Dear Hakomi Friends,

Beautiful spring days…golden kowhai flowers and lavender wisteria are amazing against the pale blue sky. It’s gardening time here, getting the beds ready for planting. And only a few days before a group of almost 30 of us meet at Tauhara centre in Taupo for the October 5,6,7 Re-Creation of the SELF workshop with Jon Eisman from USA, the originator of Mindful Experiential Therapy Approaches (www.meta-trainings.com). Jon is also a founding member of the international Hakomi Institute, a Senior. Hakomi Trainer, and the author of numerous articles and Hakomi & R-CS training manuals. Jon was a guest trainer at our first Hakomi training at Mana in the early 90’s and it will be great to experience how his work has grown throughout this time.

You can find an excellent article by Jon Eisman called "Shifting States of Consciousness: The Re-Creation of the Self Approach to Transformation" by going to www.meta-trainings.com and clicking on 'Articles'.

Our NZ 2012 Professional Training started in August at Mana Retreat. It was a wonderful homecoming-like celebration.

Jules Morgaine, lead trainer for the 2012/14 NZ Hakomi Training speaks about the the August module at Mana Retreat:

The 7th New Zealand Hakomi Professional training began at Mana Retreat Centre on 18th August. This was a very special return to Mana for the Hakomi training. Trainings began here in 1994 and two trainings were completed before the training moved to Eastern Institute of Technology in 2000 where a further 4 trainings were offered.

It is now timely to return to Mana Retreat Centre and this beginning certainly reinforced the value of offering this training in a residential environment. We are enormously grateful to the heartful and soulful holding that Mana provides from the richness of the land, the comfortable accommodation, the wholesome feeding of our bodies and the spiritual beauty of the environment. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the generosity of Mana.

This beginning was a culmination of a great deal of work by Sol Petersen, the organiser, who worked closely with me in my role as lead trainer. Fifteen students and seven staff, comprising of Suhari Mommsen-Bohm, Sarah Tait- Jamieson and Aladdin Jones, myself, and a tutor team of three welcomed students from throughout New Zealand and Australia to this new programme.

Relationships began to form and deepen quickly and a strong training container has been built. There is certainly something about eating, living and staying together that deepens this work. Mindful practice was quickly established and enhanced by additional offerings in Tai Chi, Qi Gong, mindful movement and the simple process of walking on the land.

We have a diverse group of students coming from a range of backgrounds both very experienced in psychotherapy practice and other related work environments. This adds much richness to the training experience as each brings their own particular skills and personhood to the training experience.

In this first module there was teaching of Mindfulness as a skill and a place from which to work psychotherapeutically, the development of capacity to be in relationship with clients from this place while sitting in the Principles of Hakomi- mindfulness, Organicity, Unity, Non-violence and Holism, how to track present moment experience- the place where something alternative to unconscious templates becomes possible and ways to use the body as an access route to the unconscious patterning. Suhari Mommsen-Bohm and I also did 4 demonstration sessions of the work.

We are needing to integrate a further four students who have been accepted into the training in order to ensure the financial viability of the training and as such the next module which will be held at Matahiwi Marae in Hawkes Bay offers the perfect venue in which to do this. We will use kaupapa Maori practices to assist in this process while deepening the teaching so far offered.

A wonderful concert was held on the final Saturday night in which other varied talents were also shared, we have a very musical group!

I personally feel very positive and enriched by this beginning and look forward to continuing this training that offers a rich experience of mindfulness based and body integrated psychotherapy. It is exciting to see the way in which research in neuro-science is strongly reinforcing this method as a paradigm that supports therapeutic change at both a physiological and a psychological level. I am sure that students in this first module would attest to this from their experiences in this beginning 9 days.

Sarah Tait-Jamieson explains why one training module is held on a marae.

