Havening Techniques for Stress, Explained by Paul McKenna

We all experience stress, but not everyone knows how to deal with it. Half of all doctor visits are stress-related, and if we could learn how to relax effectively and regularly, most of our problems will be cleared away.

While some methods are scientifically effective, they take time and discipline. The good news is that there is a revolutionary technique that you can learn quickly and benefit from in minutes.

It’s called the Havening Technique.

This article is inspired by Paul McKenna, British hypnotist and best-selling author, which explains:

What Is The Havening Technique?
What Can Havening Help With?
How Does Havening Technique Work?
Where to Start

This process is explicit, simple, and easy to learn and can be used as a self-help tool.

What Is The Havening Technique?

Havening was created by doctor Ronald Ruden, which was hailed as a remarkable breakthrough. The name suggests that it puts you into a safe place – a haven.

What people don’t realize is that most of the stress that they have in their lives is absolutely unnecessary.

— Paul McKenna

Ronald discovered that when you repeatedly touch certain parts of the body, pairing it with specific eye movements and visualizations, it produces massive amounts of delta brainwaves in the brain. As a result, you feel calm, relaxed, and less stressed.

His work is now known as psychosensory therapy — alternative therapy for reducing anxiety and stress associated with traumatic memories.

Paul McKenna, British hypnotist and behavioral scientist, teaches this technique to his clients to help them manage daily stress, become more resilient in life, and overcome emotional issues linked to traumatic experiences.

Paul’s talent is to distill complicated techniques into common sense so that anyone could benefit from them in minutes.

No wonder he is recognized as one of the world’s most important modern self-help gurus because the Havening Technique can be learned and applied by anyone.

Paul explains that this technique uses touch patterns that enable a mother to comfort her baby, so they are hard-wired into every infant.

“Using these patterns, you can significantly reduce the feeling of unhappiness and stress and establish calm relaxation,” he adds.

Scientific studies have shown that this amazingly effective technique can reduce feelings of unhappiness, and sadness and relieve anxiety, trauma, and pain in just a few minutes.

You can also de-link a thought from a feeling, and something that used to upset you will no longer stress you anymore.

What Can Havening Help With?

According to Havening creators, the Havening Techniques are “a healing modality designed to help individuals overcome problems that are the consequence of traumatic encoding.”

The Havening Techniques have been shown to help with:

• Phobias
• Chronic pain
• Distressing memories (broken relationships, shocking news, loss, embarrassment, etc.); natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, etc.), and man-made events (war, fire, assault, home intrusion, etc.)
• Anger
• Fear of abandonment
• Grief
• Cravings
• PTSD
• Panic attacks
• Emotional eating

Even though you can’t control some things that may happen to you, you can control how you think and how you feel.

— Paul Mckenna

After successfully applying the Havening Techniques, in most cases, the results are permanent because they alter the biological structure of the brain. If you suffer from addictive and obsessive/compulsive behaviors or specific pain syndromes, you will need to reinforce your treatment with other methods. 

Although this healing modality is effective, no healing method or modality works for all issues. Also, some problems are inherently hard-wired, and you can only manage them.

How Does Havening Technique Work?

The consequences of trauma and distressing memories are stored in the brain which can be activated by the conscious or unintentional recall.

Think of it as the pathway that generates symptoms or feelings. So the Havening Techniques are designed to disrupt this pathway through a process called synaptic depotentiation. In other words, they help you clear any past limiting experiences holding you back in the present. 

Mainstream methods for healing emotional and physical disturbances are based on talk and chemicals (drugs). 

Talk is designed to help you reframe your distressing thoughts so that they are no longer causing stress or anxiety.

World-renowned therapist Marisa Peer explains that your body always listens to what you say to yourself. 

For example, when you say “I am anxious,” you become anxious as your body acts on your words.

“You can choose to say ‘I’m excited’ instead,” she suggests. 

While better self-talk can help you treat some emotions and cultivate a sense of self-worth, it’s challenging to talk oneself out of guilt, shame, or anger.

On the other hand, drugs alter the neurochemical state of the brain without dealing with underlying psychological problems.

Unlike these mainstream methods, the Havening Techniques can enter the mind and the brain for therapeutic purposes through Havening touch (yes, a simple touch!), activation, and distraction.

The Havening Technique steps:

1. Recall traumatic memory
2. Rubb arms, palms, and face (using Havening touch) 
3. Create a distraction by visualizing activities and counting

Prior to the three steps, you want to scale your response to the memory from 1-10, where one is feeling calm and confident, and 10 is feeling fear and anxiety.

After the session, you want to scale your response again to see if the trauma is completely gone or diminished. 

What is the Havening touch?

Havening touch is one of three components of the Havening Technique. It generates a significant amount of delta waves in the brain. When activated at the right moment, they produce events that lead to the subconscious emotional stressor and alter its components on multiple levels — cognitive memory, visceral, and somatosensory.

The creators of the Havening Technique calls it revolutionary for four reasons:

1. Unlike traditional methods, such as therapeutic talk and drugs, this method enters the brain through touch and generates delta waves that decode the traumatic events.
2. It deals directly with the subconscious where negative emotions are stored.
3. It addresses the core event that causes the symptoms.
4. Once the encoded event is found, the symptoms are cured.

Can I do Havening to myself?

Yes, the Havening Technique is a simple process and easy to learn. But it takes some practice and skill to learn how to locate the core elements of a traumatic event.

Does it actually work?

There’s no clear answer since it’s a comparatively new way (less than two decades) to heal emotional traumas and help individuals become more resilient to stress, primarily based on empirical evidence. 

In one small 2015 study, 27 healthcare professionals who suffered from depression or anxiety reported general improvement in their symptoms and work performance after one session.

Although their results sound promising, experts have yet to run high-quality controlled trials.

Are there any risks?

Like every healing method, the Havening Techniques have possible side effects, especially if you are dealing with some severe trauma or a psychological disorder. If that’s the case, it’s recommended to use the modality only with a professional mental health care provider, fully trained and certified in the Havening Techniques. 

The side effects can result from bringing to the surface forgotten unresolved memories. 

Potential risks with using the Havening Techniques include:

• In-session crying, anger, and physical movements
• Post-havening lightheadedness
• Rarely a worsening of symptoms or emotional numbing

If you use it as a self-help tool, you may experience emotional distress or discomfort during or after the session. 

In general, the Havening Technique is safe.

Where to Start 

First, be open-minded to learning this new healing modality. If you want to use it as a self-help tool, start with a less traumatic event or experience to work on. It can be any area of your life where you feel blocked.

Second, learn the technique by following the Havening Technique meditations. 

If you need a little help, you can find the Havening Technique meditation series by Paul McKenna on Mindvalley App, which is available for free.

And remember that a simple touch you can give to yourself at any given moment can bring you back into a safe place.

So hug yourself more often.

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Access this FREE Meditation series on Mindvalley App

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