Use This 5 Minute Self Care Practice to Ground Yourself

Havening Technique® is a psychosensory technique that calms the nervous system and help you feel grounded, calm and peaceful. 

For a detailed explanation of Havening Technique®, and a list of conditions and benefits it helps with, please link to “Here's the Technique You Need to Calm Your Mind and Transform Your Emotional State” blog post.

Havening® is a technique facilitated by a certified practitioner, and can also be practiced at home as a self care practice to build resilience and soothe your nervous system. To learn more about self care practices, click here.

By slowly rubbing your hands together while either distracting yourself (I’ll explain this below) or imagining yourself in a peaceful setting, Delta waves, the slowest brain waves, are created. These Delta waves release oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin and GABA, the “happiness hormones,” and actually soothe and calm you emotionally, mentally and physically, in just 5-7 minutes.

Please note: if the feelings you’re experiencing are intense (above 3 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being highly triggered), I recommend you check with a qualified psychotherapist before trying this method or find a certified Havening Technique® practitioner, like myself, to assist you.

Time investment

5-7 minutes

Do this when

• You feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, sad, grief, angry, need support

• You want to expand and embody the feeling of calm, peace and love within yourself

• You’d like to try Havening® as part of your regular self care practice

Benefits

• Release of “happy hormones” (oxytocin, seratonin, dopamine and GABA) to calm and soothe

• Regulate your nervous system (To learn more about your nervous system, click here.)

• Feel more embodied

• Sense of well-being

To set up you’ll need

A private space with a comfortable place to sit. Optional: a pillow on which you can rest your elbows.

Instructions

1. Begin to rub the palms of your hands together slowly, as if you were gently washing your hands

2. Breathe freely and naturally

3. If you’re feeling any distress (worried, sad, angry, fearful, etc.), begin to distract yourself as follows:

   • Count backwards slowly from 30-0 by 3s

   • Hum “Row Row Row Your Boat” 3X

   • Spell your first and last name backwards

   • List zoo animals for each letter of the alphabet. (Note: skip any letters if you can’t think of an animal. The answer isn’t important; you are engaging your brain in a certain way.)

   • Imagine yourself in your favorite place in nature. Based on what makes sense, observe what you see, hear, smell, feel, taste. (For example, imagine the sun on your face, the feeling of your feet in the sand, or the sounds of the waves lapping on the shore, the smell of seaweed.)

4. If you have trouble holding the visual image of yourself in nature, or find yourself feeling any emotional distress, then go back to steps #1-3.

5. Continue to haven continuously through all 4 steps. When you feel a sense of peace and calm, say the words out loud: “I am peace.” (or fill in the blank with a word that fits any good feeling you are able to authentically feel now).

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Note: if you’d like to have a deeper experience of Havening, or would like to learn more, please contact me for a private session.