( Havening )
Havening
Havening is a gentle, touch-based therapy for easing the distress attached to difficult memories, anxiety and fears. During a session you briefly bring a feeling or memory to mind while soothing touch is applied to your arms, hands or face, and your attention is guided elsewhere. Many people find the feeling becomes less intense, and they stay calmer when it comes up again. I'm a certified Havening practitioner and a registered mental health nurse, and I offer Havening in person in Wymondham, near Norwich, and online.
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What Havening is
Havening Techniques® were developed by Dr Ronald Ruden, a US physician, in the early 2000s. The name comes from the idea of a safe haven: a calm place in the body and mind where difficult experiences can be settled.
It belongs to a group of approaches sometimes called psychosensory therapies, which use the senses, here touch, alongside attention and imagination. You don't need to talk through what happened in detail, which many people find a relief.
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What happens in a session
01
We talk first
We agree what you would like to work on, and you rate how strong the feeling is from 0 to 10.02
You bring it to mind, briefly
Just enough to notice the feeling. You don't have to describe it to me.03
Soothing touch
Slow, gentle strokes down the upper arms, across the palms or over the face. You can do this yourself if you'd prefer not to be touched. That's called self-havening, and it's also how online sessions work.04
Distraction
While the touch continues, I guide your attention elsewhere, for example by counting, picturing a walk or humming a tune.05
Re-rating
You rate the feeling again, and we repeat until it has settled or we've done enough for the day.
You stay fully clothed, awake and in control throughout, and we can stop at any time.
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What people come to Havening for
- The upsetting feelings attached to a past event
- Anxiety and stress
- Fears and phobias
- Feeling on edge or easily overwhelmed
- Building calm and resilience for day-to-day life
Havening is a supportive therapy, not a cure. If you have a diagnosis such as PTSD, keep your GP or mental health team involved. Havening can sit alongside the care you already have.
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What the research says
Havening is newer than most talking therapies, and the research is still small. In brief:
- King's College London, 2015
- 27 people whose anxiety or low mood was affecting their work each had one Havening session. Their self-reported anxiety, low mood and day-to-day functioning improved after a week, and the improvement held at two months. There was no comparison group, so the study can't rule out other explanations.
- Nottingham Trent University, 2022
- 24 people were randomly given a session with or without the Havening touch. Distress fell more in the sessions that included touch, and brain activity measured by EEG changed during them.
- How it works
- Still a theory. Dr Ruden proposes that the touch produces slow, calming brain waves that weaken the emotional charge of a memory. This hasn't yet been confirmed in human studies.
So Havening shows early promise, but it doesn't yet have the large trials behind therapies such as CBT or EMDR. I'd rather you knew that before you book.
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How I use Havening
I spent more than 13 years as a mental health nurse in the NHS. That background shapes how I work: carefully, at your pace, and alert to when someone needs more than I can offer.
I often combine Havening with EFT tapping, NLP or hypnosis, depending on what you bring, and it can be part of hypnotherapy for anxiety. Most people start with a 90-minute assessment, so we can understand what's going on and plan together.
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In person or online
In-person sessions are at The Sawyers, a quiet 17th-century house in Suton, just outside Wymondham and about ten miles from Norwich. Online sessions use self-havening: I guide you, and you apply the touch yourself.
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Questions people ask
- Is Havening safe?
- It's gentle and non-invasive, and you stay in control throughout. Working on a painful memory can bring feelings up for a while, so we go at your pace and leave time to settle before you go.
- Do I have to tell you what happened?
- No. You only need to bring the feeling to mind. Many people choose to say very little.
- How many sessions will I need?
- Some people notice a change after one session; others need several, especially when several experiences are linked. We'll talk about what to expect at your assessment.
- How is Havening different from EMDR?
- Both work with distressing memories. EMDR uses side-to-side eye movements or tapping, and NICE recommends it for PTSD. Havening uses soothing touch and has a smaller research base. If you've been diagnosed with PTSD, it's worth asking your GP about EMDR or trauma-focused CBT through the NHS as well.
- What does it cost?
- A 90-minute session, including your initial assessment, is £150. Follow-up sessions are £110 for 60 minutes. The first 15-minute call is free.
- Do I need a GP referral?
- No. You can book directly, or start with a free call.
Havening isn't a crisis service. If you're in crisis, call NHS 111 (choose the mental health option), or 999 in an emergency. Samaritans are available any time on 116 123.
Written by Danielle Sands, RMN, certified Havening practitioner. Last reviewed October 2026.
- Thandi G, Tom D, Gould M, McKenna P, Greenberg N. Impact of a single-session of Havening. Health Science Journal 9(5), 2015. King's College London record
- Sumich A, Heym N, Sarkar M, Burgess T, French J, Hatch L, Hunter K. The power of touch: the effects of havening touch on subjective distress, mood, brain function and psychological health. Psychology & Neuroscience 15(4), 2022.
- Crowther S, Mellor C, Sun K. Havening: a psycho-sensory therapy for enhancing emotional resilience and psycho-emotional wellbeing across the perinatal period. Frontiers in Global Women's Health 6, 2025. Full text
Ready to feel lighter?
Book a session, or start with a free 15-minute call to talk through whether Havening could help.