Frequently Asked Questions

Hakomi is a gentle yet powerful experiential psychotherapy that uses mindfulness and somatic interventions to heal attachment wounds and developmental trauma.

Created by the internationally renowned therapist and author Ron Kurtz (1934-2011) with assistance from a core group of colleagues, Hakomi draws from General Systems Theory and body-centered therapies.

Other inspirations come from Somatic Experiencing, IFS (Internal Family Systems), Bioenergetics, Gestalt, Psychomotor, Reichian work, Feldenkrais, Structural Bodywork, Ericksonian Hypnosis, Focusing, Neurolinguistic Programming, Buddhism, and Taoism.

The method continues to evolve in response to ongoing discoveries in neuroscience, traumatology, attachment theory, and other related fields. While primarily a method of psychotherapy, Hakomi fits with many mind-body, educational, coaching, and wellness modalities.

Description text goes hereIn session, clients learn to cultivate a compassionate, self-observing presence where gestures, tensions, voice tone, facial expressions, and other “somatic indicators” become routes to the formative experiences we call Core Material.

Unlike other types of therapy that utilise mindfulness as part of the process, Hakomi differs from other types of therapy taking a mindfulness-based approach. In Hakomi, nearly the entire therapy process is conducted in mindfulness.

The Hakomi Method is one of the earliest efforts to integrate mindfulness into therapy, beginning in the 1960's.

It is a fascinating approach that includes body awareness, investigation of core beliefs, compassionate presence of the therapist, embracing the unconscious, and collaborative investigation.

Somatic therapy works from the body up, not the mind down.

Most talk therapies focus on thoughts. Somatic therapy focuses on what the body is doing — tension, breathing, posture, gut feelings, shrinking back, or pushing forward. These reactions show old patterns that talking alone can’t shift.

Instead of trying to “think your way” out of stress or trauma, we help your nervous system feel safe enough to change.
When your body settles, your mind follows. When the body learns a new response — relaxing instead of bracing, staying present instead of shutting down — your thoughts and emotions naturally reorganise.

In simple terms:

Talk therapy = top-down (start with thoughts, hope it changes feelings and the body)

Somatic therapy = bottom-up (start with the body, which then shifts emotions and thoughts)

It’s practical, experiential and grounded. We pay attention to what’s happening in your body in the moment, because that’s where long-held patterns actually live — and where they can finally change.

Somatic Sexology is a body-based, client-centred approach to understanding sexuality, intimacy and pleasure by working with the nervous system, consent skills and real-time bodily awareness. It focuses on what’s happening in the body rather than trying to “think” your way through sexual concerns.

It teaches what most of us were never taught: how to understand our own anatomy, how to listen to our body’s signals, and how to communicate boundaries and desires clearly.

Key parts of this work include:

1. Education about the body
People learn accurate information about pelvic anatomy, genital mapping, the nervous system, sexual response, pain, numbness and how past injuries or scar tissue can affect sensation.

2. Nervous system awareness and regulation
Clients learn how anxiety, shutdown, shame and fear show up physically — and how to regulate these states so pleasure and connection become easier.

3. Consent, boundaries and communication
Somatic sexology teaches people how to express what they want, what they don’t want, and how to navigate difficult conversations with clarity and confidence.

4. Experiential, body-based learning
Instead of only talking, clients learn through practical, mindful exercises that help them tune into sensation, breath, emotion and arousal patterns with more ease.

5. Trauma-informed support
The approach recognises how past experiences shape present-day sexual responses. The work is slow, respectful and guided by the client’s pace.

6. Support for individuals and couples
Practitioners offer simple, enjoyable practices to help people understand their bodies, improve communication and deepen connection in their relationships.