Havening is a psychosensory method that uses touch, attention, and imagination to alter the way the brain processes memories, particularly those that trigger anxiety. It’s designed to reduce the negative impact of distressing memories on both the mind and body. This technique aims to create a state of safety and calm, which helps to manage anxiety more effectively.
How Havening Works in the Brain
Havening is thought to work by influencing the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for processing emotions like fear and anxiety. When a traumatic or distressing event occurs, it can become encoded in the brain. This can lead to the amygdala becoming overly sensitive, triggering anxiety when similar situations or thoughts arise in the future. Havening aims to modify this encoding.
- Activating the Amygdala: The process begins by recalling the distressing event and its associated feelings. This activates the amygdala, making the encoded memory accessible.
- Applying Havening Touch: While recalling the memory, a gentle, soothing touch is applied to the upper arms, palms and around the eyes. This is often done while the client engages in a distracting activity, such as counting or humming a song. This touch is thought to generate delta waves in the brain, which are normally associated with deep sleep.
- Depotentiation: The combination of activating the memory and applying the Havening touch is thought to cause a process called depotentiation, which essentially means the removal of receptors on neurons in the amygdala. This process disrupts the neural pathways that were created when the traumatic event was encoded, reducing the emotional charge of the memory.
- Resilient Landscape: Havening helps to create a resilient neurological landscape, making the brain less prone to encoding stressful events as traumatic.
Essentially, Havening uses touch to create a safe, calming state that allows the brain to process and release the emotional charge of distressing memories, making them less impactful.
The primary consequence of using Havening is a reduction in the intensity of the emotional response associated with triggering memories or events. This can manifest in several ways:
- Reduced Physiological Reactivity: Havening can decrease the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a racing heart, sweating, and tension.
- Emotional Detachment: Individuals may experience a sense of detachment from the memory, no longer feeling as emotionally overwhelmed by it.
- Improved Emotional Regulation: Havening helps individuals to manage their emotional responses, rather than being controlled by them.
- Greater Sense of Control: Because it helps manage the emotional response to triggers, Havening allows a person to feel more in control of their feelings and behaviours.
- Altered Memory: After Havening, the memory may become less clear, or feel like something that happened to someone else, it may be viewed from a distance, or it may be resolved metaphorically.
- Reduced Avoidance: Because it lessens the emotional impact of distressing memories, Havening can reduce the need for avoidance behaviours.
Benefits of Using Havening for Anxiety
The benefits of Havening for anxiety are multifaceted:
- Rapid Relief: Havening can produce relatively quick results, often in a single session.
- Gentle Approach: It is considered a gentle method, as it does not require an individual to relive or delve deeply into the traumatic event. This is important for people who may find such methods overly distressing.
- Long-Lasting Results: The changes made in the brain through Havening are thought to be long-lasting and sometimes permanent.
- Self-Applicable: Havening can be self-applied, allowing individuals to manage their anxiety and stress in daily life.
- Integrative: Havening can be integrated with other approaches to well-being and can enhance their effectiveness.
- Versatile: It can be used to address a range of anxiety-related conditions, such as phobias, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress. It is also used to help with stress, self-esteem and anger issues.
- Improved Resilience: By reducing the impact of trauma and stressful events, Havening can help build an overall sense of well-being and resilience.
- Positive Feelings: Havening can also encode positive feelings, such as hope.
Summary
Havening is a psychosensory technique that uses touch, attention, and imagination to modify how the brain processes and stores emotionally charged memories. By activating the amygdala and applying gentle touch with distraction, Havening is believed to trigger a process called depotentiation, which disrupts the neural pathways associated with distress, and provides a sense of safety and calm. As a result, Havening offers numerous benefits for anxiety, including rapid relief, lasting results, and improved emotional regulation. It’s a versatile method that can be self-applied and integrated with other therapies to enhance overall well-being and help to build resilience.