The Hakomi Principles: Unity

In this series of short articles, we’re exploring the Hakomi principles—the core tenets of this powerful, body-centered approach to psychotherapy. 

The first Hakomi principle is unity: the belief that each of us is a living system made up of various parts, and capable of homeostasis (which is, as this blog defines it, “the self-regulating process by which an organism can maintain internal stability while adjusting to changing external conditions”). 

The unity principle means that we, like all living systems, “are made up of parts organized into wholes.” In other words, at the level of an individual, the unity principle holds that each of us is a complex, self-correcting system made up of interconnected parts. Additionally, the unity principle also holds that each of us is interconnected with an infinitely complex, much greater whole than we ourselves could ever be alone— because “we live in a participatory universe.” 

According to the unity principle, you’ve already got all the healing potential needed to live your most whole, integrated, and meaningful life. It says, sure, you’re a puzzle… but there aren’t any missing pieces! It’s important to remember, too, that we’re always growing and changing, and that our systems are rather wise to do so: as the blog quoted above puts it, “Homeostasis is not static and unvarying; it is a dynamic process that can change internal conditions as required to survive external challenges.” 

In other words, unity means that you’re adaptive, and it also means that all you really need to thrive is an appropriate, supportive environment that supports and orients to your wholeness. And part of this type of supportive environment—also overlapped with the “organicity” principle that we’ll explore next week—is that the therapist can (and should!) partner with the client’s innate healing. By coming into relationship with one another, the client gains support in their healing and getting to know themselves, and the therapist gets to learn and grow as a person-and-healer, too. 

It’s so humbling to get to hold my clients in accord with the Hakomi Principles… and a big part of this honor is that my clients are some of my greatest psychotherapy teachers: when I listen closely, with the Hakomi principles in mind, clients inevitably show me how to sit with them in the most supportive ways possible.

Interested in pursuing therapy that utilizes mindfulness and respects the connection between your mind and body? Schedule a free discovery call to see if this work might be a good fit! 

The unity principle quotes above come from: Johansen, Greg. Hakomi Principles and a Systems Approach to Psychotherapy. Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy. p. 42

This series of blogs written by Stephen Higgins