Why Karyn Chalk loves the Havening Techniques

When it comes to investing in any personal or professional development training I am very particular as it must 

• be scientifically researched
• produce permeant results 
• provide techniques that are easy to use and give maximum bang for buck

Creating a calm central nervous system using Havening Techniques can be lifechanging for people who are experiencing stress, anxiousness and difficulties staying emotionally well. It certainly has been for me.   I needed assistance as I was getting anxious at work, feeling panicky and overwhelmed on a regular basis and was not sleeping well.  My caffeine and sugar consumption had increased dramatically to compensate and getting out of bed in the mornings became really difficult.  

I didn't know anything about the Havening Techniques when I was first introduced to them during a professional supervision session.  Immediately after the session I noticed a sense of calm in my body that I hadn't felt for a long time.  Although I didn't know much about the science ands research, I intuitively knew that I was onto a good thing. 

Building resilience

For a long time my brain had been living on high alert.  In his book Hardwiring Happiness, Rick Hanson calls this the red reactive zone.  To improve my wellbeing and resilience I started Self Havening regularly throughout the day  - every day.  Building new neural pathways is no different that building biceps.  It's all about repetition.  Being resilient is about creating a flourishing neural landscape to help soften the big winds that blow through life at times.  Emotional wellbeing can is similar to having a thick layer of mulch in the garden that protects plants when hot and dry conditions occur.   After 6 months of committing to this I began to notice differences on a daily basis.  Here's some examples of the changes that have occurred for me:

• I started sleeping through the night.  If I did wake up, I was able to easily get back to sleep quickly.
• I  was then able to start getting up earlier in the morning which meant I the dog got walked and then I went to the gym before work.
• Conversations or situations that used to cause anger or intolerance were able to be approached with kindness and increased empathy towards myself and the other person. I literally can't remember the last time I felt rage, which used to be a regular emotion for me.
• Panic days turned to calm and happy days.  I wasn’t aware of the level of anxiety I was living in on a daily basis until the calm days started appearing and I started sleeping better.
• I stopped eating sugar and very rarely drink coffee
• I’m able be present, mindful and more compassionate towards others and I'm not triggered as much by the emotional state of others.
• I'm more productive during the day as I'm able to focus on tasks and choose the state according to the situation
• If I feel triggered, I know how to calm myself down.  Of course this took time to master, but practice makes permanent ad its very empowering to now approach situations feeling calm and present.

Improved relationships

It’s a next to impossible task living a happy, healthy and productive life if you find yourself emotionally flooded, anxious, having panic attacks and not sleeping well. It’s as if everything becomes fear based in the brain.  Something that resonated for me was that havening techniques reduce or remove overwhelming emotions quickly and permanently.  Working in the area of dispute resolution, I have found havening an excellent technique to allow people to change their response style to others, remain calm and compassionate in difficult conversations and be able to see other perspectives as the world is now viewed by a different lens.  I now always use havening techniques when working as a mediator and conflict coach.  Doing 5 minutes of havening at the start of a mediation has significantly changed the quality of outcomes for parties and they also have a tool they can use afterwards.

Improved resiliency 

Having a healthy, happy and productive life is all about maintaining a well topped up bucket of resilience.  We cope with life better when we are feeling well, have had a good sleep, our nutrition is helpful, exercising regularly and relationships are.  Resiliency also relies on a calm and well functioning brain.  You know we come from a long line of mammals and one of the main roles of our brain is to keep us alive and safe. Sometimes when a person goes through a  stressful or traumatic experience their brain processes and stores this experience in a different way.  The amygdala or fight/fight centre of the brain may create a “red alert” alarm system which can be where those anxious and panicky responses come from.  And then a difficult cycle occurs because these intense emotions are hard to tolerate and no amount self-reflection or talking makes them go away. 

Through havening techniques we now know how to go in there and turn that switch off permanently when its no longer useful or valuable.   And this is why the havening techniques are unique and very cool. Havening is a scientifically researched  technique that uses delta waves in the brain to permanently delink the red alert system that produces those difficult emotions. Its all about utilising the power of neuro plasticity which is the ability for the brain to rewire itself to create pathways that support our success.

Havening creates control internally to make good choices in life. The techniques are safe, gentle, rapid, easy to learn, require no equipment, and can be done anytime and anywhere. It’s a one stop shop that will work for you too as the power is in your own hands. It creates control internally to make good choices in life.  Every day I start the day following a free havening exercise designed by Dr Kate Truitt.  I do this because havening builds resiliency and grows our garden of resiliency.  

Change your mind and keep the change 

You know we come from a long line of mammals and one of the main roles of our brain is to keep us alive and safe. Sometimes when a person goes through a  stressful or traumatic experience their brain processes and stores this experience in a different way.  The amygdala or fight/fight centre of the brain may create a “red alert” alarm system which can be where those anxious and panicky responses come from.  And then a difficult cycle occurs because these intense emotions are hard to tolerate and no amount self-reflection or talking makes them go away. 

Through havening techniques we now know how to go in there and turn that switch off permanently when its no longer useful or valuable.   And this is why the havening techniques are unique and very cool. Havening is a scientifically researched  technique that uses delta waves in the brain to permanently delink the red alert system that produces those difficult emotions. Its all about utilising the power of neuro plasticity which is the ability for the brain to rewire itself to create pathways that support our success.

And that’s why I love havening.  By calming down your brain you calm down your body, and this in turn builds resilience, improves health, creates better relationships and generally makes life a whole pile easier.