As I sat in my cozy armchair, sipping my tea, my friend Jane walked into the room, looking troubled.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, noticing the worry lines etched on her forehead.
“I just can’t seem to shake off this feeling of anxiety,” she sighed. “I’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to work.”
“That’s no good,” I said sympathetically. “Have you tried Havening?”
“Havening?” Jane looked at me quizzically. “What’s that?”
“It’s a technique that’s supposed to help reduce stress and anxiety,” I explained. “I heard about it from my therapist. Apparently, it involves rubbing your hands together while thinking about a specific memory or emotion that’s bothering you.”
Jane looked skeptical, but also intrigued. “Rubbing your hands together? That sounds a bit strange. But I’m willing to give it a try.”
So we sat down together, and I guided Jane through the process of Havening. I instructed her to think about the anxiety she was feeling, and to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10. Then, I asked her to start rubbing her palms together, slowly and deliberately.
As Jane rubbed her hands, I prompted her to visualize a peaceful scene – a beach, a mountain top, a forest glade – whatever made her feel calm and relaxed. She closed her eyes and focused on the sensation of her hands moving back and forth, back and forth, until she felt completely absorbed in the rhythm.
After a few minutes, I asked Jane to rate her anxiety again. To her surprise, she found that it had decreased significantly. “I can’t believe it,” she said, opening her eyes. “I feel so much calmer now.”
“It’s amazing what a simple technique like Havening can do,” I said, smiling. “It might seem strange at first, but it really does work.”
As Jane left my house, I felt a sense of satisfaction. It was good to know that I could help my friend in a small way, by introducing her to a new technique for managing her stress. And who knows – maybe Havening would become her go-to tool for reducing anxiety in the future.
