What Exactly Is Hakomi Therapy And Why Should You Care? No comments yet

Posted on November 6, 2010 by Amaya in Uncategorized

Hakomi therapy is a somatic, body-centered approach to traditional talk therapy which is founded on the principle that much of the anguish and suffering we tend to experience is unnecessary and is the consequence of unconscious beliefs which are no longer true, pertinent, or needed.

The Hakomi method — which has proved to be an effective therapeutic technique for individuals, couples, families, and groups — offers a synthesis of traditional western psychological concepts, Taoist, Buddhist, and other spiritual philosophies and practices, together with cutting-edge research in developmental neurobiology.

Counselors who use the Hakomi method tend to look at individuals as complete systems who are psychologically organized around core memories, thoughts, and beliefs. These fundamental memories, thoughts, and beliefs manifest themselves physically and also via the personality characteristics that make all of us unique humans.

Hakomi therapy is a body-centered approach to restorative healing and well-being because your body performs such a crucial role in our psychological lives. Emotions such as joy, despair, love, and anxiety all manifest as body sensations and they are communicated physically through smiling, frowning, muscle tension, posture, and the like.

Since individuals often seek out psychotherapy so that they can deal with problems in their day-to-day lives which commonly derive from unhealthy beliefs and emotions, and because there is a physical aspect to our feelings, Hakomi therapy works with one’s body to offer a path to a better comprehension of our underlying and subconscious thoughts, habits, and beliefs.

Because many physical expressions of our emotions are subtle, habitual, or unconscious, Hakomi counselors use mindfulness techniques to help clients gently and effectively bring subconscious habits, beliefs, and thoughts into awareness. When we’re made aware of these underlying behaviors and memories, they can easily be analyzed and transformed in order to remove the self-defeating behaviors which occur as a result of them and help you live a much more satisfying and successful life.

In short, Hakomi therapy makes use of mindfulness techniques to gain access to the information and wealth of assets stored in the body as a way to supply individuals the conscious understanding and awareness necessary to heal and achieve positive, lasting life changes.

Just what should you expect when attending Hakomi therapy?

To begin with, you and your therapist will focus on establishing a relationship based on rapport, trust, and mutual respect. This will enable you to build a safe, contained environment in which you will be able to examine your values, beliefs, and personality so you can comfortably begin creating the change you desire.

As you and your therapist proceed, your therapist will introduce several mindfulness techniques that will allow you to increase your awareness of your present conscious experiences as well as uncover and better understand your underlying beliefs and emotions.

For example, your therapist might make a statement, such as “Everything is going to be okay,” and ask you to feel the changes you experience when] you hear it. You might disagree with the assertion, hear a voice from within declare, “No, it won’t!” or you may feel your shoulder and stomach muscles tighten upon hearing it. Your responses reveal your beliefs and experiences and help you explore what is necessary to generate positive transformation and alternative experiences.

As you become aware of the different ways of experiencing reality, your therapist will then employ mindfulness techniques, along with the increased self-understanding they provide, to help you try and choose different beliefs and a wider array of behaviors and responses and integrate them into your everyday experiences.

Can Hakomi therapy help you?

Although the Hakomi method may be used to aid people experiencing a crisis, it’s much better suited to helping people who would like to surmount restricting behaviors and create personal and spiritual growth.

The Hakomi approach helps individuals improve internal consciousness, translate the language of the body to access limiting beliefs, and cultivate empowering assets which encourage new solutions and create positive change.

The feeling of empowerment which results from this kind of in-depth work is powerful and extremely personal. Clients often enjoy a sense of renewal, optimism, and self-confidence, as well as greater awareness and a feeling of being more alive.

Hakomi therapy can provide you a safe, soothing method to explore and modify the way you stand in terms of the subconscious beliefs which influence your self-image, relationships, and behaviors.

If you’re looking for a deeper understanding of who you are and the things that matter most to you and would like to free yourself from avoidable suffering, experience more originality, inner peace and happiness, and effectively create change, Hakomi therapy can help!

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Counseling And Psychotherapy: What’s The Difference And Why It Matters No comments yet

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Amaya in Uncategorized

When searching for a therapist to work with, it can be helpful to know some of the specific terms used by mental health professionals, in so far as doing so helps you generate more knowledgeable choices. A particular question I constantly experience concerns the difference between “counseling” and “psychotherapy.”

Even though the terms psychotherapy and counseling can be employed interchangeably and represent similar techniques, you can find distinctions between them that distinguish one from another.

Semantically speaking, a “counselor” is an “advisor,” and counseling designates two individuals working together in order to resolve a situation. This characterization allows counseling a far broader use as opposed to psychotherapy. Hence, you’ll find financial counselors, credit counselors, guidance counselors, legal counselors, and so forth. Even though it appears almost anyone can label themselves a counselor, only licensed mental health professionals may provide psychotherapy. Having said that, the term counseling may be, and is, used to identify a therapeutic relationship, but the client-therapist relationship indicates far more than the straightforward rendering of advice.

In a framework of mental health services, the term counseling is frequently employed to indicate a rather short-term, solution-focused treatment approach. The main focus of counseling is generally on coping with, and overcoming, a particular symptom or frustrating issue as soon as possible.

For mental health practitioners, counseling entails an educational and professional coaching or advice-giving nature. The territory a counselor addresses with clients often is more specialized, like guidance counseling or addiction counseling.

For example, an addiction counselor may help the client locate a sponsor and enroll in a 12-step program. The principle emphasis of a counselor’s work with the client is usually to help out with the client’s recovery. Stress, anxiety, relationship conflict, and career matters might or might not be resolved, but they are not the principal aim of the work being done between the client and the counselor.

Psychotherapy, conversely, is more commonly used to indicate a longer-term therapy that concentrates on treating long-held behaviors and beliefs that are no longer benefiting the client. While some specific issues are ordinarily resolved in psychotherapy, the focus is around the client’s thought processes and relationship with themselves, others, and life.

Employing the same addiction recovery example, a psychotherapist is more likely to evaluate the underlying relationships, beliefs, and behaviors that have resulted in the client’s substance abuse. Although a psychotherapist could encourage a client to get a sponsor and join a 12-step program, the focus of therapy will be more holistic, including exploring the client’s relationship dynamics, addiction history in the client’s family of origin, work, various other life stresses, etc., and how these facts relate to the client’s dependency and wishes for recovery.

Having made these distinctions, in actual reality there’s a substantial amount of overlap in between counseling and psychotherapy. A therapist provides counseling to help a client face a specific dilemma or symptom, and make use of psychotherapeutic techniques to help the client examine their perceptions of the problem, or assist them in understanding why a number of symptoms or difficulties recur at frequent intervals.

Many individuals often begin therapy hoping to overcome a specific difficulty by means of some form of solution-focused counseling. However, as one issue after another is treated successfully, a client commonly will proceed with more in-depth psychotherapy to create the positive, long-lasting change they now know is possible.

Knowing the distinctions between counseling and psychotherapy ought to at least assist in your questions and discussions with prospective therapists. When you’re wanting to deal with a specific dilemma as opposed to obtain personal understanding, counseling might be best. But if your objective is to develop positive, long-lasting change in terms of the way you think and feel, psychotherapy is what you’re seeking.

Both psychotherapy and counseling are helpful, each has their place, and they are not mutually exclusive. Knowing the distinction between them should help you to be aware of the terms being used, and establish healthy expectations when you choose to seek the services of a mental health practitioner.

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What Exactly Is Hakomi Therapy And Why Should You Care? No comments yet

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Counseling And Psychotherapy: What’s The Difference And Why It Matters No comments yet

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