Touch is more than just physical sensation.
It has extrasensory properties. For example, bumping shoulders with a stranger on a train feels a lot different to being held by someone you love. The skin is embedded with mechanoreceptors that inform us when we are in contact with something, but this sense can have an emotional resonance. It could be speculated that gentle touch has comforting properties. In the havening technique, touch is used to stimulate mechanoreceptors in the skin and encourage the brain to operate through lower frequency brain waves , promoting feelings of relaxation and comfort. On a more scientific level, havening aims to ‘de-potentiate’ fear-related activity in the amygdala.
http://4sn.s3-website.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/HaveningTherapy/Therapy/Types-of-Therapy.html
The havening techniques ® are an extremely quick and effective method for treating ptsd, phobias, panic attacks, grief, and other intense emotional states brought about by traumatic and distressing events. Havening is a psycho-sensory modality that helps people overcome the effects of these events by changing the way that the brain stores the memory of them. The havening techniques are used both to heal distressing emotional states and to develop positive ones. They enable liberation from patterns caused by fear and aversion so that clients are more free to live the life they want. Research studies have shown its effectiveness in reducing anxiety and depression as well as negative affect, social inhibition, cortisol, and blood pressure.
Dr Ronald Ruden creator of the Havening techniques with James Hymers
For some people their brain has become stuck in a pattern of high alert around certain circumstances. Some situations will trigger off, what can seem like, disproportional responses. I help break this pattern by using havening touch© to create healing delta waves.
Delta waves are brain waves that are mainly present during non- rem sleep- a time of replenishment and reorganisation of the brain. In the session we use havening touch to create the change. When we do that an electrical chemical response occurs which essentially sends a reassurance signal to the brain. This technique switches off the brain’s ‘alarm’ button associated with a particular stored trauma preventing future unhelpful responses.
I can also offer clients havening techniques® this is a type of psychosensory healing therapy based on the fields of neuroscience and neurobiology. The techniques use sensory input in order to alter thought, mood and behaviour. The therapy is designed to help with the negative consequences of trauma/stressful events which have been encoded in the memory. I had the privilege of undertaking my training with dr carol robertson from the psychosensory academy here in scotland. In therapy, what we add to our toolbox as either client or therapist provides a wider range of helpful techniques. I can offer havening as either a standalone therapy or i may suggest we can incorporate one or more of the techniques if you as client and myself as therapist consider this would be of benefit as we move through your counselling sessions.