Havening Techniques: Mindful Touch to Change Your Brain with Dr. Kate Truitt

In this episode of the podcast, I have the honor of speaking with Dr. Kate Truitt about the Havening Techniques, which use mindful touch and intentional attention to change how your brain responds to stress. 

Dr. Kate Truitt is a licensed clinical psychologist, applied neuroscientist, and an internationally recognized expert in the neuroscience of trauma, stress, and resilience. She is the co-developer of the Havening Techniques and author of the book Healing In Your Hands: Self-Havening Practices to Harness Neuroplasticity, Heal Traumatic Stress, and Build Resilience.

You'll hear about:

• The ways you can apply the Self-Havening mindful touch
• Befriending your amygdala, the ancient part of your brain that seeks to keep you safe, but can easily hijack you with fearful thoughts
• What happens in your brain when you combine touch, cognitive techniques, and breath regulation in a Havening exercise
• And how Havening can be used not only in difficult moments, but as a way to explore positive feelings that might initially feel like a stretch.

Dr. Truitt shares her own story of healing from traumatic grief and how Havening became such a big part of her work as a neuroscientist and clinical psychologist. We cover practical ways these tools can be used to shift the impact of a stressful event, and to decrease the likelihood of being triggered in a similar way in the future.

And, we also discuss how the intentional distractions and brain games in Havening help us redirect our attention away from overwhelming thoughts, and how this fits in with the mindfulness practice of non-avoidance, or turning towards whatever is coming up.

If Havening is new to you, this episode is a great place to start! Dr. Truitt shares so much information in this conversation, including tools you can put to use right away. Be sure to check the show notes page on my website for the additional resources and handouts that go with this episode.

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You can learn more about Dr. Kate Truitt on her website https://drtruitt.com/

Her book (discussed in this episode) is called Healing In Your Hands: Self-Havening Practices to Harness Neuroplasticity, Heal Traumatic Stress, and Build Resilience (This is my affiliate link at Bookshop.org. If you purchase through the link, I receive a small percentage, at no extra cost to you, AND the profits benefit local bookstores.)

You can also follow Dr. Kate Truitt on social media:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DrKateTruitt
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.katetruitt
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkatetruitt/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.katetruitt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKateTruitt

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at https://www.movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

Lastly, you can follow the podcast (and Addie, the host) on Instagram at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, yin yoga, and pictures of PNW nature and my adorable kitty, Mustache).