What is Havening?

How it was developed

Havening was developed by Dr. Ronald Ruden and his brother Dr. Steven Ruden, drawing on decades of neuroscience research into how the brain encodes and decodes trauma. They discovered that specific slow, soothing strokes on the arms, palms and face produce delta waves — the same waves seen during deep sleep — which create an electrochemical environment where the brain can let go of the emotional charge attached to a traumatic memory.

How it works

When something overwhelming happens, the amygdala can lock that memory into the body with a powerful emotional charge. Even years later, a reminder can trigger the same anxiety, anger, grief or physical pain — as if the event is happening right now.

Havening Touch® generates delta-wave activity that allows those neural pathways to be safely "depotentiated." The memory remains, but its emotional charge is gone. People often describe it as looking at the event "as if through glass" — they remember, but it no longer hurts.

Learn more

The official body for Havening Techniques® is havening.org. You can also view my certified practitioner listing.