Principles
It’s a well-known idea that we are experiencing a ‘state’ at any moment in time. 'State' is described in the dictionary as ‘the particular condition that someone or something is in at a specific time’. We could be experiencing a contented or happy state or a sad, angry, distressed or it is often a 'state' that can't easily be described in words but that the person would recognise easily. This is common when we are noticing our somatic, autonomic or cognitive responses. Often, we use a label to describe these, which may seem like an emotional response, but on closer Observation turns out to be accessing an image (Cognitive visual) or experiencing a sensation (Somatosensory) or noticing the shift from the parasympathetic system to the sympathetic system in response to sensory matching. As Haveners, we know that ‘states’ are activated due to our responses to sensory input. The sensory input can be external to us or internal and includes our thoughts.
CASE
I love that in Havening, we explain what state is and use an acronym (CASE) that we can use as a checklist. We use this checklist when we first meet a client or do Self-Havening, at the start of using a Havening Technique and at the end of the process, the changes in CASE indicate the changes that have taken place.
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Cognitive - thoughts, images, internal dialogues, recalling, imagining, using working memory
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Autonomic - automatic brain functions that regulate body functions
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Somatosensory - ‘body sense’ and ‘textural metaphors’; different from other sensory systems as its receptors are broadly distributed and they respond to many kinds of stimuli. The sensations can be divided into three main divisions: external, internal, and the sense of where the body is in space. Perception of external stimuli can include the sense of touch (via mechanoreceptors), pain (via nociceptors), and temperature (via thermal receptors).
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Emotions - mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioural responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is no scientific consensus on a definition.
Note
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We can use the CASE checklist to observe our functioning at any moment.
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CASEs can be encoded.
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CASE is particularly useful for Havening because we can use this checklist before and after using a Havening Technique to question, observe, calibrate, track and utilise (QOCTU) changes to either the C A S or E information.
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In Havening CASE is very helpful because we can use observing how the person uses CASE to determine how we may shape the Havening Techniques for that individual. For example, an individual may note that they often access Cognitive information more than Somatosensory information. Or they may notice that sensations that they previously thought were Emotions are actually Autonomic responses. They may be highly aware of somatosensory experiences such as chronic pain. Being able to work with the system that the client uses most is one reason that Havening sessions can be so comfortable and successful for the client.
In the Wild: Project
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Notice your own CASE throughout the day.
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Observe others and ask questions where you can. Compare what you Observed, Calibrated and Tracked with how they describe their experience. You may notice their hands close or open, shoulders soften or lift, ears prick up, pupils alter, and breathing rate change (A of CASE). Or you may notice an open forehead, a tight mouth, a lowering above the eyelid, or a dilated nostril (E of CASE). What happens when you ask Questions in a certain way? Can you find out more, for example, about their somatosensory or cognitive experiences? It's good to get together with a practice partner so you can ask many questions and explore.
The earliest CASEs we experience are in the womb, as these photographs of babies in the womb show. Their mothers had eaten capsules of either carrot or kale, and the babies' responses (CASEs) were recorded.
Havening Project: CASE
Swipe or click the booklet to see all the pages. Yellow flashes indicate live links.
Havening Project: CASE
You can download this PDF and upload your reflections to your dashboard at the Havening.org portal.
Swipe or click the booklet to see all the pages. This booklet can be downloaded.
This project relates to cues, accessing CASE, observing CASE, introducing Havening Touch, and considering amplification of CASE (due to down-regulation and cueing related to activating receptors made during ELFS)
Exploring CASE
We often notice first, and it is often described as ‘client presentation’. We can use Question Sets (see project above) at the start of a session to introduce the idea of how using CASE is really helpful when we are Havening. This means that sessions start with
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activating receptors that haven't been used for some time
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an increase of GOEDS (GABA, Oxytocin, Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin)
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balancing the history (no use of dramatic arcs)
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showing a new model of working together
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the practitioner learning how the individual accesses CASE
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the practitioner learning how the individual frames experiencing CASEs
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the individual experiences a session framework that begins with feeling good and sharing about their likes and loves
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sharing new information and education about cueing (rather than triggering) and CASEs
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the individual experiences how a pleasant CASE can be increased by using this simple process
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the individual can start to learn about learning (receptors, LTP, LTD), CASE, and changing
Recognising the different CASEs is very helpful. For example, clients often wish to have a session because they are stuck in some way. They may be focused on wanted CASEs or unwanted CASEs and seek either to achieve their goals or become free. As the person uses Havening Techniques, they will experience a change in their responses (CASEs). So, although, as Havening practitioners, we are often looking for information relating to previous experiences that fulfilled EMLI, we are also always going to be observing CASEs.
Let’s look at where we see CASE in the Primer, a diagram, some links to explore CASE, an example of a client presentation that could be classified as CASE to clarify, and the role understanding CASE plays when using the Havening Techniques.
The CASE being used at the moment that the four requirements of EMLI come together can be encoded. Here are some examples from actual cases. Click to see a video on this subject.
The individual
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was thinking, 'Why am I not doing anything?'
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was thinking 'I am fantastic' just before they crashed their car (it happened so fast)
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had a 'low immune system' when their lover said they were leaving
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was 'being helpful' when they were shouted at
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was 'looking forward' to a fantastic day when they heard the terrible news
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was 'feeling loved' before they were hit (by their loved one)
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was 'relaxed and sleepy and feeling safe' when the roof fell in
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'stomach sank' when their parents were fighting
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was 'feeling blue' that day
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was thinking about what the person said to them
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was imagining being like a little mouse
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was imagining being confident when they dared speak up
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was being proactive before the accident
