The Havening Technique for Anxiety:Based on the new neuroscience of trauma.

The Havening technique is a psychosensory treatment that uses touch to address and eliminate negative feelings associated with distressing memories and events. It’s considered a self-healing method that can reduce stress, anxiety and trauma. Havening aims to release the body from a fight-or-flight response and promote relaxation by engaging the amygdala and releasing emotional memories. The technique involves simple, pleasant touch that calms the brain and creates feelings of ease and relief.

How Havening Works

Havening is thought to work by disrupting negative brain pathways and creating positive associations through touch, attention and positive visualization. By applying Havening touch, the technique introduces electroceutical delta waves that have a profound effect on neuronal function. This creates a paradoxical situation where the individual is aroused, yet feels safe, which has a depotentiating effect on encoded memories. It is believed that Havening can target the neurons that hold traumatic experiences, empowering the brain to release these experiences.

Types of Havening

There are different variations of the Havening technique, including:

• Event Havening: This is used for specific events and addresses all components of a memory, such as somatic, autonomic, cognitive, and emotional.
• Transpirational Havening: This is used to diffuse chronic emotional states and removes the emotional components of traumatic events.
• Affirmational Havening: This is used to move individuals towards accepting that change is possible, increasing psychological well-being and resilience.
• Outcome Havening: This is used to alter the outcome of a recalled event.
• Hopeful Havening Increases psychological well being and resilience.
• Role Havening Allows an important individual involved with the trauma to speak.
• Iffirmational Havening: Used to move individuals along a path to acceptance that change is possible.

Why is Havening effective for anxiety?

Havening is considered more effective than some traditional approaches to treating anxiety for several reasons:

Rapid and Gentle Results

Havening can bring about rapid and gentle relief from anxiety symptoms. It is considered to be a fast-acting method that produces long-lasting results. It works by directly addressing the encoded traumatic memories in the brain, leading to quick and effective changes.

Addressing the Root Cause

Unlike some other methods, which focus on managing symptoms, Havening gets to the root of the problem quickly by depotentiating the traumatically encoded experiences in the amygdala. The technique is thought to work on the electrochemical environment in the mind and body. By dealing with the underlying trauma, Havening can help individuals achieve actual changes in their quality of life, rather than just managing symptoms.

Integration with Other Modalities

Havening can be used alongside other approaches. It is a versatile method that can enhance the effectiveness of traditional approaches by removing the amygdala filter from the process. This can lead to deeper levels of healing in a safer way, breaking through resistance in a soft and gentle manner.

Content-Free Approach

Havening can be effective even when the individual does not want to discuss the details of their traumatic experience. This content-free approach makes it easier for individuals to seek help without needing to face disclosing difficult events.