Hakomi Experiential Psychotherapy

Hakomi is a method of body oriented psychotherapy. It is a gentle, respectful method allowing safe and deep access to core material providing the possibility for awareness and transformation. Our core material is composed of memories, images, beliefs, neural patterns, culture, etc, and this material creates and maintains images of the self and others. All of this defines our habits, character style, perceptions and our physical way of being in the world. Some of this core material supports us and some of it – often learned in response to difficult situations – limits us. Hakomi allows the person to fully witness the differences and to make adjustments accordingly. In therapy, we firstly build a relationship which maximizes safety and the co-operation of the unconscious. With that relationship in place we can then study together how experience is organized.

As clients, to change some of these old, deep habits we first need to know what they are.  We need to examine them and understand them.  Then we need to try something different.  All of that requires real courage, intelligent support and an emotionally safe setting.  The therapist (1) creates a calm, caring relationship in which we do the work we have to do; (2) helps us understand who we are at those deep levels; (3) provides a way to initiate new actions which are based on more realistic beliefs and lead to more nourishing experiences.  That’s what this method is designed to do.

This approach has some unique methods.  One is a practice called mindfulness.  In mindfulness one simply notices the changes in ones experience, in the moment, without interfering.  Clients learn to be in this state of mind for brief periods.  While they are in this state we do “little experiments” that are designed to evoke reactions which help clients become aware of their deep beliefs.  The experiments are always voluntary, safe and offer positive, emotionally nourishing ideas and/or actions.