A safe haven.
Havening Touch is a practice that uses touch to create healing delta ways in the brain. The places where we apply havening have been chosen based on the amount of delta waves they create. The healing these delta waves have to offer is often likened to an "ungluing" of encodings that were "superglued" in place as the amygdala's response to challenging life experiences.
What is Havening Touch?
Felt sense memories are encoded in the amygdala when special receptors pop up out of the cell membrane:
So often in life, distressing felt-sense memories overtake our system as a way to potentially help us stay alive. It can seem like "There's no reason why I should be freaking out right now," but the amygdala's thorough encoding of yesteryear captured the felt sense memories for you — not just the content (threat) of the alarming situation, but all the smells, emotions, sights, sounds, and tangential content that was never in and of itself a threat.
These felt sense memories are based on changes in the cell membrane — changes that occurred when the alarming event happened. Special receptors popped up from the cell membrane like periscopes and got glued there so you would be on guard when anything similar was detected.
Your Dog or Mine? (Optional Helpers)
Encodings: Built to Last
Trauma and stress-induced encodings are meant to stay put indefinitely for you — to protect you — hence the analogy of "super gluing" specific receptors into the cell membrane of the amygdala. When we are in danger and very fast gamma waves sweep through the brain, AMPA receptors pop up out of the cell membrane and get "glued" (phosphorylated) there. Havening touch provides a safe haven for the memory or distress to get activated and then we follow special protocols to ultimately un-glue (dephosphorylate) the receptors, which then recede back down into the cell membrane. You still remember what happened and can tell the story (episodic memory) but the felt sense memory has been removed. The emotional charge, body tightness, etc are gone.
Why Dogs?
Some neurodivergent clients prefer petting their dogs to touching their own skin. And also, let's face it: Being around a dog friend increases the levels of oxytocin our brains, bringing us a state of calm. Oxytocin also reduces the delta-beta coupling of brain waves. This delta-beta coupling is associated both the stress hormone cortisol. When we increase delta waves in the brain, they have a profound healing effect. Havening Touch is a practice centered around the healing power of delta waves, and, in this regard, these brainwaves and the electrochemical responses they set off are considered electroceuticals.
"Call Back to Love"
In most cases when you notice something that is imprinted (protectively encoded) with anything other than love, Havening Touch is a quick and lovely way to call this "helpful" imprint back to love.
Havening Touch Resources
Harnessing Electroceuticals to Treat Disorders Arising From Traumatic Stress: Theoretical Considerations Using A Psychosensory Model
Nurturing Touch Technique Shown to Change Brain Activity and Reduce Distress
Healing in Your Hands: Self-Havening Practices to Harness Neuroplasticity, Heal Traumatic Stress, and Build Resilience
We are all familiar with the narrative -- episodic -- memory process. These are the stories we can recite. Our brain also has a "sense" memory, and the sense-based memories that we encode are stored in different areas of the amygdala, depending on which sense we are talking about -- sight, smell, sound, touch, sensations, etc. When it comes to threat-based encodings you can think of an encoding as a little submarine receptor that pops up and gets "superglued" in place -- indefinitely. But science has found a suprisingly simple way to uninstall (erase) these encodings: targeted, soothing touch!
Copyright © 2017 - 2024 Better and Betterer
Disclaimer: This site is a collection of personal development and wellness content and conversations and is intended for entertainment purposes only. Ideas and content shared here is NOT a substitute for medical or professional help and guidance. If you have or think you may have or could possibly have a mental health issue, consult with a doctor immediately. As a certified Havening Techniques® Practitioner, I help clients increase their wellbeing and de-stress. I am not a medical professional: I work with derailers, not disorders. If you have or expect you have a mental disorder, seek out a medical professional. Note that therapists also refer their clients to me, and if you would like your therapist to do so, I am happy to partner with them in your healing.