We are looking forward to gathering at Matahiwi Marae in Hawkes Bay November 3–11 for the second module of Hakomi Training 2012–2014 in Aotearoa. Matahiwi is situated idyllically on the banks of the Karamu Stream, close to the sea, between vineyards and orchards, in the “fruitbowl” that is Hawkes Bay. The unique buildings including the marae atea ( the outside area where visitors are welcomed), the wharenui (meeting house) and whare kai (dining hall & kitchen), rich in beauty and history, are set on spacious grounds.

Working as a professional therapist in NZ it is imperative that we have an understanding of the bi-cultural realities in the therapeutic process. A powerful way to gain this understanding is to have this 'felt' experience created by living these nine days on the marae, beginning with a powhiri (welcome ceremony) and cultural activities including learning harakeke (flax-­‐ weaving), waiata (songs), and discussions with practitioners experienced in Tikanga Maori (Maori traditions). Jules Morgaine, trainer; myself, teacher; and Aladdin Jones, teacher–in–training; supported by our great tutor team, will also be delivering the Hakomi curriculum interwoven with these experiences.

Student comments about the first module

I am really appreciating now being here in one piece and well-rested to begin a humongous client week. I never imagined it would be possible to learn and process so much and come out more than whole. It's different to past trainings where after only three days I arrived home shattered and ungrounded. It is a relief, a gift and grows my belief in Hakomi as a method and way of being. I also see it as a huge reflection on how Jules, together with Suhari, Sarah, Aladdin, Nicky, Sharman and Tom held the space and safety mindfully with so much heart and love. And of Mana and Sol which gave it even more heart and spirit. – Henriette

I enjoyed getting to know everyone, and I guess the overall feeling I have been left with, is one of being nourished. The 9 days at Mana went fast, and was overall, a very rich, challenging, and changing experience for me. There seemed to be nothing in the way, no distractions, and a beautiful energy which invited mindfulness, learning and change.

My work week was so good, I was surprised ! I transitioned easily back into my life which was also a surprise. Lots happening, however have managed to do mindfulness practice each morning ! Another surprise. My work colleagues said that I was glowing upon my return, and are very curious about Mana and Hakomi. I am sure all the healthy food, fresh air and the energy at Mana added to my sense of well being. – Monica

The experience of the first module is glowing warmly in my heart as I go about my daily life. – Sally

This newsletter will include information about ongoing workshops and the opportunity that is still there for students to join the current training during module 2 at the Hawkes Bay marae. You will also find some writing about Buddhism and psychology based on the book The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield and an article by Hakomi trainer Greg Johanson.

Wishing you all the best,

Sol

This newsletter designed to promote NZ professional Hakomi trainings and workshops and to nurture and support the growth of mindfulness-based therapy. You are receiving this because you are on our mailing list. If you do not want to receive this information please scroll to the bottom of the page and click unsubscribe. You will also find a link there to forward this newsletter to anyone who would like to be on our mailing list.

Artistic Inspirations: False Colors

by Greg Johanson, Ph.D.

Practicing and teaching experiential therapy deals with the issue of seeing and being seen. It is a tricky issue where one can miss the mark by seeing too much or too little. Often it is knowing too much that gets in the way.

For instance, I’m out on the street one day and see a figure walking toward me. It is mysterious at first, too far away to be distinguishable. So, my senses are open. I’m taking in information on many levels. Then I recognize that it is Ralph. Thud! Down comes the curtain. I’m no longer open, because I know all about Ralph. Ralph is a boisterous self-confident kind of guy.

Since I’m confident in the way my imagination habitually colors Ralph, I miss the little clues that reveal that today Ralph is not so self-assured. He has just come from the post office where he picked up a letter telling him his cousin has been killed in Iraq. There is a held in, but not so hidden grief for those who have eyes to see. My eyes don’t see because of my certainty that Ralph does not major in intimacy or vulnerability.

