Justin Bieber uses 'havening' technique to reduce stress - here's how to try it
In the most recent episode of Justin Bieber’s docu-series Justin Bieber: Seasons, Hailey Bieber opened up about how her husband manages his stress.
She revealed the 25-year-old uses a trauma therapy technique known as “havening” to reduce feelings of anxiety.
Havening, which is described as “self-soothing” is when you rub your hands on your face and head to relieve anxiety.
In the episode Album On The Way, Bieber can be seen practising this technique as he deals with a busy scene on the set of his new song Yummy.
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In the YouTube Originals series, Hailey Bieber explains how many people have their own version of havening without even realising.
“It’s like when you’re a little kid and you suck your thumb to soothe yourself. When you’re starting to feel really stressed out or just to keep yourself calm. It’s almost like when you’re a kid and your mum is rubbing your back to sleep and it’s the best feeling in the world?
“It’s kind of like that, except you’re doing it for yourself.” She explained.
When asked why he felt the need to practice havening at that particular time, Bieber said: “It was just a lot, a lot of people, a lot of dynamic, a lot of stuff [sic].”
Bieber’s health coach, Dr Buzz Mingin, described havening as a “psychosensory technique that actually raises the feel-good chemicals in your brain on demand”.
The technique involves applying pressure and rubbing the face and head. Bieber does this hunched over.
Mingin explained that this position helps him “to know what it is he should be doing in the moment he’s feeling stressed, and then he has a coordinated signal back to me that lets me know what’s wrong, how he feels, and what he needs”.
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Since his recent Lyme Disease diagnosis, Bieber has opened up about the levels of stress and anxiety he felt around his last tour.
In a recent interview with Zane Lowe, the singer said that the Lyme Disease and chronic mononucleosis had affected his “skin, brain function, energy and overall health”.
In an Instagram post discussing his diagnosis he wrote: “While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like s***, on meth etc. they failed to realize [sic] I've been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease.”
Despite his recent health setbacks, Mingin was complimentary about Bieber’s progress: “He’s matured tremendously. He’s not living in survival mode anymore.”
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His technique for dealing with stress was originally created by US neuroscientist Ronald Ruden as a type of trauma therapy.
The havening website describes the technique: “A gentle and soothing touch is then applied to the upper arms, palms, and around the eyes. It produces an extrasensory response of safety that arises from the evolutionary equivalent of what a mother’s touch does at the time of birth. It is innately wired.
“Concurrently with Havening touch the therapist distracts the individual. Since the mind cannot hold two thoughts simultaneously, the use of distraction displaces the recalled event from working memory.”
