In 2004 I came along to a Hakomi taster day in Sheffield. I knew straight away I had encountered something unique and by the end of the day I had made up my mind – I wanted to complete the whole training.

Since then I have come to appreciate more fully what it is that makes Hakomi so special and so different from other therapies. It encompasses the whole spectrum of ‘human beingness’ with the emphasis on Loving Presence and Mindfulness as the backbone of the method. For me this set it apart from anything I had previously encountered; it seemed to be more ‘a way of life’; ‘a way to connect with’ or ‘a way of being with’ rather than ‘psychotherapy’ which can imply ‘a way to fix things’. Mindfulness and my own personal practice of this alone has been life-changing.

Teachers like Donna and Bob along with the kinds of people Hakomi attracts have acted as strong, loving presences in my life providing me with, over the years, the right conditions and enough wisdom to enable me to become aware of my own unconscious habits. Through loving presence and mindfulness I have been supported by fellow Hakomi students, teachers and practitioners to change the habits that no longer serve me. This has led to much freedom from such painful states of mind as depression and anxiety and along the way I have found friendships that nourish my soul and that continue to be important to me.

Today, Hakomi seems to me to be the simplest and most effective way to study the complex themes that run throughout our lives, relationships and all that it means to be human, with no problem proving too big nor too small for its lens.

'Hakomi for me felt like going home. After my first 5 day course I was in my car driving along the motorway and the words came into my head "I have found my tribe".'

Hakomi has been a journey of discovery of my "whole self" it has helped me to better understand myself on a personal level and continues to do so. As a counsellor Hakomi has also helped me in my profession I have learnt to "really" be present with my clients 'in the moment' whilst helping them discover "their whole self" so they can have a more beneficial experience of who they are. My main point of learning whist attending Hakomi was that it is not a technique I could learn and use "it is a way of being".

I discovered Hakomi through the " Grace Unfolding Training " nearly ten years ago, I fell in love with it straight away. I then decided to take on therapy training. My life and my perception of myself changed so much that I decided I wanted to spread such good news and become a therapist myself. I feel it´s a gift not only for the individual but also for the world. I haven’t the words for fully describing it - the only thing I can say is that Hakomi is a blessing in my life!