Trauma, the Brain and the Science Behind Havening Techniques®

When we experience a traumatic or highly distressing event, the brain's primary concern is survival. During these moments, the amygdala — often referred to as the brain's “alarm centre” — rapidly detects danger and signals the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This activates the body's fight, flight or freeze response, preparing us to survive the perceived threat.

At the same time, the hippocampus, which helps organise memories in time and context, and the prefrontal cortex, responsible for reasoning, decision-making and emotional regulation, may become less effective under intense stress. As a result, traumatic memories can be stored differently from ordinary memories. Rather than becoming integrated as experiences from the past, they may remain highly emotionally charged and easily reactivated by reminders such as sights, sounds, smells, thoughts or body sensations.

This explains why a person may intellectually know they are safe while their body continues to react as though the danger is happening in the present. The nervous system responds automatically, often producing symptoms such as anxiety, panic, hypervigilance, emotional overwhelm, racing thoughts, muscle tension or feelings of being “stuck.”

How Havening works

Havening Techniques® is based on the theory that by combining gentle therapeutic touch, focused attention, and distraction or sensory tasks, it is possible to help calm the nervous system while a distressing memory is briefly activated. The aim is not to erase the memory itself but to reduce the intense emotional response attached to it.

The soothing touch used in Havening stimulates specialised nerve fibres in the skin called C-tactile afferents, which respond to slow, nurturing touch. These fibres communicate with brain regions involved in emotional regulation and social safety. Research into affective touch suggests this type of stimulation can increase parasympathetic nervous system activity — the body's natural “rest, regulate and restore” state — while reducing physiological stress responses.

During a Havening session, the practitioner guides the client to briefly access the distressing memory without becoming overwhelmed. Gentle Havening touch is then combined with calming distraction exercises, such as eye movements, counting, humming or visualisation. According to Havening theory, this process occurs while the memory is temporarily active and may support memory reconsolidation — the natural process in which an activated memory becomes temporarily open to modification before being stored again.

What changes — and what doesn't

The goal is that, over time, the emotional charge linked to the memory decreases. The individual can usually still remember what happened, but the memory no longer triggers the same intense physiological and emotional reaction. Instead of the nervous system responding with fear or threat, many people report feeling calmer, more grounded and better able to think clearly when recalling the experience.

I came to Havening not through study, but through my own healing. After years of grief — babies lost, hospital rooms, the kind of pain that has no ceremony — I found my way to a healer who introduced me to Havening. Within a session, something shifted that years of other work hadn't touched. That is why I trained. That is why I use it.

A note on the research

Current neuroscience strongly supports the concepts of neuroplasticity, emotional regulation, memory reconsolidation, and the benefits of compassionate therapeutic touch. However, while these broader scientific principles are well established, research specifically evaluating Havening Techniques® is still emerging. Early studies, case reports and clinical experience are encouraging, but larger, high-quality clinical trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness and precise mechanisms of Havening across different populations and conditions.

For this reason, Havening is considered a complementary therapeutic approach. It may be used alongside counselling, psychology, coaching, body-based therapies and medical care to support emotional wellbeing, resilience and nervous system regulation.

If you have been carrying something your mind has processed but your body has not — I would love to talk with you about whether Havening might help.