It is a struggle to find ways to not know too much, to be mindful and open to the nuances of the present moment. One resource that Ron Kurtz, the founder of the Hakomi Therapy, put me on to was the book Girl with A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, the story of the famous painter Vermeer and his celebrated painting by the same name that has also been made into a movie.

In the story Griet is a servant who grinds and lays out paints for Vermeer to use each day. He is working on a painting of a girl in a scene with a table, pitcher, and map. Griet thinks you should paint what you see, using the colors you see. So, she is confused when Vermeer does not order blue paint even though the girl model is clearly wearing a blue skirt. He starts putting in black where the skirt should go. Then he uses ocher for the girl’s bodice, though it is it is yellow and black. He uses grey instead of white for the wall. They are all seem false colors.

Finally, Griet is so flustered that she puts out an ultramarine color along with the other ones Vermeer has ordered. When he is annoyed, and asks why she has done this, she replies that the girl is wearing a blue skirt.

Vermeer takes the opportunity to teach her. He opens the window and asks her what color the clouds are. She responds with, “Why, white sir.” When he asks again, “Are they?” she adds that there might be a little grey, and that it might snow. He continues by saying that she can do better. He asks her to think of her vegetables. Are the turnips and onions the same white? Suddenly she understands. “No. The turnip has green in it, the onion yellow.” “Exactly,” says Vermeer. “Now look at the clouds again.”

Griet’s eyes are open in a new way. She notices that there is some blue in the clouds, also some yellow and green. She becomes excited and starts pointing. She had been looking at clouds her whole life, but now feels as if she is seeing them in the moment for the first time.

This story inspired renewed sensitivity as well as training exercises where we invite students to look at each other’s faces and notice first impressions. Then what is it like to hold the impression lightly while looking again? If the person appeared strong or needy overall, can we then be open to letting in the minute signs of the child behind the appearance, what the person believes is possible and not possible in the world, what the person is comfortable showing and not showing, what the person expects or longs for in their relationship with us. Can we begin to accommodate new information that might or might not fit our original impression? Can we be, as Fritz Perls once put it, the bull’s-eye the arrow hits every time?

Meister Eckhardt once said that we do not find God by a process of addition, but by a process of subtraction. Sometimes, like Griet, we can find one another through a humility that does not presume certainty, and is willing to look more carefully.

Readers may visit Greg’s website at gregjohanson.net
and email greg@gregjohanson.net

Hakomi Workshops 2012-13

Hakomi workshops offer a range of opportunities – post-grad experiences and trainings for Hakomi graduates as well as an opportunity for those new to Hakomi to experience the method, meet the trainers and the workshops also function as the required pre-requisites for the professional training.

Bringing Your Self into RELATIONSHIP: An interpersonal skills workshop

February 1-3, 2013 – Mana Retreat, Coromandel

with Halko Weiss

A weekend mindfulness-based relationship workshop.

Relationships can be the place of our greatest healing. This can only happen if we are able to successfully navigate the challenge and pain that so often occurs when our deepest wounds are touched by another. But many people find themselves ‘stuck’ in their intimate relationships, repeating the same cycle of hurt, disappointment, anger and disconnection, with each new attempt to change their situation often leaving them feeling just the same as before. Mindfulness offers a unique opportunity for people to study the states that they get into in interactions with a partner, in a way that can open the door to deeper understanding of both self and other, and ultimately deeper connection.

In this workshop, you will:

The workshop will include talks, experiential exercises, discussion and personal reflection. Participants will come away with skills that can be readily applied directly following the workshop, both with clients and in their own relationships. This workshop is suitable for those working therapeutically with both couples and individuals having relationship difficulties, as well as for individuals and couples wishing to deepen their own personal relationships. It will be of value to psychotherapists,counsellors, psychologists and other practitioners who are interested in learning more about Hakomi or H.E.A.R.T.

