Hakomi workshops Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Roland is a Certified Hakomi Therapist.

Training in Montreal in 2007-2009

What is the Hakomi Method?

These will be bilingual workshops and training with consecutive translation.

Location

Centre Santé Ressources Lucie Caron
62 Place des Châtelets, Chomedey, Québec

This urban spa is 20 minutes from the Montreal airport, near Autoroute 13 and Samson Boulevard in Chomedey. This residential home near the water is an ideal setting for the Hakomi training. The sauna and outside pool is available for the Hakomi participants and ia variety of wholistique treatments are available at a reasonable cost.

Lucy can provide accommodation for a limited number of guests.

See the web site http://www.santeressources.com for more information, call Lucie Caron at 1-800-930-2993.

Donna Martin, M.A. from Canada is an internationally known Hakomi therapist and trainer, author, yoga teacher, workshop leader, stress management specialist, addictions counsellor, and bodymind therapist. She is the author of several books including Seeing Your Life Through New Eyes (with Paul Brenner). She has co-led workshops and trainings with Ron Kurtz since 1992 and is currently working with him on a book on the Practice of Loving Presence. Donna and Ron have developed this Personhood Series as the first stage of their new Hakomi Experiential Method training format, for various professional settings, and for the general public.

You can see Donna's web page at www.hakomi.ca

Greg Johanson, Ph.D. is a Founding Trainer of the Hakomi Institute and editor of the Hakomi Forum and leads workshops and trainings throughout the United States, Germany, and Australia. He has published over one hundred items in the fields of pastoral theology and psychotherapy including (with Ron Kurtz) Grace Unfolding: Psychotherapy in the Spirit of the Tao-te-ching, which has now been translated into German, Spanish, and Chinese.

THE HAKOMI EXPERIENTIAL METHOD

Hakomi is an experiential method of assisted self-discovery which uses “little experiments in mindfulness” to discover how one’s experience is organized by habits and unconscious attitudes and beliefs. As such, Hakomi is a true InSight method, one which is “therapeutic” when used to support one’s own or another’s healing of emotional and psychological issues. Hakomi is also effective in many non-therapy situations involving human relations, from teaching to parenting, from customer service to hospice work.

The method supports resistance and is incredibly gentle and fast in accessing and dealing with core material. It is a therapeutic method on its own and is a superb addition to any therapy you might be presently using. Loving presence is a key skill learned in the method.

Hakomi Experimental Method invites participants into an exploration of growth and healing using experiential methods, including Hakomi Body Centered Psychotherapy. Self-study, the practice of loving presence, group process and skill development are all integral parts of the experience. The whole training usually runs for about 18-20 days a year, for one to three years. In the first phase, we focus on personhood and the practice of loving presence. To do this, we use Hakomi-style experiments to become more aware of ourselves and of others, as well as of our habits of relating.

We move from self-study to developing a sense of spaciousness- relaxing habitual reactions in order to open to new possibilities. We learn mindfulness and interact with each other in ways that cultivate trust, appreciation and rapport. We practice relating in ways that are nourishing. We discover how to create a context in which healing begins to unfold spontaneously. All this is done using the principles and techniques of the Hakomi Method as well as the exercises of the Practice of Loving Presence.

As we progress, we begin to slowly shift our emphasis from self-study to experiential method. We continue the personal work begun in the first phase and we add a new focus on therapeutic skills. These skills are natural extensions of the personal work, with the ability to create loving and healing relationships. They are also specific, well-described and teachable. Personal healing processes continue to happen tin the large and small groups, as the participants practice the method through observing, using it with each other, and integrating it into their professional work. The group bonding and trust levels deepen as the participants continue to use the method to explore their personal issues and to support each others’ healing and spiritual growth. The learning is experiential, organic, creative, non-linear, personal, transformative, and spiritual. The group becomes a source of nourishment and healing for all.

By the third phase which is an advanced practice phase, the participants have begun to see clearly how their lives and relationships- both personal and professional- are influenced by the experience of this training. Supervised practice in the sessions is a large part of this phase, along with group process, demonstration, and discussion. As in phase one and two, participants are encouraged to meet regularly in small study groups between sessions to practice.

