Havening practitioners bring a distinctive approach to their clients by focusing on the direct alleviation of distress associated with traumatic memories and events using touch-based techniques. While they may incorporate various other tools and approaches, the core of their work centres around the unique capacity of Havening to reduce the emotional charge held within the nervous system.
Unique Contributions of Havening Practitioners
- Targeted Trauma Resolution: Havening practitioners are trained to use touch to directly target and depotentiate the neurological encoding of traumatic experiences. This helps to reduce or eliminate the emotional intensity of distressing memories, allowing clients to access a sense of calm and safety.
- Rapid and Gentle Approach: Unlike some other techniques, Havening is often described as being rapid, gentle, and effective, producing change in a relatively short amount of time without re-traumatising the client.
- Content-Free Option: Havening can be effective even when the client doesn’t wish to disclose the details of their traumatic experience, making it a good option for people who find it difficult to talk about what has happened to them. It allows them to work through their issues without needing to re-experience the content of the trauma.
- Emphasis on Safety and Empowerment: Havening practitioners create a safe environment for the client, empowering them to take control of their own healing through self-havening and building resilience. The focus is on providing the client with tools to manage their stress and emotional responses.
- Integration and Adaptability: Havening can be integrated with other approaches, making it a versatile tool for practitioners with varied backgrounds. It is a way to enhance and deepen the effectiveness of the other modalities being used.
Common Tools, Techniques and Approaches Used by Havening Practitioners
Havening practitioners often incorporate various other tools, techniques and approaches into their work, including:
- Mindfulness practices: These are used to help clients stay grounded in the present moment, increasing awareness of their thoughts, emotions and sensations without judgement. This awareness helps to build a sense of calm and emotional regulation.
- Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): NLP helps clients to change their patterns of thinking, allowing them to reframe negative beliefs and create more positive ways of perceiving themselves and their experiences.
- Hypnosis: This is used to access the client’s subconscious, helping to reinforce positive suggestions and change limiting beliefs. Havening can also be a useful way of achieving a deeply relaxed state to support hypnosis.
- Affirmational Practices: Havening practitioners will use approaches to help clients create a more positive and resilient sense of self, creating new patterns for the future.
- Values-based approaches: These help clients to define what is truly important to them in their life, creating a sense of meaning and purpose to inspire actions and decisions.
- Lifestyle Adjustments: Practitioners may also address wider issues of well-being including sleep, nutrition and exercise as a part of a holistic approach to client health and recovery.
- Coaching approaches: These help clients to clarify their goals, build motivation, and take concrete action towards the future they want.
- Talk-based approaches: Some practitioners will use talk therapies to complement their havening work, to allow the client to understand and integrate the changes and shifts that have taken place.
- Personalised Approach: Practitioners use an eclectic and integrated mix of approaches, adapting their practice to best suit the individual needs of the client.
Summary
Havening Therapists bring a unique set of skills to their clients by combining touch-based techniques for trauma resolution with a range of other supportive approaches. They are committed to helping their clients rapidly and gently release the pain of the past, while building resilience and empowerment. They use a wide range of tools, techniques and approaches, adapting them to the particular needs and preferences of their clients, with an emphasis on achieving tangible results. The core of their practice involves providing a safe space for clients to heal and transform, often without needing to disclose the intimate details of traumatic experiences.