Hakomi: Mindfulness-Based Somatic Psychotherapy
“If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand. If you want to get rid of something, you must first allow it to flourish. If you want to take something, you must first allow it to be given. This is called the subtle perception of the way things are. ”
Hakomi is a specific method for working somatically that was developed by Ron Kurtz and his colleagues in the mid 1970s. Hakomi is a Hopi Native American word that translates, “How do you stand in relation to these many realms?” Hakomi is influenced by sources from Western psychology such as Focusing and Gestalt, body therapies such as Feldenkreis and also contemplative traditions such as Taoism and Buddhism.
Hakomi is guided by five principles: mindfulness, organicity, non-violence, unity and mind-body-spirit holism. These principles are present in the philosophy of Hakomi and also in the moment to moment therapy session. Mindfulness is used and taught in session so clients can learn how to quiet down and shine their awareness back on themselves. There is ample literature on the benefits on mindfulness and it is somewhat of a buzz word these days. It is a skill which is healing in and of itself and assists very naturally with expanding awareness. In Hakomi, mindfulness is used for self-study. The intention is not to silence thoughts, but quiet down our system enough to listen/feel/relate more deeply to our sensations, thoughts, memories, images and emotions.
The raw aliveness of the Northern California coast, Mendocino County
Once mindfulness is accessible, clients are supported with coming closer to their inner experience while simultaneously experiencing the beauty of being attuned to very carefully. It is a common missing experience for many to encounter this level of attunement and Hakomi truly delivers this. Clients are nourished by an attentive and attuned therapist who strives to embody loving kindness. This attunement is felt and experienced by the client’s nervous system on an energetic level, promotes a felt sense of safety and allows unconscious processes to surface.
During a Hakomi session, your inner experience truly guides the work. This is the principle of organicity. Together, we learn to trust the process and inner wisdom that arises from your direct experience. Organicity allows us to tap into the unique healing capacity of clients, something I have learned to greet with great reverence. There’s an intelligence to this healing capacity and it is truly a gift as a client to be aligned with your inherent wisdom.
We know from the field of interpersonal neuroscience that neurons which “fire together, wire together.” The habits or behaviors we engage in externally and internally consist of a complex circuit of neural wiring that has been repeatedly reinforced. This wiring or “organization” can be experienced directly in a Hakomi session. In this way, “Hakomi integrates the perennial wisdom of Buddhism and Taoism with modern scientific findings on how the brain changes itself through experience rather than reflection” (Weiss et. al, 2015, p. 4).
As the work and session deepens various techniques are used to support clients with finding meaning, accessing core beliefs, receiving missing experiences, befriending exiled parts and resourcing into self-love. Deeper, core wounds and patterns of organizing are also available for us to come into relationship with, study and tend to. These are just a few examples of the depth of work that can arise in the arch of a Hakomi session.
References
Weiss, H., Johanson, G. & Monda, L. (2015). Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice. W.W. Norton & Company.
Kurtz, R. (2007). Body-Centered psychotherapy: The Hakomi method: The integrated use of mindfulness, nonviolence, and the body. Medicine, CA: LifeRhythm.