The application of the method could be in one-to-one sessions, community groups, workshops, or in some other way more suited to the particular skills and interests of the trainee. There is encouragement and support for trainees to integrate Hakomi of the trainee. There is encouragement and support for trainees to integrate Hakomi Experiential Method9 and /or the Practice of Loving Presence) creatively into the work they already do (psychotherapy, bodywork, family counseling, conflict resolution, mediation, law, teaching, business, art therapy, parenting etc.). This takes the work into a much wider context and offers the healing intelligence and love (wisdom and compassion) cultivated in the training back to the community and to the world.

 

The Hakomi Experiential Method:

The Hakomi Experiential Method is an approach both to learning about yourself and helping others to discover how they are organizing their experiences: their thoughts and beliefs, their self-image and world view. The Hakomi Method is based on these principles:

1. unity: everything is interconnected;
   
2. organicity; healing happens from the inside out;
   
3. mindfulness: a focus on paying attention to present experience;
   
4. non-violence; working with what wants to happen and staying in a state of loving presence;
   
5. Mind/body holism, or working at the interface of body and mind.
   
6. The Hakomi Experiential Method is based on the work of Ron Kurtz, who created the Hakomi Method of Body-Centered Psychotherapy, and who continues to develop the work.

Donna Martin works closely with Ron Kurtz and leads or co-leads trainings and workshops throughout North and South America, Mexico, Europe, and Japan. She has many years of experience as a mind/body therapist, addictions counselor, yoga teacher and stress management consultant.

Hakomi has evolved into an approach to personal development and human relations which expands the focus and application of th4 original Hakomi Method into a wide variety of settings for individuals, couples, families, communities, organizations agencies, and other health and wellness -focused groups.

We begin with a focus on self-study and move on to developing effective communication and relational skills based on compassion and perceptual wisdom. Students are introduced to the Hakomi Method through a variety of experiential practices to cultivate self-awareness and understanding, personal freedom and creativity, and a genuine appreciation of self and others. : You begin to learn and practice some simple yet powerful ways to respond more effectively to suffering.

In the Practice Level, participants learn more about the techniques and skills of Hakomi Method. You will learn to use the method to discover how experience is organized and limited based on these core patterns, and to effectively; help others find ways to be more creative and fulfilled, to express themselves with authenticity and compassion to be nourished by Life.

The Applied Level is for those participants who, having completed the Practice level, wish to deepen their understanding and application of the Hakomi method for personal and /0or professional use, whether one-on-one or in groups.

In all levels of the Hakomi Experiential Method, there is a primary focus on personhood, on the practice of loving presence, and on community development from a mind-body-spirit perspective, all of which provides the basis and fundamental motivation for the learning.

Be what you are: intelligence and love in action. (Nisargadatta Maharaj)

We do give anyone who participates in a Hakomi training a certificate of attendance at each level. We also offer a process whereby people trained in the Hakomi Method can apply for certification as Hakomi therapists.

There is a huge emphasis placed on the personhood, presence, and self awareness of the therapist, and on the subtle aspects of intelligent compassion and an experimental attitude. We encourage the creative use of your personal style within the principles of the Hakomi Method and the practice of Loving Presence. The ability to provide a nourishing and transformational experience in a quietly simple manner and to respond appropriately to the nonverbal signals about what’s needed is the foundation of good Hakomi therapy.

Training in the Hakomi Experiential Method

The Hakomi Experiential Method is based on the work and creative genius of Ron Kurtz, who wrote Body-Centered Psychotherapy: the Hakomi Method, and who continues to develop and write about the work.

Hakomi Experiential Method (HEM) has now evolved into a whole approach to personal development and human relations which expands the focus and application of the original Hakomi Method into a wide variety of other settings for individuals, couples, families, communities, organizations, agencies, and other health and wellness-focused lay and professional groups.

Hakomi Experiential Method training begins by establishing a focus on self-study and moves on to developing effective communication and relational skills based on mindfulness, compassion, and perceptual wisdom including good listening skills.

In the Personhood Series participants are introduced to Hakomi through a variety of experiential practices to cultivate more gentle self-awareness and understanding, qualities of personal freedom and creativity, and a genuine appreciation for oneself and others. You’ll begin to learn and practice some simple yet powerful ways to respond more effectively to suffering.

