23/10/2026
This weeks Health Tip… 🦋
The Butterfly Hug is a self-soothing and emotional regulation technique
It involves crossing your arms over your chest and alternately tapping your shoulders or upper chest in a slow left-right rhythm.
It was developed in 1998 by psychologists Lucina Artigas and Ignacio Jarero while helping survivors of Hurricane Pauline in Mexico.
How it works
The technique uses bilateral stimulation - alternating left/right sensory input - which is a core mechanism in EMDR therapy. The goal is to help regulate the nervous system, reduce emotional overwhelm, grounding during anxiety or trauma activation, and sometimes assist trauma processing in therapy.
Many therapists recommend using it for:
* anxiety,
* panic,
* emotional overwhelm,
* grounding,
* stress regulation,
* post-traumatic stress support.
