The Hakomi Method for Transforming Trauma

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Speaker

Manuela Mischke-Reeds, MA, LMFT Related seminars and products

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Manuela Mischke-Reeds, MA, MFT, is a somatic trauma psychotherapist, author, international teacher of somatic psychology, and senior Hakomi trainer. She is the founder of Embodywise, an international learning community offering professional training in trauma therapy, somatic psychology, and the Hakomi Method, and is a co-founder of the Hakomi Institute of California.
 

She is the developer of the Innate Somatic Intelligence Trauma Therapy Approach (ISITTA), an integrative somatic psychotherapy framework that supports trauma recovery through nervous system regulation, embodied awareness, movement-based integration, and relational therapeutic processes.
 

With over 30 years of clinical experience, Manuela has taught professional training programs internationally across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In the field of psychedelic therapy, she offers specialized somatic approaches, including somatic therapy techniques, movement-based integration, and ethical touch practices, to support psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy through a trauma-informed, relational lens.
 

She is the author of several books, including Embodied Psychedelic Therapy: A Somatic Guide (W. W. Norton, with Joshua Sylvae), Somatic Psychotherapy Toolbox (PESI), Trauma-Sensitive Movement (PESI), and 8 Keys to Practicing Mindfulness (W. W. Norton). 
She is also a contributing author to Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice (W. W. Norton), The Complete Trauma Treatment Guide (PESI), and The Praeger Handbook of Community Mental Health Practice (Praeger), for which she authored the chapter "The Role of Trauma in Community Health: A Somatic Perspective."

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Manuela Mischke-Reeds is the founder of Embodywise and has an employment relationship with Embodylab. She receives compensation as a consultant and royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Manuel Mischke-Reeds has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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Objectives

1. Analyze the utility of the Hakomi method in the treatment of trauma.  
2. Differentiate the 5 Hakomi clinical principles.  
3. Choose Hakomi interventions to access the unconscious. 
4. Appraise the role of the therapeutic seat in the facilitation of treatment. 

Outline

Hakomi Principles  

• Honoring the indigenous origins of the name Hakomi 
• The 5 principles of Hakomi method and how they are used to guide psychotherapeutic treatment 

The Therapeutic Model and Flow of the Hakomi Method  

• The key elements and therapeutic model of the Hakomi approach 
• How unconscious material is accessed in Hakomi 
• Identifying core material, determining the focus of the session and integrating new discoveries, beliefs, and behaviors 
• How to facilitate expanded states of awareness in the arc of healing 

The Embodied Hakomi Therapist   

• Principles of Being in the Therapist Seat 
• The types of the Therapist Seat, when to use them, and how to embody each role 
• Therapist somatic self-resourcing with the Back-Body Practice 
• A step-by-step guide to the Back-Body Practice 

Contacting and Speaking the Language of Hakomi   

• What is Contacting and how these elegant statements make a big impact internally 
• How to construct an effective contact statement that takes your client deeper  
• Using Contacting skills with different categories of experience 
• A comprehensive guide to using contact statements 

Tracking Client Experience  

• How tracking skills guides clients to where they need to go  
• What to track, how to track it, and what to do next 
• Demonstration: Tracking in trauma processing 
• Using tracking to discover core material 
• Demonstration: Deconstructing the tracking experience 

Conducting Mindful Explorations  

• Defining mindful explorations 
• The experiential mindset of the therapist  
• How to set up a mindful exploration 
• Types of mindful explorations and when to use them 
• The therapist’s role during explorations 
• How to use prompts in explorations 
• How explorations benefit the treatment process 

Trauma Healing with Hakomi Method and Integrating Polyvagal Theory  

• Hakomi’s understanding of trauma and its treatment 
• The individual, relational, and collective impact of trauma and how to facilitate healing 
• How Polyvagal Theory can Enhance Somatic Healing 
• Foundations of Polyvagal Theory 
• Integrating Polyvagal principles in Hakomi methods 

Somatic Resourcing: Helping our Clients Re-Remember Safety 

• Defining somatic resourcing and and utilizing embodied safety 
• Using Somatic Resourcing to facilitate self-regulation and empowerment 
• Types of resources and how to use them 
• How to use Somatic Resourcing to facilitate Trauma Processing 
• Co-regulation: The therapist’s role in Somatic Resourcing 

Discussion of Risks and Limitations  

• Hakomi therapy for trauma 
• Polyvagal-Informed Therapy  

Target Audience

• Counsellors
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Social Workers
• Physicians 
• Psychologists
• Addiction Counsellors