Hakomi Therapy
Hakomi Therapy
What Is the Hakomi Therapy Method and Can It Help You?
Hakomi therapy is a somatic, body-centered, experience-based approach to change that is based on the principle that most of the pain and suffering we experience is unnecessary and is the result of unconscious beliefs that are no longer true, relevant, or necessary.
The Hakomi Method – which has been shown to be an effective therapeutic treatment for individuals, couples, families, and groups – represents a synthesis of western psychological theory, Taoist, Buddhist, and other spiritual philosophies and practices, as well as cutting-edge research in developmental neurobiology and is based on several principles:
- Unity
- Organicity
- Mind/Body/Spirit Holism
- Mindfulness
- Nonviolence
- Truth
- Change
Basically, therapists using the Hakomi Method view people as whole systems who are psychologically organized around core memories, beliefs, neural patterns, behaviors, and emotional reactions – the “core material.”
This core material is expressed physically as well as through the attitudes and habits that make us individuals – our styles, habits, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors.
Hakomi involves a body-centered approach to healing and wellness because the body plays such a vital role in our emotional lives…
Emotions such as happiness, sadness, love, and fear are all experienced as body sensations and are expressed physically through smiling, crying, posture, muscle tension, and so on.
Because people commonly seek psychotherapy in order to resolve irrational or undesirable beliefs and emotions – and because there is a physical aspect to all of our experiences – Hakomi therapy works with the body to provide a path to a deeper understanding of our underlying and unconscious memories, habits, and beliefs.
Due to the fact that many physical expressions of emotion are subtle, habitual, or unconscious, the Hakomi Method involves a mindfulness approach that uses both psychotherapy and educational techniques to help clients gently explore their unconscious habits, memories, and beliefs.
Once these underlying beliefs and habits are made conscious, they can be examined and transformed in order to change the self-limiting behaviors that arise from them, facilitate healing and personal growth, and help you lead a richer, more rewarding, and fulfilling life.
What Can You Expect from Hakomi Therapy?
During our initial therapy sessions, we’ll work together to establish a relationship based on rapport, trust, and mutual respect and create a safe environment in which you can complete your self-exploration and growth.
As we continue our work together, I’ll introduce you to numerous mindfulness techniques that will help you increase your sensitivity to your current conscious experiences, as well as discover and better understand your underlying beliefs and emotions.
For example, I may make a statement, such as “Everything will be okay,” and have you sense the changes that you experience as you hear it. You may disagree with the statement, hear a voice from inside say, “No, it won’t!” or you may feel your stomach and shoulder muscles tighten upon hearing it. Your reactions help explore your experiences and beliefs and discover what’s necessary to create new experiences and positive change.
Once you become aware of the different ways of experiencing reality, we’ll use mindfulness techniques, and the greater self-understanding they provide, to help you experiment with and choose different beliefs and a broader range of behaviors and responses and integrate them in your day-to-day experiences.
In short, Hakomi therapy is a safe and gentle method that can help you access the wealth of resources and information stored in the body, so you can become more aware of your “core material” and create alternate ways to achieve the emotional relief, healthier behaviors, and positive, lasting change you desire.
Is Hakomi Therapy Right for You?
While the Hakomi method can be used to help those in crisis, it is much better suited to helping people who are looking to overcome limiting behaviors and create personal and spiritual growth.
The Hakomi method can help you access limiting belief systems, develop internal awareness and personal empowerment, and experience a sense of renewal, optimism, confidence, and a feeling of being more alive.
So, if you’re looking for a deeper understanding of who you are and what matters most to you and you’d like to free yourself from unnecessary suffering, experience more creativity, inner joy, and peace, and effectively create change, then Hakomi therapy can definitely help.
For more information about how Hakomi therapy can help you, please feel free to contact me at 510-735-8868 or email me at scott@beyondwordspsychotherapy.com with any questions you have or to schedule a free, 20-minute initial consultation. I look forward to speaking with you and helping you create a life you truly love living!