Guided hypnotherapy · 5 min
The Havening Technique
Feel a stressful thought loosen its grip, using only your own hands, counted steps and moving eyes.
With
Rated4.6
- Level
- Beginner friendly
- Style
- Guided hypnotherapy
- Sound
- Voice only
- Best time
- At night
About this session
- Eases stress
- Softens upsetting thoughts
- Calms racing worries
- Relaxes the body
Paul McKenna leads a hands-on practice that you do along with him. You bring to mind one upsetting thought and give it a score out of ten. Then you stroke your upper arms while imagining three walks: along a beach, through a garden and down a staircase. Each time you count to twenty aloud and move your eyes side to side.
It suits anyone carrying a worry, a difficult memory or a jittery evening mood who wants a practical way to settle it. You finish by rubbing your palms, breathing out and checking your score again. Use it at night, in a private spot where you can speak and move freely.
After the session
01
A lighter feeling
Notice a troubling thought carry less weight.
02
A steadier body
Soothe yourself through slow, gentle touch.
03
A clear before and after
See for yourself how your number shifts.
04
A tool you can repeat
Return to it whenever a worry resurfaces.
Who it’s for
Yes, if…
- Anyone who goes to bed with a worry still circling
- People who want a hands-on way to settle stress
- Those who like a clear, simple routine to follow
- Anyone curious to try a self-soothing technique after a hard day
Not now, if…
- Those who want to lie still and simply listen (you count, stroke and move your eyes)
- People looking for a track to drift off to mid-practice
- Anyone not ready to bring a stressful thought to mind right now
About the teacher
Paul McKenna
World’s Leading Hypnotist and Best-selling Author
Paul McKenna, Ph.D. was recently named by The London Times as one of the world’s leading and most important modern gurus alongside Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. He is one of the world’s biggest selling self-help authors and has sold over 15 million books in 35 countries. He has worked his unique brand of personal transformation with Hollywood movie stars, Olympic gold medallists, rock stars, leading business achievers and royalty. Over the past 40 years, Paul McKenna has helped millions of people successfully quit smoking, lose weight, overcome insomnia, eliminate stress, and increase self-confidence. Paul McKenna is regularly watched on TV by hundreds of millions of people in 42 countries around the world and recently demonstrated his breakthrough techniques for treating the most challenging problems in minutes with spectacular results at The United Nations.
See all by Paul McKennaQuestions people ask
Still unsure? Ask your assistant anything about this session.
What is the one-to-ten scale for?
At the start you picture something stressful and give it a number, where one is the least upsetting and ten is the most. At the end you check that same thought again and notice how far the number has moved. It gives you a simple, personal way to see any change.
Why do I stroke my arms?
You cross your arms, with your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right, and gently stroke down the sides of your arms. You keep doing this through all three walks and the eye movements. It's a soothing, steady touch to hold onto while you think of the difficult thing and then let your mind clear.
Why walk on a beach, in a garden and down a staircase?
Each scene gives your mind somewhere calm to go while you stay with the stroking. You picture the sand underfoot, then grass in a beautiful garden, then a beautiful staircase. With every footstep you count aloud from one to twenty, so your attention stays busy with the walk.
What are the side-to-side eye movements?
After each count, Paul asks you to move your eyes to the right, then to the left, again and again, while you keep stroking your arms. You simply follow the rhythm of his words: right, left, right, left. Keep your head still and let only your eyes travel.
How does the session end?
After the staircase and its eye movements, you rub your palms together gently, take a deep breath and let it go. Then you bring the original thought back to mind and notice what number it has now. It's a short close that marks the end of the exercise.
What if the number hasn't dropped all the way?
The closing instruction is to repeat the whole process until it does. That means going round again: stroking, the beach, the garden and the staircase, with the counts and eye movements. Each round starts fresh, so you can go at your own pace.