Summary: Havening for anxiety is a technique that aims to depotentiate the encoded traumatic experiences in the amygdala, which can reduce the impact of past traumas and lower overall anxiety levels. It involves the use of touch, distraction, and focused attention to create a sense of safety, which can then help to make other therapeutic techniques more effective. It is often used to facilitate a shift in perception, reduce emotional distress, and build resilience. Havening can be used alongside other therapies, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and is also a valuable tool for anxiety coaches.
What is Havening for Anxiety?
Havening for anxiety is a method that uses touch, distraction, and focused attention to alter the way that traumatic experiences are stored in the brain. The goal of havening is not to directly manage anxiety, but rather to address the underlying causes of the anxiety, particularly those linked to past traumatic events. Havening can help to create a sense of safety and peace, and in this way, it can help to make other anxiety treatment methods more effective. Havening is considered an adjunctive approach to therapy, meaning it can be used alongside existing therapeutic techniques. It can be done by an individual themselves (self-havening) or with the guidance of a practitioner (facilitated havening).
How Does Havening for Anxiety Work?
Havening works by targeting the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for processing emotions, especially fear. Traumatic memories can become encoded in the amygdala, which leads to the present day disorder that we call PTSD. Havening aims to depotentiate the traumatic experiences stored in the amygdala. This is done by creating an electrochemical environment within the mind and body that allows for the release of these experiences. The process involves:
- Touch: Gentle, rhythmic touch is applied to the face, arms, and palms. This touch helps to create a sense of safety and generate delta waves in the brain which are associated with deep sleep and a feeling of safety.
- Distraction: While the touch is applied, the client is asked to engage in a distracting activity, such as counting or humming. This distraction helps to keep the traumatic memory out of the working memory.
- Focused Attention: The client is asked to bring the distressing memory, emotion, or craving to mind while engaging in the touch and distraction techniques.
- Affirmations and Positive Actions: In some forms of havening such as Affirmational Havening, the individual is encouraged to connect with a sense of hope and positive action.
This combination of touch, distraction, and focused attention is thought to create a paradoxical situation in which the individual is aroused but feels safe, which then depotentiates the encoded memory.
How Havening Fits with Other Approaches to Anxiety
Havening for anxiety can be integrated into various therapeutic approaches to enhance their effectiveness.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT focuses on acceptance of difficult emotions and committing to values-driven action. Havening can be used to help clients be more willing to experience anxiety and to move towards their values.
- Experiential Avoidance: ACT views avoidance of negative internal experiences as a key problem for people with anxiety. Havening may help to reduce the intensity of these experiences, making it easier for clients to move towards those experiences, rather than away.
- Values Clarification: ACT encourages clients to clarify their values and live a meaningful life. Havening can help to clear away the blocks, caused by trauma and anxiety, that prevent someone from moving towards their goals and values.
- Mindfulness: ACT uses mindfulness techniques to help clients become aware of their thoughts and feelings without judgement. Havening can be a way of exploring the internal experience through a mindful and accepting stance. Havening can also be used as a cognitive defusion technique.
- Exposure: ACT uses exposure in a different way from other therapies, viewing it as an exercise to help clients to become better at feeling, rather than to feel less. Havening can be used to facilitate exposure experiences and reduce the distress associated with them, with the goal of helping people to feel better about feeling, rather than to feel better.
- Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): NLP focuses on understanding how people organize their mental processes. NLP can help people to understand their thought patterns and to rewrite their associations with anxiety. Havening may be used in conjunction with NLP to deepen the results of these processes.
- Submodalities: NLP explores the submodalities of a person’s experience and how they perceive events through their senses. This process can help people to have a more positive and empowering perspective. Havening can be used to shift the way these experiences are held within the body and brain.
- Anchors: NLP uses anchors to help people access resourceful states. Havening can be used as a powerful anchor, to help a client feel safe and calm.
- Reframing: NLP techniques involve reframing or changing your perspective on stressful or traumatic events. Havening can be used to help to shift the negative feeling that a person may be holding about a memory.
- Anxiety Coaching: An anxiety coach might use havening to help clients manage stress, emotions, and past events that are preventing them from achieving their goals.
- Self-Havening: An anxiety coach may teach their clients how to self-haven, so they can use it in their daily lives to help them to self-regulate. An anxiety coach can help their client to use self-havening to manage stress and prevent undesired outcomes.
- Facilitated Havening: A coach might use facilitated havening to help a client move through a difficult or traumatic experience and to clear away some of the emotional blocks. An anxiety coach might teach a client to use havening with a partner to help them to support each other.
- Content-Free Work: Coaches can use havening to work with clients without needing to delve into the specific details of a traumatic event, which can be particularly helpful for clients who are reluctant to share their experiences.
- Goal Focused Work: An anxiety coach might use Outcome Havening to help clients to create new and more positive patterns in their lives.
How Havening is Used Within Other Approaches
Within ACT, havening might be used to help a client to develop a willingness to experience anxiety and to move toward their goals, rather than away from them. It can be used to help clients to be more present in the moment and to accept what cannot be changed.
Within NLP, havening can be used to change how an experience is held by the body, or to create anchors of calm that the client can use outside of the session.
Havening as a Tool Rather than a Therapy
Havening is best thought of as a tool, rather than a therapy. It can be used alongside other therapeutic approaches and can enhance their effectiveness. It is not intended to replace other therapies, but rather to be integrated with them.
Conclusion: Should You Include Havening for Anxiety Within Your Treatment?
Havening for anxiety offers a promising approach for those seeking relief from anxiety, especially if that anxiety is rooted in past trauma. It may be a useful tool to add to a treatment plan alongside other therapies.
When considering Havening, think about:
- The Nature of Your Anxiety: If your anxiety is linked to past traumatic events, havening may be particularly useful in depotentiating those memories.
- Your Willingness to Try Touch: Havening involves physical touch, so consider whether you are comfortable with this aspect of the technique. If not, self-havening could still be an option.
- Your Belief System: Some people may be sceptical about the technique, so consider whether you are open to the idea of how touch, distraction and focused attention could lead to meaningful changes.
- Your Therapeutic Goals: Havening is not intended to be a complete therapy on its own, so you will also want to consider whether you would be happy to include other therapeutic interventions in your treatment.
- How it fits in with your other approaches: Havening is designed to integrate with other therapeutic approaches. Consider whether it will enhance those techniques.
Ultimately, the decision to use havening for anxiety should be made in consultation with a qualified therapist or coach who can help you assess whether it is the right approach for you. Experiencing havening can be a helpful way to determine whether it resonates with you, before engaging in training or more intense therapeutic work.
Tags: Havening for Anxiety, Amygdala, Trauma, ACT, NLP, Anxiety Coach, Self-Havening, Facilitated Havening, Touch Therapy, Emotional Regulation, Resilience.