Summary: Feeling overwhelmed? Discover Havening Techniques, a revolutionary approach using gentle touch to rapidly soothe distress, build resilience, and empower your journey to holistic well-being.
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Introduction
What if you could calm your deepest anxieties and empower your resilience with a simple, gentle touch?
What is Havening?
Havening Techniques are a relatively new approach in the field of psychosensory therapy that utilizes gentle, calming touch to reduce the intensity of distressing thoughts, emotions, and memories. Developed by Dr. Ronald Ruden, a neuroscientist, and his brother Dr. Steven Ruden, it is based on the idea that traumatic or difficult experiences can be encoded in the brain. Havening aims to decouple the emotional charge from these memories through what is known as “psychological-sensory” touch, reducing their impact.
Specifically, the “havening touch” is typically performed by lightly stroking the hands, arms, and face. This can be self-administered or done by a practitioner. The gentle touch activates the delta waves of the brain, creating a state of relaxation and a release of calming neurochemicals such as serotonin. When combined with visualization techniques the method is particularly potent for a wide variety of mental and physical health concerns.
The Science Behind Havening
The mechanisms of Havening are rooted in neuroscience, focusing on the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for processing emotions. Traumatic experiences can lead to what is termed “encoded trauma,” which means that these events are stored with intense emotional and physical responses. When triggered, the amygdala releases stress hormones, leading to feelings of anxiety, fear, and other kinds of emotional distress.
Havening can promote a cascade of positive effects, enhancing overall well-being.
Havening appears to disrupt this process by activating the delta brainwave activity. When someone experiences havening touch, it is theorised that this process creates a “decoupling” of the emotional intensity from the encoded experience. The gentle touch and associated relaxation reduce the excitability of the amygdala, helping the nervous system calm down. This calming effect and release of neurochemicals create the basis for positive change. In short, Havening works to help you move the impact of negative experiences to a more manageable state.
Key Benefits of Havening Techniques
- Reduced Anxiety and Stress: Havening is known for its ability to quickly reduce feelings of anxiety, stress, and overwhelm, offering a sense of calm and relief. The techniques can be used to combat both everyday anxieties and more profound, situational distress.
- Improved Emotional Regulation: By decoupling the emotional response from triggering events, havening can help you develop a more balanced emotional state and increase your ability to regulate your responses. It helps to make you more resilient to emotional stressors.
- Relief from Trauma and PTSD: Havening can help diminish the intensity of memories associated with trauma, reducing the distress of these experiences. It’s increasingly recognised as a potential tool in the journey toward recovery from PTSD.
- Better Sleep: With the ability to calm the nervous system, and reduce anxiety, havening can assist in better sleep. When havening techniques are practised, many people find that they can move more easily to a relaxed and rested state for sleep.
- Enhanced Performance and Focus: Havening can be used to clear emotional blocks and limiting beliefs, which in turn can lead to improved performance, clarity, and confidence in various areas of life. This could include work, studies or in sports.
How to Practice Havening
Havening can be learned from certified practitioners or through self-study. Here are the basic steps:
- Identify the Trigger: Start by thinking of the event, feeling, or memory that triggers an emotional response. Rate the intensity on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest level of distress.
- The Havening Touch: Begin to self-apply the havening touch, which involves gently stroking the palms of your hands down to your fingertips, or arms and face while thinking of a pleasant memory. This touch should be calming and consistent.
- Positive Imagery or Distraction: While doing the havening touch, practice some form of a cognitive distraction. This can include thinking of something pleasant or working through numbers.
- Reassess: After a few minutes, reassess the intensity of the trigger. Repeat the process until you notice a significant reduction in the distress. The positive change should be noticeable and is a very quick process.
Havening and Holistic Health
Havening aligns with a holistic health philosophy by addressing the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and emotions. By reducing stress and anxiety, Havening can promote a cascade of positive effects, enhancing overall well-being. This approach focuses on restoring the natural state of balance and resilience. It also empowers individuals to take an active role in their healing and personal growth.
Where to Find Havening Support
If you are interested in exploring Havening Techniques, you can consult with certified Havening practitioners. There is also a wealth of information available online, such as books, courses and videos. A qualified holistic health practitioner or counsellor will be able to help you begin or develop your skills in havening.
Why not TRY this very practical tutorial on Havening as explained by a Havening Practitioner:
Conclusion
Havening Techniques represent a powerful tool for emotional well-being, offering a pathway to reduce emotional intensity and enhance resilience. This gentle, neuroscience-backed approach offers a simple yet effective method to unlock your innate capacity for healing and growth. So, by integrating Havening into your holistic health practices, you can empower yourself to navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and well-being.
Book a 30-minute FREE appointment with me today so I can help you understand how you can reach your potential and be a better you.
Stay healthy!
References
- The Havening Techniques Website: https://havening.org/ – (Official website with information, practitioner directory, and resources)
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): https://www.nice.org.uk/ – (Whilst not specifically referencing havening, NICE provides information on mental health and therapies)
- World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int/ (General health information and mental wellbeing strategies)
- Holistic Health: https://www.holistic-health.vip/ – (click for more holistic health content)
- PubMed Central: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ – (Search for peer-reviewed articles on havening and related neuroscience).