Contact: Sol Petersen
Email: solpetersen@xtra.co.nz
Tel: 07 866 8971, or 021 893 055
Waimana at Mana,
Coromandel RD1

You can also access NZ Hakomi workshop information and further information on the professional training via the website www.hakomi.co.nz. The Hakomi Australia Association has a newsletter and a website www.hakomi.org.au and the Hakomi Institute Australia information can be found on www.hakomi.com.au.

The Wise Heart

An article by Sol based on the book by Jack Kornfield

Jack Kornfield has made a major contribution in his translation of Buddhist wisdom for westerners. Author of A Path with Heart and After the Ecstasy the Laundry, Kornfield in The Wise Heart looks at the role of mindfulness in psychotherapy and the relevance of Buddhist principles as they apply to psychology.

Ron Kurtz, steeped in Buddhist and Taoist philosophy, was at the forefront of applying mindfulness in therapy in the 1980’s as he developed the Hakomi method. Kurtz presents 5 principles for the practice of Hakomi; mindfulness, unity, organicity, mindbody holism and non-violence. The mindful therapist recognizes that humans are cells in an integrated, unified, organic and self-healing system. This mindful and holistic perspective recognizes that the system we are embedded in as well as each person/cell embodies these attributes; the wholeness of our human-ness is an expression of our mind, body, heart and spirit. Acknowledging that we are unique, organic, self-healing individuals the mindful therapist learns to support clients into new and healthy directions rather than trying to push them in the ‘right’ direction.

Four Principles for Mindful Transformation

Kornfield suggests that Buddhism acknowledges 4 principles for mindful transformation: recognition, acceptance, investigation and non-identification. To practice as skillful therapists both Kurtz and Kornfield would see the importance of embodying these 4 principles in the therapeutic process.

1. Recognition: If we are interested in therapeutic change or transformation then first we must really see simply what is the truth in the here and now. True seeing touches us and with this recognition we become like a dignified host capable of noticing the wide range of experiences - from excitement to pain or tension etc.

2. Acceptance: Rather than passivity true acceptance is an active relationship to what touches us when we truly see. Acceptance does not occur without profound visceral seeing. Acceptance is opening our being, our heart to the complexity of reality. Says Kornfield, Acceptance is a willing movement of the heart to include whatever is before it. It is a courageous step in the process of transformation. Zorba the Greek put it another way. ‘ Trouble? Life is trouble. Only death is nice. To live is to roll up your sleeves and embrace trouble.’

3. Investigation: The third principle focuses on our being state, where the search begins for us -what Buddhism refers to as the 4 foundations of Mindfulness: awareness of the body; awareness of the feeling state; awareness of the mind; awareness of the dharma or truth. Essential investigation require this open-hearted seeing. When we are dealing with mental/emotional difficulties we turn our attention to the first level, what the Buddha referred to as body-mindfulness - what experiences and sensations are happening in the body. Is there tension, heat, movement, numbness, pain etc.? We experience much of this through our awareness of breath and body movement. The 2nd foundation, ‘feeling’ refers to a kind of gut feeling – attraction, neutrality and aversion. Although this occurs automatically, without mindful attention, we can be disconnected from this awareness very easily by our absorption in our mental/emotional reality. In Hakomi we will often explore awakening the present body sense by directing the client’s attention to this deep, sensory, feeling level. The 3rd foundation is the mind – what thoughts, stories, beliefs are associated with what we sense in our body. In Buddhism emotions are seen as part of the mind level. The 4th foundation of mindfulness is the Dharma or truth. Of course there is a slight philosophical challenge here as there is only an ‘isness’ , no inherent truth. We are the meaning and truth makers. This level asks us to recognize what is the ‘way’ of life.

4. Non-identification: In this principle we explore our habit of becoming identified with feelings, thoughts, roles. We enquire of every state, experience and story – ‘Is this who I really am?’ When we see the tentativeness of our identities, we are free to return from this identification to a non-identified awareness. This state is sometimes called the abode of awakening. This is an essential place of nourishment for environmental or peace activists who struggle in the seemingly endless and impossible battle to support a healthy world.

