This document provides an introduction to the indirect method in Hakomi therapy. It explains that the indirect method teaches clients to be their own therapists by guiding them to work with their inner parts. An example is given comparing direct and indirect use of acknowledgment. In the indirect example, the therapist guides the client to go inside, check in with a proud feeling, and say an acknowledgment to that part silently. Breaking it into steps, the client reports positive responses. The document concludes that using this method, therapists can teach clients many Hakomi skills to work with their inner parts on their own.

1. Slide Show 1: A brief Introduction to the
Indirect method

2. What is the Indirect Method
• The indirect method is a way to use Hakomi to support clients in being Hakomi
therapists to their own inner parts.
• You do not have to learn the indirect method to be certified as a Hakomi therapist.
• If you do want to use it we want to help you to learn it correctly and effectively,
so that it supplements your conventional Hakomi work and makes it easier to master.
• We think that once you know it, you will be glad you took the time to learn it.
• We also think that teaching Hakomi skills to a client is the best way to master
them yourself.

3. Before we get too abstract let’s look at an example that compares conventional
direct Hakomi to the indirect mode.
An Example
Acknowledgment is an important Hakomi skill that is often used when we work conventionally
and directly with a client. Here is an example:
Hakomi Therapist Hakomi Client
Therapist says: “I see how proud you feel”.
Therapist working
directly

4. Therapist in the Same Situation Working Indirectly
Hakomi Therapist
Hakomi Client
Therapist working
indirectly
Therapist says: “I wonder if you could go inside and just be with that proud part, and
if you can do that, just say to it, silently: “I see how proud you feel”.
Even though it compresses a few steps into one, the following illustration shows how
the Hakomi therapist uses the indirect mode to teach his client how to use the same
acknowledgment to recognize and validate his own proud part.

5. What does this illustrate?
This example illustrates that the indirect method is about teaching clients to be
their own Hakomi therapists. In this example we have used one important Hakomi skill,
acknowledgment, as an illustration. Once you know how to use the indirect method
it is possible to teach your client many more Hakomi skills. Here is a partial list:
How to extend loving presence to an inner part.
How to track an inner parts present moment state.
How to acknowledge an inner part’s experience (as in the preceding example).
How to get a report of “what happened?” from an inner part.
How to win the trust of an inner part and strengthen a connection with it?
How to evoke meaning or a memory from an inner part.
How to provide comfort, nourishment and support to an inner part.
How to provide a missing experience to an inner part.
In other words, with the exception of doing experiments and taking over, we are
imparting all of the basic elements of Hakomi to our clients as they do their work. We are
going beyond giving them a fish dinner, we are teaching them how to catch and cook their own.

6. It’s usually better to break things up into smaller steps, especially
if the client isn’t already an expert in working with their inner parts.
So we will break up the indirect work into four parts:
1. Have him go inside and just be with his experience.
2. Find out what happens when he does that.
3. If all goes well, have him make the acknowledgment.
4. Let him tell us what happens (Parts 3 and 4 happen in one slide).
Here goes:
Now let’s look at that indirect example again.

7. Therapist in the Same Situation Working Indirectly
Hakomi Therapist
Hakomi Client
Therapist working
indirectly
Therapist says: “I wonder if you could go inside and just be with that proud part”
In the first step we invite the client to go inside and be aware of that part that is
feeling good.

8. Therapist in the Same Situation Working Indirectly
Therapist working
indirectly
Therapist says: “What happens when you do that?”
We want to know if they can do that so we ask the client what happens?
Client reports: “It feels real good to be with these feelings.”

9. Therapist in the Same Situation Working Indirectly
Therapist working
indirectly
“Now see if you can say to that part, silently: ‘I sense (or see) how
good that makes you feel’”.
Now we coach him on making the acknowledgment to his own inner part or feeling:
Client tries it and says: “ Wow, it feels even better.”

10. Conclusion
I’m hoping that if you play this slide show back and forth a few times
you will get the idea of how the direct and indirect modes differ and
how we are using the same Hakomi skill (acknowledgment) in both modes.
I will be sending out some other slide shows if this one seems to
work.
Please feel free to email me with questions.
Sincerely,
Dave Cole