The Hakomi Method: Defining Its Place Within the Humanistic Psychology Tradition

Ron Kurtz passed away on January 4, 2010. His legacy is the Hakomi method. The method clearly fits within the tradition of humanistic psychology but has not yet been widely embraced by humanistic psychology. Kurtz’s Hakomi method offers approaches that can be of value to person-centered therapy and further offers a pioneering method of using mindfulness within the therapeutic context, which both predates the current mainstream fascination with therapeutic mindfulness and remains at the forefront of integrating mindfulness practice with psychotherapy. The method, through its impact on the work of some of Kurtz’s senior students, is gaining recognition, including recognition from several well-known neurobiologists. But, both the method and the recognition it is garnering also belong within the humanistic psychology tradition. It is time for humanistic psychology to consider the Hakomi method.