As therapist, it may seem an impossible juggling task to embody these principles both in our daily lives and in our practice. When I feel this challenge I like to ground myself by recalling one of Ron’s favorite quotes by the Buddhist teacher, Chogyam Trungpa, ‘The task for health professionals and psychotherapists in particular is to become a whole human being and to encourage the development of whole human-beingness in others.’

A few book suggestions from Suhari

Is still welcoming students into the second module of the training to be held at Matahiwi Marae in Hawkes Bay, November 2-11. The first module was held in August at the Mana Retreat Centre, Coromandel. This is the last opportunity for students to join the 2012/13 training. The remaining five 9-day modules will be held at Mana.

'There is an impulse to heal within the client which lies dormant, waiting for the right conditions to unfold. The client’s healing process spontaneously emerges when the conditions are right. Our training in the Hakomi method provides experiences that one after the other develop personhood and the capacity to be a loving presence for the client’s unfolding.' - Ron Kurtz, founder of the Hakomi Method

Mindfulness-based approaches have remained at the forefront in psychotherapeutic methods for many years now. The Hakomi method has been a leader in this area, offering courses and professional trainings in the application of mindfulness in therapy for well over 25 years. The NZ training is a unique opportunity to study with an experienced and gifted team at one of the most beautiful retreat centers in the world. Compared with trainings that are non-residential, the residential format offers a special learning environment that builds a strong and connected group energy.

Who is the Hakomi Training For?

Practicing therapists, social workers, addiction counsellors and other health care professionals find a new range of mindfulness-based somatic skills and strategies which can increase both effectiveness and depth in working with clients.
For physical therapists and bodywork practitioners, the Hakomi training provides the current neuroscience information and the psychotherapeutic skills to integrate a bodymind approach into their practice.

'There's no question that the Hakomi training is the best psychotherapy training I've ever done. The Hakomi trainers, without exception, embody and constantly demonstrate the Hakomi principle of loving presence towards all the students they train which powerfully facilitates the students' learning of the method.' - J.K. Psychotherapist.

The Hakomi Method

Hakomi Experiential Psychotherapy is a mindfulness-based approach to self-understanding. Mindfulness is not simply part of the 'tool kit' in Hakomi, it forms the very foundation of the therapeutic encounter.

Much more than a method or set of techniques, Hakomi is a way of looking at the world that is compassionate, mindful, curious, non-invasive, humorous and respectful.

Based on Living Principles

The Hakomi Method was created in the late 1970’s by the therapist and author Ron Kurtz and his colleagues.

Hakomi is grounded in a set of living principles: Mindfulness, Non-violence, Unity, Organicity and Mind-Body Holism. A primary goal of the training is for students to embody these principles as a deep and consistent part of who they are and how they work.

Hakomi recognises people as self-organising systems that develop psychologically around core material. Core material is composed of memories, images, beliefs, neural patterns and deeply held emotional dispositions. This core material shapes the styles, habits, behaviours, perceptions and attitudes that define us as individuals. Some of this core material supports us, while some of it restricts us and Hakomi helps the client to recognize and change these self-limiting patterns.

Hakomi is a Body-Centred, Somatic Psychotherapy

Our body reflects many levels of our inner reality. Our posture and shape, our facial expressions and body nuances, our voice, our style of moving and being, the energetic field that we emanate is all a reflection of our emotions, beliefs and inner experience. Our patterns both physical and psychological have tremendous insight to offer.

Loving Presence and Mindfulness

The Hakomi Method follows a general outline. First, we establish an attitude of gentle acceptance and care known as loving presence. This maximises safety, respect and cooperation of the unconscious. With a good working relationship established, we then help the client focus on and learn how core material shapes his or her experience. To permit this study we establish and use a distinct state of consciousness called Mindfulness. Mindfulness is characterized by a gentle and sustained inward focus of attention, heightened sensitivity and the ability to notice and name the contents of consciousness.

