of these painful past experiences were overwhelming and were not supported at the time leaving an ‘emotional irritant’ in the person’s system. The Hakomi Method is interested in helping the client become awake in the present moment and aware of the possibility that a kind of nourishing experience, formally unavailable, is available right now.

                                                                                        The Hakomi Session

A supportive environment for the client is provided. Hakomi Practitioners provide this by embodying a personal state called Loving Presence. This allows me to be connected with my client in a compassionate manner, responding in a way that is felt as caring.
Using Mindfulness, which is a gentle quiet way to slow everything down, we can notice together what is happening in the present moment. Hakomi allows me to support you, as I am trained to pay attention to two things, firstly what is happening (non-verbally) for you in the present moment, and secondly I will be noticing signs (non-verbal indicators) of how you organise yourself. Then with this information I can create little experiments to evoke habits/beliefs to study in the present moment. That’s why Hakomi is referred to as assisted self study. So, it is really about allowing the unconscious to become conscious, because ……

                                    “… when we are conscious we have choice and choice brings freedom.”
                                                                                                                                            (Donna Martin, Hakomi Legacy Holder)

When an emotional hurt comes in to present consciousness in a session it is met with an emotional support that was missing during the original event thus allowing the client’s emotions to run freely.  The old pain and it’s negative effects on the client’s system have a good chance of dissolving. Neuroplasticity is known as the brain’s ability when stimulated, to change and adapt. A new nourishing experience can be integrated fully by the client.


So, the four characteristics of the Hakomi Method are :

1. The practice of Loving Presence by the therapist.
2. A consistent focus on the present moment experience of the client, using the non-verbal information as a source of information.
3. The use of little experiments in mindfulness to assist the client to self-study when  unconscious material becomes available.
4. Movement as soon as possible in the direction of the client’s nourishing experience, formally unavailable but present right now in the hakomi session.

“core material can be examined, processed, and transformed. Transformation begins when awareness is turned mindfully toward felt, present experience; unconscious material unfolds into consciousness; barriers are attended to; and new experiences are integrated that allow for the reorganization of core beliefs. These, in turn, allow for a greater range of mental, physical, and emotional coherence and behaviour.”
                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                  Further Information

                                                                     www.hakomieducationnetwork.com
                                                                                    www.hakomi.com














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