Hakomi: Taking Over

Taking over is a Hakomi intervention technique, developed by Ron Kurtz, where the
therapist assumes there is an inherent wisdom in the defenses a client is engaged in and
assists her by taking over or doing something as exactly as possible that she is already
doing (Barstow & Johanson, 2015; Lavie, 2015). Normally this is done in a mindful state
for the client except for riding the rapids when it’s used for supporting spontaneous
behavior (Barstow & Johanson, 2015; Kurtz, 1990). Through a technique like taking over,
the therapist assists the client by “making the work of self-discovery easier, safer and
clearer” (Kurtz, 1990, p. 104). As Kurtz began modifying his approach from earlier
training in bioenergetics and Gestalt, among other modalities, he realized the
importance of doing experiments in mindfulness and supporting, rather than resisting, a
client’s defenses (Lavie, 2015).
If a client responds to a probe with an inner voice, then the therapist can take over the
voice and vocalize it for a client. Taking over can accomplish several things including: 1)
supporting a need for safety; 2) lowering the noise thus increasing sensitivity; 3) creating
distance as well as control over reactions; 4) supporting the healing relationship; 5)
shifting awareness from defensiveness to an awareness of the underlying “feelings,
impulses, images and memories being defended against” (Kurtz, 1990, p. 102). When an
“offer to take over is accepted”, the effort is taken out of a significant reaction (p. 102).
Removing effort lowers the noise. Taking over can assist in bringing blocked feelings in
awareness.
Taking over verbally is where the therapist takes over the inner voice or thought of the
client in response to a probe or a meaning of physical tension. For example, if the client
has the thought ‘I won’t cry’ then the therapist can ask the client to relax and then
notice what occurs for them when the therapist says it for them, in a similar volume,
intensity and tone the client was hearing (Kurtz, 1990; Lavie, 2015).
An example of taking over occurred with a woman who did a workshop with Ron Kurtz,
the creator of Hakomi. The woman’s daughter had been assaulted by a stranger within
their home and the daughter would stare at the door in her room and could not sleep at
night. The mother tried to reassure her to no avail so finally said that she would watch
the door and sit there all night, without going away. Eventually the daughter closed her
eyes, falling into a deep sleep. The mother’s statement “I’ll watch the door for you” is an
example of taking over (Kurtz, 1990, p. 110).
 References

Barstow, C. & Johanson, G. (2015). Glossary of Hakomi Therapy Terms. H. Weiss, G.

Johanson & L. Monda (Eds.). Hakomi mindfulness-centered somatic psychotherapy: a
comprehensive guide to theory and practice (pp. 295-299). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Kurtz, R. S. (1990). Body-Centered Psychotherapy: The Hakomi Method. Mendocino, CA:
Liferhythm Press.
Lavie, S. (2015). Experiments in Mindfulness. H. Weiss, G. Johanson & L. Monda (Eds.).
Hakomi mindfulness-centered somatic psychotherapy: a comprehensive guide to theory and
practice (pp. 178-193). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.