Exploring the Hakomi Method of Mindful Psychotherapy
The Hakomi Method offers a unique approach to psychotherapy that combines mindfulness, compassion, and somatic awareness to foster personal growth and healing. Originally developed in the late 1970s by Ron Kurtz, Hakomi is influenced by humanistic psychology and Eastern philosophical traditions. Ron Kurtz, along with Dr. Pat Ogden and several other co-founders, created the Hakomi Institute in the 1980s. The institute provides trainings throughout the globe with the help of their esteemed faculty, including Board of Director member, Manuela Mischke-Reeds. Both Manuela Mischke-Reeds and Dr. Pat Ogden will be bringing their years of experience to The Embody Lab’s Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate Program commencing September 2023.
Principles of Hakomi
There are five core principles at the heart of the Hakomi Method that guide its use:
Mindfulness: A calm and attentive state, where one’s attention is focused on the present moment. Distractions are minimized and the mind is quieted, allowing awareness of sensations, emotions, and thoughts as they arise. From this state, it is often possible to become aware of unconscious thoughts and feelings.
Organicity: The idea that the human organism is a wise living system with the ability to organize, correct, and maintain itself. Each person possesses the ability to heal and has an inner wisdom that guides the healing process. The role of a Hakomi therapist is to encourage a client’s innate wisdom on their healing journey.
Non-violence: A collaborative relationship between the therapist and client whereby the therapist allows the client’s innate healing process to unfold without interference. Defences are viewed as tools that the client has used up until this point to manage their emotional experiences, and are therefore approached with respect and support rather than forceful attempts to change them.
Mind-body integration: The notion that mind, body, and spirit are interconnected and influence each other as well as a person’s beliefs. The core beliefs that someone holds about themselves and the world are evident not only in their thoughts and behaviours but also manifest in their physical and somatic experiences.
Unity: Individuals exist as interdependent parts that collaborate to maintain the overall health of the system. In a social context, individuals are also considered both interconnected and interdependent; therefore, Hakomi therapists can help their clients overcome imbalances that exist between clients and others to create an environment of presence and support.
Elements of a Hakomi Session
Hakomi therapists typically follow a sequence in their sessions that involves four main elements:
Contact: The process of creating safety for the client, so that they feel willing to actively participate in the therapeutic process.
Accessing: Mindfulness techniques are used to help the client explore their unconscious yet deeply held beliefs.
Processing: The therapist observes the client’s experiences and reactions and helps to create new experiences. Therapists will use positive statements (“experiments”) and ask the client to observe their response to the statement, noticing their somatic experience and any internal defenses or barriers that may arise.
Integration: The therapist and client work together to explore the insights that arise during the session. Integration involves offering practical guidance on how these insights can positively impact the client’s life.
The Role of the Body in Hakomi
Hakomi is a body-centered therapy that recognizes that the body carries memories and emotional imprints. Through mindful awareness of bodily sensations, unconscious beliefs and emotional experiences can be brought to the surface. A Hakomi therapist may use gentle touch or encourage slow, mindful movements to help clients access unconscious or repressed beliefs and emotional experiences. Through gentle somatic exploration, clients often experience breakthroughs and a release of emotional blockages and physical tension.
Ron Kurtz’ Hakomi Method offers a compassionate and mindful approach to psychotherapy. Through its core principles of mindfulness, organicity, non-violence, mind-body integration, and unity, clients are encouraged to get in touch with their unconscious beliefs and repressed emotions to facilitate healing and self-growth.
