in-person and virtual
THERAPEUTIC SUPPORT
What does a session look like?
In a Hakomi session, we would start with something that you are interested in exploring. This could be a big life issue, or a small thing that just happened to you in the past week, or day.
As you start to talk about this, I will guide you into mindfulness to notice what is happening in your body as you are talking.
Here, we sense into our experience. You might notice a hardness in your chest, or a tightening of your breath. We begin to feel into the weather systems of these unconscious feelings and how they show up in the body.
Then we might try a ‘little experiment in mindfulness’. A Hakomi experiment might include repeating an automatic and unconscious gesture you make, but slowly and mindfully.
From there, we usually come across core beliefs that your system has been holding on to.
We then work towards providing a ‘missing experience’ which is something that you didn’t get to have in your early life experience but that would have been good to have.
Something significant usually happens in every session.
Mindfulness-based
In sessions, we practise awareness as it relates to your body and your feelings, emotions, and mind states. You learn to cultivate an observer that is able to witness your changing internal states.
Body-Oriented
Our body is a living record of the stories we have lived. The body doesn't speak words as a way of remembering the past; it reveals stories and feelings through patterns of postures, expressions, movements and long-held tensions.
During sessions, we take time to find out what the body knows. Together, we get curious about patterns of emotional expression and relational styles, that reveal core beliefs.
Self-Discovery
When a belief is so deep that it is an unquestioned reality, such as “This is the way others are” or “This is how relationships are”, we simply live our life from this belief, without knowing we are assuming it.
To change some of these old, deep habits, we first need to know what they are.
Then, we offer clients a chance to experience what has been missing all their lives. When they do, it is life changing.
A new world opens up.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Hakomi is a Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy that was developed in the late 1970’s by Ron Kurtz.
It is based on the principles of Buddhism psychology: Mindfulness, Loving Kindness, Non-Violence, Organicity, Mind-Body Holism, and Unity.
What to Expect:
At its core, Hakomi is a method of assisted self-study and discovery.
It is our belief that your emotional history that has created the unconscious beliefs and habits with which you meet the world, is operating right now.
It is in the way you do things every minute. It is expressed by your style and your defining characteristics.
So, you can expect that the therapist will be looking and listening for these and will bring them to your attention as part of studying how you organise your experience in this world.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, Hakomi focuses on providing corrective/ missing experiences to clients.
Relationship is at the heart of therapy. Empathetic attunement, loving presence and safety are the key aspects of the relationship.
For more information, visit: https://hakomiinstitute.com/
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The Internal Family Systems Model is an integrative approach developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s. In this model, a person is seen as being made up of different parts. When we understand the history, motivations and desires of each of these parts, it brings clarity and compassion to ourselves, and situations.
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I recommend you speak with several practitioners and see how you feel with each one.
My job is to create safety and trust between us. As a client, it is up to you to make the decision that feels right to you.
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I see this work as a lifelong project in discovering parts of you that run you without you knowing. It is not about reaching an end goal of ‘happy ever after’ and having no more problems.
This work is about transforming the way we relate to life.
Over time, you start to become more aware of your habitual reactions, thoughts, and feelings.
It becomes a way of life: to wake up, slow down and notice.
You start to turn towards and befriend your thoughts and feelings rather than being run by them. You recognise when you are in a certain mental or emotional state that colours your perception of yourself or others.
Over time, you are able to experience different possibilities when there was previously only one way of seeing the world and relating to others.
Nobody needs therapy.
But if you want to experience freedom and expanded ways of being and living in this world, this work is for you.
This work may be for you if you are:
Interested in discovering how you meet the world, what kind of world you perceive, what beliefs you hold about yourself and so on.
At a major life transition, such as entering a new job, relationship, or becoming a parent
Experiencing grief and loss
Experiencing burnout, stress or anxiety
Experiencing relationship difficulties, whether this is with your parent, child or partner
“We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.”
- Pema Chodron