The Use of Touch in Hakomi   

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Unlike traditional forms, Hakomi may involve consensual touch from the practitioner to the client. When painful or traumatic memories arise, a soft touch or a gentle hand on the shoulder might help comfort the individual and encourage the person to stay with the experience. Touch may also be used in support of the individual's self-management behaviors (aka, defenses). 

 

Describing a particular memory may lead an individual to cover their face with their hands, and a Hakomi practitioner may support this gesture by placing their hands over the individual's, thus helping to keep the person's face covered.

 

Supporting management behaviors in this way can encourage the individual to venture deeper into the internal experience. Although touch is viewed as an acceptable practice, practitioners first obtain the consent of the individual.