Your Experience With Hakomi?

[Biz]

Has anyone out here been to a T that mainly used Hakomi Method? Was it helpful? Did slowing down the physical pieces assist you with intrusive memories, body memories, or flashbacks? What was your experience with Hakomi? Anything y'all would like to share would be appreciated.

 

[Hope4Now]

I'm interested in this too. Have read a bit about it...that's all. Thx for posting this question!

 

[shimmerz]

Looks super interesting. I had never heard of it until you posted this. Thank you!

http://hakomiinstitute.com/about/the-hakomi-method

 

[Deleted member 28942]

My therapist uses Hakomi. We have used it quite a lot. It's an experiential therapy where the therapists is providing the missing experience. For example, in one session my father was coming towards me to hit me and I was in my room. My therapists came to my room and told my dad that he is not treating me well. Also, we put my parents in separate prisons (I was happy about this). After that she asked me is there anything in the room (object, toy, etc) that I want to use. All of a sudden I wanted to make a box out of cardboard. We made the box and then she asked me what I want to put in it and I put butterflies that I have made. At the end of the session I "woke up" from the memory and said "It's OK to be myself." This was surprising because i have hidden my creative side for a long time.

In another session, it was my birthday I was somewhere between the age of 5 to 7 years old. They put me in another room because "I embarrassed them in front of the guest" for wanting the best or largest slice of cake. It was my birthday!!! She gave me a pillow to hold on to and to squeeze. I forgot if there was anything else but all of a sudden I was standing on the balcony it was sunny outside and I came up with the cognition "I have choice". I still have that memory now and the cognitions I have choices and it helps me.

In general, it is great and safe method. It is useful for bringing up buried memories, feelings, and cognitions/beliefs. They call this a "core material". Until recently I did not even realized about some of the beliefs I had. This method helps a lot with that. Also helps with getting in touch with feeling and body experience. In addition, it helped me with identifying internal resources that I have but I have forgotten about like music, smells, images, flowers, etc.

In addition to Hakomi, my therapist uses EMDR. She said she finds Hakomi more useuful for bringing up the "core material" to the conscious mind while EMDR she says is more useful to change the core beliefs. I agree with her. When we started, I didn't have much memories to work with. Now they are surfacing and we started using EMDR to change the cognitions.

I highly recommend Hakomi. It helps bring the "core material" from the unconscious mind to the conscious mind. Slowly you will start noticing patterns, memories, and beliefs and how they affects you. It is a great method for self awareness.

Let me know if you have more questions.

 

[Biz]

@UniversalBeing , this is really helpful, thank you. My current T training in Hakomi and some of the stuff we've done has been really interesting thus far. I also met with two other Hakomi therapists for intro appointments, and they were both very capable and talked some about how the Hakomi Method might be helpful for me. The one, made a 'tracking' comment on me leaning forward over my legs while speaking and uncomfortable like, "When you lean forward, is that part of how you keep things down?" I started crying (I haven't even cried with my therapist of almost 2 years). It's very interesting work/methodology.

@shimmerz , I think you've mentioned being a researcher. FYI they don't have much published outside of Hakomi's own website on the method. Also, there's an article on the website that basically said Hakomi is not as effective for developmental trauma, but one of the two Hakomi therapists from intros specializes in treating developmental trauma. She's a trainer in the method and highly published on Hakomi and a few case studies too, and she says she thinks Hakomi is very helpful for this.

@Hope4Now , have you found much published outside of their website? Also have you read the book? I might get the book to understand the methods more.

 

[shimmerz]

For example, in one session my father was coming towards me to hit me and I was in my room. My therapists came to my room and told my dad that he is not treating me well. Also, we put my parents in separate prisons (I was happy about this). After that she asked me is there anything in the room (object, toy, etc) that I want to use. All of a sudden I wanted to make a box out of cardboard. We made the box and then she asked me what I want to put in it and I put butterflies that I have made. At the end of the session I "woke up" from the memory and said "It's OK to be myself." This was surprising because i have hidden my creative side for a long time.

This, to me, is like completing a somatic response. Like moving from a consistently 'freeze' response to a flight response due to a 'training' of the body to respond physically. Except this is for neuron pathways! Infinitely useful.

I love it! Thanks so much for this!

 

[Hope4Now]

I think I've read stuff beyond the institute page. At some point I gave up because I couldn't find a Hakomi therapist around here, and the more I read, the more I realized that there's space for this within the type of therapy I am doing now anyway (Internal Family Systems) which has a related bit called somatic IFS. Anyway, there's this
Link Removed
https://www.facebook.com/heartofhakomi
http://www.goodtherapy.org/hakomi.html
http://www.flowingbody.com/hakomi.htm

I haven't read for a while so these may be repetitious of what is on the institute site. Best I can offer for now as I am rushing off somewhere.

I know that somewhere along the line in the future, there will be one kind of overall approach to therapy for developmental trauma and other complex trauma that will work with the mind and body and brain through somatics and meditation and mindfulness and relational compassion with really good therapists. It is happening very slowly. It is happening in Internal Family Systems therapy and Somatic Experiencing and Hakomi and others. There is HUGE crossover in all of these approaches. But most of us don't know that until we compulsively read about every type of attachment and trauma therapy there is and start to see the bigger picture. Which I have, for better or worse, done. My brain is exploding with information from neurology, psychology, psychiatry, traditional medicine of varying sorts, energy medicine, bodywork, etc. etc. Now the trick is to piece together for myself something that will help me DO all this stuff. Because no single therapist/practitioner/healer/doctor can do all of it. I am convinced of that. We have to be really proactive agents in our own healing, with lots of guidance and ideas from really good folks we surround ourselves with.

Whew...that ended up being a sermon! Sorry. Now off to make my apple chutney and apple butter. :) Have a good day. I will keep peeking at this thread!

 

[shimmerz]

We have to be really proactive agents in our own healing, with lots of guidance and ideas from really good folks we surround ourselves with.

This is so very true....

 

[Deleted member 28942]

@Biz I also remembered another session. It was some difficult memory I cried a lot and after that my therapist suggested I do whatever I need like lay down or hug a pillow. I laid down on the couch to rest a bit. After that session when I feel tired or overwhelmed by emotions instead of trying to push through or do something I lay down to rest. This is a small thing but it makes a huge difference.

Also Hakomi works for developmental trauma but like any other method it takes developmental trauma takes longer to heal.

 

[Hope4Now]

when I feel tired or overwhelmed by emotions instead of trying to push through or do something I lay down to rest. This is a small thing but it makes a huge difference.

Yes, I am finding that rest is the best thing i can do when i feel overwhelmed. only thing that keeps me safe. i always get wrecked when i try to power through things. i am learning very slowly.