Havening Techniques in Melbourne

Havening Techniques are a psychosensory therapy developed by Dr Ronald Ruden that uses gentle touch — specifically, a soothing stroking movement on the arms, face, and hands — to produce delta waves in the brain and reduce the emotional charge of traumatic memories and anxiety.

The word "havening" comes from the word "haven" — a safe place. The techniques work by creating a neurological state of safety in the brain, which allows traumatic encodings to be depotentiated (reduced in emotional intensity) and ultimately resolved.

Havening is grounded in neuroscience, drawing on research into the amygdala, trauma encoding, and the role of delta waves in emotional processing. It is a relatively new approach, but has a growing evidence base and is being used by practitioners around the world.

When we experience a traumatic or highly stressful event, the memory is encoded in the amygdala — the brain's threat-detection centre — with a strong emotional charge. This encoding can be triggered by reminders of the original event, causing the person to re-experience the distress as if it were happening now.

Havening works by applying gentle touch to specific areas of the body (the arms, face, and hands) while the person is gently distracted through counting, humming, or visualisation. This combination of touch and distraction produces delta waves in the brain, which have been shown to depotentiate the traumatic encoding in the amygdala.

The result is that the memory remains, but its emotional charge is significantly reduced. Many people describe a sense of distance or neutrality toward memories that previously caused significant distress.

At Ādarśa, Havening is integrated with our somatic approach to therapy. We use it as one tool within a broader therapeutic relationship, not as a standalone technique.

Havening can be used for specific traumatic memories, generalised anxiety, phobias, and the emotional residue of difficult experiences. It is particularly well-suited to people who find other forms of trauma processing too activating, as it is gentle and works without requiring detailed verbal processing of the traumatic content.

Sessions may involve a combination of Havening and other somatic approaches, depending on what is most helpful for you.

Havening sessions at Ādarśa typically begin with a brief assessment of what you would like to work on. We will identify a specific memory, feeling, or pattern to target, and establish a baseline measure of its emotional intensity.

The Havening process itself involves gentle touch (you can apply the touch yourself, with guidance) combined with simple distraction tasks. The process is gentle and non-invasive — there is no need to describe the traumatic content in detail.

Most people notice a significant reduction in the emotional intensity of the target within a single session. Some experiences may require multiple sessions to fully resolve.

Havening sessions are $280 per session. Medicare rebates are available with a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP, providing up to 10 rebated sessions per calendar year.