Hakomi: Contact

At the level of technique in Hakomi, making contact and staying in contact, involves using
contact statements. A contact statement involves summarizing the situation the client is
describing, as succinctly as possible, with the best possible timing, after the client has spoken
and then paused, waiting for the therapist to respond. Without interrupting, the therapist
offers a simple, direct statement like, for example, ‘sad huh’, in response to the present-time
experience like sadness that the client is sharing. Other examples of contact statements
include: ‘that surprised you, didn’t it’, ‘that’s scary, isn’t it’ or ‘that was intense, huh. “A
statement like ‘you seem a little nervous to me,’ offered without judgment and without
breaking the rhythm of the other’s presentation, is a way of making feelings real, okay to have
and okay to talk about” (Kurtz, 1990, p. 80). Also, after offering a contact statement, it is
important for the therapist to pause and wait for the client to respond (Kurtz, 1990).

“Verbal contact is naming the client’s present experience. We contact something we have
tracked—something the other person is doing, feeling, or focusing on in the moment” (Martin,
2015, p. 155). This may be something she is aware of or it may be outside her awareness. It’s
important to not contact the story or content of what the client is saying, except to let her
know that you are listening to and following her. Contact statements let a client know you are
hearing what she’s sharing and are present in a heart-centered way, interested, nonjudgmental
and understanding her inner experience and feelings (Martin, 2015).

“A contact statement is open ended, almost like a question” (Martin, p. 155-156, 2015). But,
contact statements are not questions as asking a question indicates that the therapist doesn’t
know what’s going on for a client and therefore isn’t really in contact. Questions interfere with
spontaneity. Questions also involve thought and distance but contact statements involve
experience and intimacy (Kurtz, 1990).

An important part of a therapist’s job is to create safety for the client to dig deeper. By “letting
them be, by supporting their taking the lead if they will, you” assist them in feeling safe and
experience being understood (Kurtz, 1990, p. 80). If a client is quiet then the therapist can meet
them in that quiet place by saying something like: “It’s hard to talk about, isn’t it” or “hard to
talk, huh.” (Kurtz, 1990, p. 80, 82). Statements like these address what is going on for a client in
present time.

Also, a contact statement needs to be worded in a way that allows a client to disagree if they
want to. We don’t want disagreements but, in therapy, the client is “automatically right”
because it’s the client’s experience (Kurtz, 1990, p. 82). It is much more important to have
safety and win the cooperation of the client than for the therapist to be right (Kurtz, 1990).
Finally, using contact statements for someone in a crisis situation may not be appropriate since
the goal is to stabilize rather than explore deeper wounds and core beliefs. For example, using a
contact statement might be too powerful of a tool to use with a more fragile psyche like that of
a paranoid client. But to just hold a space, and trust that what is coming up for them is a part of
their healing process, will have a positive impact. You can subtly mirror and adjust your body
language and speech to be congruent with whomever you are working with. Clients feel this
regardless of whether or not one ever uses a contact statement (Moody, 2013).

References

Kurtz, R. S. (1990). Body-centered psychotherapy: the Hakomi Method. Mendocino, CA:

Liferhythm Press.

Martin, D. (2015). The skills of tracking and contact. H. Weiss, G. Johanson & L. Monda (Eds.).
Hakomi mindfulness-centered somatic psychotherapy: a comprehensive guide to theory and
practice (pp. 151-160). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Moody, J. (2013, March 8). Using Hakomi with clients with chronic mental illness. [Blog post]
Retrieved from http://joannamoody.net/blog/using-hakomi-with-clients/