Hakomi Method
What is "Hakomi"?
Hakomi is a method that was created and developed by the late Ron Kurtz. He originally called it Body-centered Psychotherapy. Hakomi was originally referred to as “body-centered” because the information about someone’s present experience and how someone is organizing experience is more available from nonverbal expression than from what the person says in words. As the method developed and expanded beyond the psychotherapy setting, he began to call it “mindfulness-based assisted self-study and self-discovery”.
Hakomi is interested in studying the organization of experience. To do this, Hakomi uses mindfulness – a kind of quiet, non-interfering attention to present moment experience – and little experiments to evoke experiences to study. The attention in Hakomi is on present experience.
The Hakomi practitioner pays attention to two things about present experience: first, what it is (i.e. what is happening now); and secondly, how it is being organized. So, we are tracking signs of the client’s present experience and looking for indicators of how the client is organizing their experience based on habits and beliefs.
Loving Presence & the Principles of Hakomi
Hakomi is the therapeutic expression of a specific set of Principles: Unity, Mind-Body Holism, Organicity, Mindfulness, and Nonviolence.
Loving Presence
Ron Kurtz called the compassionate, open stance of the therapist Loving Presence. He emphasized this relational aspect of mindfulness after reading research indicating that the personhood or inner state of the therapist is at least eight times more predictive of therapeutic success than the methods used (Mahoney, 1991).
The practice of Loving Presence arouses the heart to see beauty in suffering and find grace and ease in being with uncertainty. It cultivates a state of appreciation for the inspiring qualities within each human being and, therefore, every client.
Although Ron never officially added it to his five original principles, we include it here to honor the centrality of loving presence in Hakomi.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness refers to the understanding that real change comes about through awareness, not efforting. When we are truly aware of our experience, our experience naturally reveals its inherent meaning, and it continues evolving in a self-directed, life-positive direction.
As practitioners, we trust that if we can assist the client into her present-moment somatic experience, then her own awareness will facilitate whatever change or next step needs to occur.
Non-violence
Non-violence is being mindful of the principle and presence of organicity. It’s the recognition that there is a natural way that life is unfolding, and aligning ourselves with this organic, intelligent process. As practitioners, this means we have no agendas or intentions of our own that we aren’t willing to abandon at once if they somehow conflict with what is emerging from the client. It means we support the client’s so-called defences (her “management behaviors”); we don’t offer advice or interpretations; and we don’t ask questions unless doing so serves the client.
Unity
Unity reminds us of the inter-connectedness of all things, of all life, of all events. It is holism on a universal scale. As practitioners, unity reminds us of the ever-bigger picture, of the fact that we are intimately connected to each other, and connected to our culture, our environment, our world.
Holism
Holism refers to the complexity and inter-relatedness of organic systems, including human beings, with our minds and bodies, hearts and souls. It is what allows us to holographically read a person’s life story in her posture or tone of voice, to infer an entire childhood from a single memory, to suspect certain core, organizing beliefs from simple repetitive gestures or words.
Organicity
Organicity refers to the fact that complex living systems, such as human beings, are self-organizing and self-directing. In the psychotherapeutic world, this inner thrust has been referred by Carl Rogers as the actualizing tendency. It is akin to what A. H. Almaas calls the “dynamic optimizing thrust of being”.
This means that, as practitioners, we can assume there is a life-positive, self-directing, self-healing energy and intelligence at work within the client. Our task is simply to create the setting, the emotional climate that facilitates the emergence of this natural impulse toward health and to remembering wholeness.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Hakomi is assisted self discovery to help you develop a practice of mindfulness to learn about your inner beliefs and how you organise your life around them. Developed by Ron Kurtz in the 1970s, it incorporates principles of mindfulness, experiential exploration, and gentle guidance to help clients access and understand their inner experiences.
In a typical session, the practitioner assists the client in becoming aware of their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, promoting a safe space for self-discovery. Through this process, clients can uncover and address underlying beliefs and patterns that influence their behavior and emotional responses, ultimately leading to healing and personal transformation.
- It can help you tap into your strengths and resources. Some of which you might not even be aware of.
It can help you respond to challenges and difficult situations with more options.
It can help soften painful memories and experiences and support you to feel more positively connected to life and other people.
My Hakomi session usually lasts between 45 – 60 minutes, allowing ample time for exploration and processing. The number of sessions required can vary significantly based on individual needs, goals, and the complexity of the issues being addressed.
Some individuals may find relief or discover valuable insights in just a few sessions, while others might benefit from ongoing sessions over several months. The duration of the session is collaborative, with the practitioner and client working together to assess progress and determine when it may be appropriate to conclude or continue the sessions. Ultimately, the pace and frequency of sessions depend on the client’s unique journey and goals.
Please visit website : https://www.hakomieducation.net/ for moreinformation
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