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THE Five PRINCIPLES OF HAKOMI
Hakomi is a gentle, trauma-informed approach to psychotherapy grounded in mindfulness, body awareness, and a deep respect for the natural intelligence of the human system. This ethos is grounded in the Five Principles of Hakomi.
In 1977, Ron Kurtz established the Hakomi way of Experiential, Mindful, Somatic Psychotherapy; well before neuroscience began widely validating the importance of mindful awareness and body-based presence in healing trauma.
Many modalities of psychotherapy have branched off since then, but what I think distinguishes Hakomi from the many other Mindfulness and Somatic based psychotherapy offerings, are the Five Principles of Hakomi that make this modality especially accessible and empowering.
The five Hakomi principles are:
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Mindfulness
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Non Violence
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Mind-Body Holism
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Unity
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Organicity
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is foundational to the Hakomi method of Psychotherapy, for it is our ability to be in the moment and also to witness the moment. With mindfulness we cultivate this dual awareness of the present moment, tracking in our body what shows up; sensations, emotions, gestures, impulses, memories, and thoughts. We then notice how we relate to what is arising; are we feeling open and curious, or judgemental or sad for instance? Mindfulness in Hakomi is always invitational — you are never asked to go where your system is not ready to go.
Non Violence
Non-Violence means respecting your pace, rhythm, needs and boundaries. It means the session is YOU-focused, and I, as the therapist, have no agenda to follow. Non-violence means you are IN CHOICE every step of the way. It is a very empowering approach to personal development and an antidote to feeling trapped in patterns that once protected you, but may no longer serve you, and towards a recognition of our creative potential with Life.
Mind-body holism
Modern Neuro-science is catching up on this foundational Hakomi principle, made famous by Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing work. Recognition that the body holds memory means that stressors and trauma, when met with the right conditions, can be released through the body. In sympathy with this truth, we do not ignore the body's wisdom and intelligence, but rather seek its counsel. The Hakomi method specifically facilitates integration of body and mind where disconnection, dissociation or imbalances have shaped your life.
Unity
Unity is like the magic within the method. What’s in me is in you. We are all interconnected, we are fractals of the whole, and we are all helping each other to come back home to our heart. We are all looking for our most whole and unfractured expression of Self. While we all have different stories, methods and customs, we all share our humanity and universal needs. Our small microcosm moments of healing create the highest articulation of unity within the cosmos. In Hakomi, this principle is lived through attunement, resonance, and the subtle ways nervous systems co-regulate in relationships.
Organicity
Organicity is our innate drive towards wholeness. It is the same organistic principle as an acorn sending up a new shoot to find light and pushing down a root to find a source of nourishment. It’s programmed. It’s inevitable. Our movement towards wholeness and wellbeing mirrors this impulse, and the Hakomi method teaches us to sit back and honour this impulse, and when needed, to direct this movement towards a more wholesome form of nourishment. Essentially we are learning how to not get in the way of our own healing. My role is to support this unfolding
Why the Five Principles of Hakomi Matter
The Five Principles of Hakomi matter because healing does not happen through force, insight alone, or being told what is wrong. It happens when the nervous system feels safe enough to reveal what it has been protecting.
These principles create the conditions for that safety — supporting choice, curiosity, and embodied awareness so that change can arise from within, rather than being imposed from outside.
In therapy, they ensure the work unfolds at the pace of your system, honours your lived experience, and trusts your innate capacity to move toward wholeness.
The Five Principles in life
We have the opportunity to live the principles of Mindfulness, Non-violence, Mind-body-holism, Unity and Organicity in all aspects of our life. Along with Hakomi, there are many complementary modalities that work in resonance with these principles, such as craniosacral therapy, acupuncture, movement practices and other holistic and integrative approaches that honour the body’s intelligence and the relationship between stress, meaning, and physiology.
I use these principles as my standard for health and wellbeing sovereignty, taking me deeper into trusting the innate healing impulse that each of us carries. It is my job to notice where I get in the way of my mind-body health, and to attend to softening those barriers. This is how Hakomi is lived — in practice, relationship, and everyday life.
‘Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?'
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