In the Practice (Skills) Level, participants, having completed the Personhood Series, learn more about the techniques and skills of the Hakomi Method. Here you will explore many ways people express themselves verbally and nonverbally. You begin to help each other understand and transcend limiting beliefs and habitual behavior.

In the Practice Level you’ll learn to use the method to discover how you organize your experience based on these core patterns, and to help each other find ways to be more authentic and compassionate, more connected with each other and with life.

The Applied Level is for those participants who have completed the Practice Level or equivalent Hakomi training and who wish to deepen their understanding and application of Hakomi for personal and/ or professional use. You will have many opportunities to practice using the method with supervision and to focus either on one-to-one or group applications of the Hakomi Experiential Method.

In all levels of the Hakomi Experiential Method, the work we do is informed by a mind-body-spirit perspective toward personhood and community development. This focus provides both a strong foundation and the primary motivation for the learning.

"Be what you are: intelligence and love in action." (Nisargadatta Maharaj)

PERSONHOOD SERIES:

1. The Practice of Loving Presence
2. Quieting the Mind
3. Nonverbal Communication
4. Emotional Nourishment

These are usually each three-day workshops. They can be open to the public and taken in any sequence. The whole series must be completed (minimum 12 days) at least once in order to move on to the two skills levels of the Hakomi training as developed by Ron Kurtz and Donna Martin. These are appropriate both for lay people and for professionally trained therapists, as well as anyone in a helping role.

*HAKOMI EXPERIENTIAL METHOD PRACTICE LEVEL
(18 days minimum over 1-2 years)

*HAKOMI EXPERIENTIAL METHOD APPLIED LEVEL
(18 days minimum over 2-3 years)

* led by Donna Martin (and assistant trainers)

The Practice Level or equivalent Hakomi training must be completed for someone to continue with the Applied Level. These sessions, depending on the background and experience of the participants, may be taken in any order if the trainer agrees. AND… An optional program will be offered for certain qualified people from the two HEM levels. This is the LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT (minimum 6-12 days). Here we’ll cover workshop design and group development strategies, as well as some group skills, including presentation, debriefing, and individual and group processing.

 

More About the Personhood Series

          The Practice of Loving Presence

In this workshop, participants learn how to create and sustain a compassionate state of mind, and to provide a space for someone to have an experience of being witnessed this way. We do this through a progression through several specific stages based on a series of experiential practices from the Hakomi Method. Once the experience of compassion is stabilized, we practice interacting as compassionate givers and receivers, in pairs and small groups. Through this process, participants develop more self-awareness, understanding and the capacity for deep listening. For therapists, this practice is a healthy alternative to stress and burnout, creating a context for gentle but powerful healing to happen.

 

Quieting the Mind

In this workshop, participants learn how to create and sustain a calm, sensitive, present-centered state of mind. Mindfulness is learned and practiced. The basic idea is to become calm and to stay calm, while being present for others as well as for oneself. We’ll explore habitual tendencies and unconscious ideas that can (and usually do) disrupt such a state. And we’ll use the Hakomi Method to experience some alternatives to these old patterns. This kind of calm sensitivity is the necessary state of mind for loving presence and for using the Hakomi Method effectively in your personal life or in your professional work with clients.

Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication expresses who we are, the present experience we’re having, our personal story, and history, as well as what we expect and what we really need from each other. In his bestseller, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman reports that 90% of our emotional experience is communicated nonverbally. The learning here is experiential, using a quiet, calm state of mind, and doing little Hakomi experiments to bring to consciousness the underlying meanings hidden in nonverbal expression (our own and others): facial expressions, bodily gestures, posture, tone of voice, energy, pacing, and other signals. This workshop is for people in helping professions or service work, especially teachers, doctors, nurses, and social workers. It is also excellent for parents, and for anyone in a significant relationship.

 

Emotional Nourishment

Even having good intentions to witness each other compassionately and to be truly present and helpful to someone in distress, we may still experience feelings of helplessness in the face of suffering. There are effective ways to respond to others who need comfort or reassurance, and to help them realize that some kind of nourishing experience is available. In this workshop, we explore the ways we ourselves may be unable to take in the emotional nourishment that is being offered. And we use skills from the Hakomi Experiential Method to learn how to recognize and communicate clearly and simply what it is that someone needs to hear and feel, and do this in ways that are appropriate and are received as nourishment.