Here’s What You Need to Know About the Method
Hakomi is based on the idea that much of our everyday suffering is in fact unnecessary and is produced by long held, unconscious beliefs that are no longer true or relevant. The method is designed to bring such beliefs into consciousness.
It’s not about talking people out of their problems. We don’t have long, speculative conversations with people about their troubles or history. A person’s emotional history—especially the part that has created the unconscious habits and beliefs with which that person meets his or her world—that history is operating right now. It is written in the way the person does things now, his or her style, his or her defining characteristics.
We use those characteristics to help the person study who he or she is. Hakomi is a method of assisted self-discovery. A Hakomi practitioner brings what are normally inaccessible mental processes—like implicit beliefs and habitual rules and attitudes—into consciousness in a gentle, efficient way. Once these processes are made conscious, emotional relief and revision of beliefs becomes possible. Old, painful experiences are integrated. Beliefs and habits are examined and modified. A more realistic and satisfying way of being begins.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
We pay very close attention to the way a person does things. The information needed for the method to work is contained in subconscious, nonverbal aspects of behaviour, such as tone of voice, movements, gestures, posture and facial expressions. By observing these, we get ideas about what unconscious processes are controlling a person’s behaviour.
On the basis of these ideas, we create little experiments (often only a simple evocative statement) done with the person in a mindful state. (This method of self-study requires short periods of mindfulness. Participants must be able to be attentive and centred enough to observe their reactions.)
Effective experiments elicit clear reactions, often emotional ones. These reactions are the links to the unconscious mental processes organising them. These reactions are the necessary prelude to the integration and positive emotional outcomes achieved by the method.
YOU NEED TO BE READY:
You need to be ready to be with your own present experience. Your reactions to the exercises, which are done in mindfulness, need to be studied and reported. You need to be comfortable learning in this way, with your whole body, mind and spirit.
You need to be able to stay focused on experience and you need to be ready to go into a calm, inward focused, accepting state, to let things happen that you might normally contain or avoid. These are your challenges.
The Rewards
You will learn a modern, effective scientific approach to how people change. You will gain a deeper understanding of yourself and greater freedom to choose what you will do and feel. You will find greater pleasure in everyday living and will be able to develop richer, happier and more satisfying relationships.