Designed for those individuals who have completed a Level One training in Hakomi Experiential Psychotherapy, Level Two focuses on the map of character theory and practice. Character refers to early learning and adaptation processes. As children, we imprint experiences that shape our neural development in ways that result in an enduring set of beliefs and perceptions. These beliefs, or implicit models, unconsciously organize our behavior resulting in automatic and habitual strategies for living that are both adaptive and limiting.

This series explores the etiology of the five basic categories of character used in Hakomi and the developmental wounds associated with each. Participants will learn to make theory-driven hypotheses about the needs and core material of various clients by examining their clients’ physical, emotional and behavioral tendencies. Participants will also practice using the mindfulness-based techniques of Hakomi to bring these strategies into consciousness so they can be examined and transformed. Upon completing this training, participants will be able to use the character map to design more targeted and refined therapeutic interventions and will recognize when their own character habits may be shaping their interactions with clients in limiting ways.

Level Two of Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychology continues to develop the skills and practices learned in Level One, introduces new theoretical maps to help refine participants’ application of the Hakomi method, and includes extensive advanced supervision. Satisfactory completion of Level One is the prerequisite for acceptance into Level Two. This level focuses on in-depth coverage of the Hakomi method’s conceptualization of character theory, an understanding of the organization of personality and character into patterns that reveal developmental and cultural wounding. Participants are guided in creating customized strategies to help attune to and access clients’ core material, offering reparative experiences to help heal developmental trauma/attachment wounds and cultural wounds.

Level Two also introduces a map called the “Sensitivity Cycle,” a way of identifying and working to understand and remedy where clients get stuck in life. This cycle has four stages: clarity, effective action, satisfaction, and relaxation, each of which correlates to one or more character strategies covered in this level.

Extensive practice and supervision help therapists attune and attend more precisely to each client’s developmental wounding and adaptive strategies. Countertransference is used to gather information about the character strategies of both client and therapist, and therapists develop a deeper understanding of their own inner organization and the process of using the self as an instrument for therapy. 

Learning Objectives: 

In this training you will learn to:

• Recognize the somatic organization and governing beliefs related to each of the character strategies
• Engage effectively with the five basic categories of character strategies used in Hakomi Experiential Psychotherapy
• Implement effective clinical strategies for working with character in a psychotherapeutic context through demonstrations and experiential exercises
• Evaluate client-therapist interactions from the perspective of character development
• Work with sensitivity to the neurobiological context of of human change processes, including character formation and change 
• Use Hakomi’s dynamic diagnostic map, the Hakomi Sensitivity Cycle, to tailor your interventions with greater precision
• Employ mindful self-awareness to address counter-transference and therapist’s core issues that impact clinical effectiveness
• Review and deepen your skill in working with child states to bring about lasting transformation

Prerequisite: Completion of a Level 1 Hakomi Training and an interview with one of the trainers are both mandatory to enroll in Level 2. Application available soon.  

Dates *Subject to Location Availability:
October 23 – 25, In Person
November 20 –  22, In Person
January 8 – 10, Online
February 5 – 7, In Person
March 5 – 7,  Online
April 9 – 11, Online
June 4 – 6, In Person

Times (all times are Pacific Daylight Time):
Friday 5:30 – 8pm
Saturday 9am – 5pm
Sunday 9am – 1pm

Faculty:

Jessica Montgomery, M.S.W., CHT, Hakomi Trainer is a somatic counselor, Hakomi Trainer and catalyst. Blending brain science with mindful experiential techniques and profound regard for the unbroken wisdom within, Jessica facilitates individuals, couples and communities toward greater wholeness. Based in Portland Oregon, she has taught internationally in diverse settings from integrative medicine to wilderness retreats to bodyworker and counselor education. As co-developer of the Primary Attachment model, she supports practitioners in expanding capacity for professional intimacy. Jessica is skilled at synthesizing key information across disciplines and brings a strong social justice perspective to her work, inspiring embodied approaches to personal and social evolution.

Donna Roy, MS, L.P.C., CHT, Hakomi Trainer, is a licensed professional counselor and a Certified Hakomi Therapist and Trainer, serves on the Hakomi Institute board of directors, and has had a private counseling and consulting practice in Portland, Oregon, for 25 years. She continues to offer Hakomi certification support and to teach in Hakomi trainings in the Pacific NW and with other global Hakomi teams. In 2011, she spearheaded the co-development of Primary Attachment Therapy (P.A.T.) and offers P.A.T. trainings locally and internationally. Her background includes teaching in Portland State University’s Department of Counselor Education, founding a local affordable counseling clinic, and authoring a chapter entitled, “Body-Centered Counseling & Psychotherapy” in Theories and Interventions in Counseling and Psychotherapy, published by Prentice Hall. She has advanced training in couples, marriage, and family therapy, experiential dreamwork, and clinical supervision.

Deah Baird, ND, MS, LPC, LCMHC is a certified Hakomi therapist and licensed psychotherapist in private practice. As a Hakomi Trainer, she offers Hakomi trainings with gentleness and humor, aiming to share this powerful method with students, in hopes that it will touch the lives of those you work with. Hakomi has been the cornerstone of her work life since she first encountered it. She views Hakomi as the work of assisting others to be in a closer relationship with themselves, gently revealing the many layers of conditioning that shape our lives, and re-engaging with choicefulness. She sees this work as both individually transformative and potentially culture-shifting.

Rick Cummings, M.S., L.P.C., C.H.T., Hakomi Teacher is passionate about healing within the container of relationship and the co-creative process of transformation. Hakomi, Primary Attachment Therapy, ReCreation of Self Therapy and Somatic Release Therapy set the foundation for how Rick orients towards the therapeutic process. Any given month you can catch Rick meeting with clients, mentoring folks in his group practice or teaching with the Hakomi Faculty on the Pacific Northwest Team. In the early morning hours, you might also find him tinkering with his latest fiction manuscript. Rick lives with his partner, Jade, in The Rogue Valley, OR and on the North Island of New Zealand.

CE Information: 40 NBCC CE hours [TBD]

(ACEP #5476): Hakomi Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 5476.) Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Hakomi Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. 

CE Policy