Transformative Therapy

Core material once discovered in this experiential manner can be examined, processed and transformed. Transformation begins when awareness is turned mindfully toward felt, present experience; unconscious material unfolds into consciousness, barriers are attended to and new experiences are integrated that allow for the reorganization of core beliefs and neural patterns. These in turn allow for a greater range of mental, physical and emotional coherence in our response to life.
Finally, we help the client to integrate these new beliefs, possibilities and choices into everyday life. It is here, in the ability to transform these new possibilities into our way of being, that real change happens.

Curriculum and Teaching Methods

As a systematic study of experience, Hakomi provides a detailed model of how to intervene on the physical, emotional and mental levels. The theoretical concepts as well as therapeutic Hakomi skills are taught, practiced and supervised. The curriculum includes: the healing relationship, working within the principles, states and maps of consciousness, character theory, the experimental approach, the flow of the therapeutic process and applying mindfulness in therapy.

The training has a high teacher/student ratio and employs a variety of teaching approaches: experiential exercises, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, group process sessions, expressive arts, supervision, use of video and study groups.

Training Venues

Module 2 will be held at Matahiwi Marae in Clive, Hawkes Bay.

Modules 1,3,4,5,6, and 7 will be held at Mana Retreat Centre, Coromandel, New Zealand. Mana is nestled in a secluded mountain valley looking out to the sea and is an ideal location for this mindfulness-based training. Visit: www.manaretreat.com to find out more about Mana.

Completion and Certification

On successful completion of the Hakomi training, students are eligible to apply for certification with the International Hakomi Institute, USA. A Certified Hakomi Therapist (CHT) is entitled to practice and advertise as a CHT, to use the Hakomi logo and is networked by the Hakomi Institute. Post training certification modules are also available as required.

Training Format

The training will be held over 18 months in seven, nine-day modules. Each module begins at 9am Saturday and finishes at 1pm Sunday.

Training Team

Each training is taught by a team of Certified Hakomi Trainers and experienced assistants.

Jules Morgaine is the lead trainer for the NZ Hakomi training. She is an NZAP registered psychotherapist and approved primary supervisor. A Hakomi teacher since 1999, she leads Hakomi trainings and supervision in NZ and Australia. Jules has a passion for mentoring therapists in the work of psychotherapy.

The training team includes trainers: John Perrin and Suhari Mommsen-Bohm and teacher, Sarah Tait-Jamieson as well as a group of experienced tutors.

Acceptance into the Training

The Hakomi training is intended to build on existing skills. It is therefore preferable that participants have some background in psychology, counselling, social work, healthcare or prior experience working with people in a professional capacity. However, applicants who do not meet the above criteria will also be considered. Attendance of one Hakomi workshop is a pre-requisite for acceptance onto the training. See contact details for an application pack.

Training dates

2012: Aug 17-26, Nov 2-11( at the marae in Hawkes Bay)
2013: Feb 8-17, May 10-19, Aug 23-Sep 1, Oct 25-Nov 3,
2014: Feb 7-16

Contact Sol Petersen for training cost details and further information.

Sol Petersen, Hakomi Trainings NZ
Waimana at Mana,
RD1 Coromandel, New Zealand

Email: solpetersen@xtra.co.nz
Phone: +64 (0) 7866 8971, +64 (0)21 893 055

For an overview of the training and workshops visit: www.hakomi.co.nz

She is Listening

Just for a moment
Let the great stillness hold you.

Wherever you are,
The earth is listening.

She feels your body pressing onto her skin,
is touched
by the gentle rhythm of your heart beat.

The sky smiles

when you exhale,
whispering into his vastness.

He blows back softly,

deep inside,
fills you,

breathes you.

The warm blood
coursing through your veins
well knows
the way back to your heart.

But, do you?

– Sol Petersen, August 2010