Psychotherapy

HAKOMI

Hakomi has its roots in the ancient wisdom traditions of Buddhism and Taoism, while also being completely in sync with contemporary neuroscience.

Hakomi is designed to be an extremely effective and efficient way to access core material; those beliefs, attitudes, and feelings that usually exist below the level of everyday awareness, yet which typically inform much of our lives. These patterns are literally neural pathways that were developed at a younger time when our brains were first developing, forming strategies which helped us to make sense of formative experiences. Most people come to therapy when they are tired of these habitual and outdated ways of being because they result in pain and dissatisfaction as adults.

With Hakomi, we often access psychological material through the body by observing body sensations, emotions, or even automatic physical mannerisms. This tends to be a direct route to the part of our brain which is associated with memory, personal narrative, and emotion. The Hakomi method utilizes small experiments while in a state of mindfulness, to better understand the function of this self-organization, to develop an essential compassion necessary for changing it, and to begin to taste experience which is beyond personal history. Integration includes designing concrete strategies for increasing satisfaction outside of the therapeutic venue.

Transforming Emotional Habits: A Mindfulness Based Approach