The Hakomi method —from the Hopi language, meaning approximately 'how you stand in relation to these many realms'— is a therapeutic method developed by Ron Kurtz in the United States during the seventies. It combines elements of mindfulness, somatic work, family systems, Buddhist psychology, and experiential psychotherapy.
Core premise: deep beliefs about oneself —'I don't deserve to be loved', 'I'm not safe in the world', 'I have to be perfect to be accepted'— are embodied in the body, not just stored as thoughts. They are detectable in posture, movement, breathing, gesture. Deep transformation requires accessing them at a somatic level, in a state of mindfulness, with compassion.
Distinctive features:
Mindfulness state during the session: the client is in a meditative state during the work, not in usual conversation. This allows access to deep material uncensored by the self.
Experiments in the session: the therapist proposes small 'experiments' —touching the shoulder and noticing what happens, saying a phrase and observing the somatic reaction— to access core beliefs that manifest as a bodily response.
Encounter with the wounded child: when a limiting belief emerges, Hakomi accompanies the person to contact the 'part' of them that holds that belief, usually a wounded childlike version.
Importance for the field: Hakomi is the direct antecedent of Pat Ogden's Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and shares territory with AEDP (Fosha) and IFS (Schwartz). For Constellators seeking to integrate somatic work with meditative sensitivity, Hakomi offers a proven framework.
Bibliography
- Body-Centered Psychotherapy — The Hakomi Method — Ron Kurtz. LifeRhythm, 1990.
- Trauma and the Body — A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy — Pat Ogden, Kekuni Minton, Clare Pain. Desclée de Brouwer, 2009.
These books are in the reference library that nurtures Constelando el Origen.
Related terms
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Pat Ogden)
Method developed by Pat Ogden: working with trauma from the body's wisdom, identifying truncated defensive movements and completing them to resolve trauma at a somatic level.
See detailsIFS — Internal Family Systems
Therapeutic model by Richard Schwartz: working with the internal 'parts' of the psyche as if they were an inner family, mediated by the adult Self.
See detailsAEDP (Diana Fosha)
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy: a method developed by Diana Fosha that combines attachment, affective neuroscience, and deep experiential processing of emotions.
See detailsClosing and Resonance Round
The final moment of the session where the client holds the solution-image, representatives exit their roles, and the group (in a group format) closes the open field.
See detailsA session that names what hurts
If you recognize this dynamic in your own story, a Family Constellation can reveal where it comes from and what movement brings it into order. Daniela respectfully accompanies each case.
Sessions in Spanish only