havening technique for anxiety

A Havening practitioner employs a range of tools, processes, and approaches to help individuals overcome anxiety. Havening technique for anxiety aims to address the neurological underpinnings of anxiety, often integrating with other therapeutic modalities for a more holistic treatment. Core Tools and Processes in Havening Technique for Anxiety Establishing Trust and Safety: A crucial initial step is to create a safe, comfortable, and professional environment to foster trust between the practitioner and client. This involves an open, non-judgemental approach, allowing the client to feel secure and understood. Assessment: Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS): Practitioners often use a SUDS to quantify the client's level of distress associated with specific memories, cravings or emotions. This provides a baseline measurement and helps track progress throughout the havening technique for anxiety process. Clients rate their distress on a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 represents extreme distress and 0 indicates calmness. Identifying Specific Events: The practitioner will guide the client to identify specific events or memories associated with their anxiety. By tracking back to "seed events," they can uncover the root causes of the anxiety. Triple Response: Practitioners should explore the client's experiences of fear and anxiety, and focus on three components: physiological sensations, cognitive aspects, and overt behaviour. Havening Touch: The core of the havening technique for anxiety involves the application of specific touch modalities: Facial Havening: Gentle rubbing of the face. Palm Havening: Rubbing the palms of the hands together. Arm Havening: Stroking down the arms from shoulder to elbow. These touches are believed to induce delta waves in the brain, promoting a state of calm and facilitating the depotentiation of traumatic memories. The 20 steps: The client visualises themself at the bottom of the staircase. The client walks up the 20 steps and counts out loud as they ascend. The steps cause the distress to vanish and causes the client to feel safe, peaceful and calm. Humming: The client is asked to hum a familiar tune. Eye movement: The client opens their eyes and looks to the left then looks to the right, then closes their eyes and looks at the back of their eyelids. Guided Imagery and Cognitive Tasks: During the Havening Touch, the practitioner may guide the client through various cognitive tasks designed to distract from the emotional content of the memory: Counting: Clients may be asked to count aloud. Visualisation: Clients might visualise a peaceful scene or imagine themselves in a safe place. Humming: Humming a familiar tune is often incorporated. Types of Havening: Depending on the client's needs, the practitioner will choose an appropriate type of havening technique for anxiety: Event Havening: Used for single, specific traumatic events. Transpirational Havening: Useful for addressing similar emotional states across many events. Affirmational or Hopeful Havening: Used to increase psychological well-being and resilience. Outcome Havening: Used to alter the outcome of a recalled event. Role Havening: Where the practitioner takes on the role of an individual that was a powerful component of the traumatic event. Self-Havening: Clients are often taught self-havening techniques to manage stress and anxiety independently. This empowers them to regulate their emotional state in everyday situations. Integration of NLP Tools and Techniques Havening practitioners may integrate Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) tools and techniques to enhance the effectiveness of anxiety treatments. NLP can help individuals understand and change their thought patterns and behaviours related to anxiety. Rapport Building: Establishing rapport is crucial for effective therapy. NLP techniques such as mirroring body language and matching breathing patterns can help create a sense of trust and connection. Identifying Anxiety Triggers: NLP techniques can help clients identify specific triggers that lead to anxious states. This involves exploring the client's internal representations (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic) associated with anxiety. Reframing: Reframing anxiety triggers involves changing the client's perception of the trigger. For instance, anxiety can be reframed as a signal of intelligence or a source of energy and creativity. Anchoring: Anchoring involves associating a specific stimulus (e.g., a touch, word, or visualisation) with a positive emotional state. This anchor can then be activated during moments of anxiety to evoke the positive state and reduce distress. Timeline Therapy: Timeline Therapy is used to address past memories and learned behaviours that contribute to anxiety. By working with the client's subconscious mind, the practitioner can help them re-evaluate and release negative emotions associated with past events. Submodality Work: Submodalities are the qualities of our internal representations (e.g., brightness, size, location). By altering these submodalities, practitioners can change the impact of a thought or memory. The Swish Technique, for example, involves changing the submodalities of an anxiety-inducing image to reduce its emotional impact. Accessing Solutions: NLP techniques can help clients access internal resources and solutions to manage their anxiety. This involves guiding them to connect with resourceful states of mind, such as calmness, confidence, and resilience. Clean Language: Teaching the use of clean language during sessions. Additional Considerations Scope of Practice: It is important to note that the application of havening technique for anxiety, particularly when addressing trauma, should be within the scope of practice of the practitioner. Mental health professionals are best equipped to work with complex trauma cases. Client-Centred Approach: The havening technique for anxiety should always be client-centred, respecting the individual's needs, preferences, and boundaries. Ethical Considerations: Practitioners should be aware of ethical considerations, such as obtaining informed consent, maintaining confidentiality, and ensuring the client's safety and well-being. Continuing Education: Ongoing training and professional development are essential for havening technique for anxiety practitioners to stay updated on the latest research and best practices. Summary A Havening Techniques practitioner uses a multi-faceted approach to help individuals overcome anxiety. This involves establishing trust, assessing the client's specific experiences of anxiety, applying Havening Touch with guided imagery and cognitive tasks, and integrating NLP tools and techniques. By addressing the neurological underpinnings of anxiety and empowering clients with self-regulation skills, havening technique for anxiety can lead to lasting positive change.

havening technique for anxiety

Tools, Processes, and Approaches of a Havening Practitioner for Anxiety

Havening Technique for Anxiety: An Enhancement to Traditional Therapies