October 10, 2023

383: Using the Havening Technique and Aromatherapy to Heal OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and Emotional Trauma with Cristina Chua, MSW

1 hour 2 minutes

Today we are happy to have Cristina Chua, MSW on The Essential Oil Revolution. Cristina is an expert in helping people reclaim their life from OCD and anxiety. Her technique is grounded in trauma and neuroscience informed care, emotional regulation and mindful self compassion. She loves incorporating aromatherapy into her personal practice and work with her patients.

What You Will Learn:

What inspired Cristina to start working as a therapist and coach for people with OCD?

The problems with “gold standard” treatments, especially when they don’t work.

What is OCD and how does it manifest?

The different types of OCD and what various themes of them are.

What goes on in the brain of someone with OCD and how the amygdala hijacks one’s executive functioning.

What are the Havening Techniques and how Cristina uses them in her work with OCD.

How Cristina incorporates aromatherapy into her work with OCD clients.

The difference between training the brain to tolerate uncertainty and using coping strategies to live life with less fear.

How Cristina’s approach is different from the “gold standard” treatment for OCD, ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and how her approach with this new emerging tool is viewed by conventional psychiatry.

The importance of the emerging science on the Havening Technique and essential oils.

Closing questions: What Cristina does for daily self-care and what she feels we should ditch and replace with instead to have a more nourishing or healthier life.

Essential Oil Hacks: How Cristina incorporates essential oils in her personal life and for everyday use.

Cristina Chua, MSW Bio:

In addition to being a coach, Cristina is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who earned her MSW from Silberman School of Social Work and a BA in International Relations from Brown University. She has worked in family counseling, as a trauma therapist, as a social worker in a youth empowerment program for immigrant youth, and as a trainer.

Cristina brings her knowledge of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into her coaching work. She is also a Certified Havening Techniques® Practitioner. This is a gentle, neuroscience-based approach that helps people heal from trauma, anxiety, and stressful life circumstances. Furthermore, Cristina is a mindfulness and yin yoga practitioner who has been inspired by the teachings of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Thich Nhat Hahn, and Jon Kabit-Zinn (the founder of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction-MBSR).

As a dancer, Cristina has continued to be interested in how the creative process can be used for transformation and healing. She studied voice, breathing and the Alexander Technique with the wonderful Jean McClelland. She enjoys combining her knowledge of mindfulness techniques and the creative process to support her clients in getting unblocked and into the flow of their lives.

Where to Find Cristina and Learn More About Her Work:

Cristina’s Website

Listen to Cristina Explain “What is a Compulsion?"

More Information and the Science of the Havening Technique

My Post on the Science of the Havening Technique

An Introduction to the Havening Technique

Havening website

CPR for the Amygdala Handout

Healing in Your Hands Book

Videos on the Havening Technique

Intro to the Havening Touch

Intro to CPR for the Amygdala

How the Amygdala Designs our Days

Daily Resilient Brain Care Program

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