Free guide and pacer
The butterfly hug: how to do it, with a free pacer
The butterfly hug is a way to give yourself bilateral stimulation. You cross your arms over your chest and tap just below your collarbones, left and right in turn, while you breathe slowly. Lucina Artigas developed it in 1998 while working with survivors of Hurricane Pauline in Mexico. The pacer below sets a steady rhythm to tap along to.
Before you start
- The butterfly hug is a calming exercise, not EMDR therapy. Use it to settle, not to work through traumatic memories on your own.
- If you start to feel distressed, overwhelmed or numb, stop. Open your eyes, put your feet flat on the floor, and name a few things you can see.
- Tap gently. It should never hurt.
- Start with a minute or two. Longer is not better.
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How to do the butterfly hug
- Cross your arms over your chest so the tip of each middle finger rests just below the opposite collarbone. Your other fingers cover the area below where the collarbone meets the shoulder. Hook your thumbs together, like the body of a butterfly.
- Close your eyes, or keep them partly closed and looking down.
- Tap with your hands in turn, left then right, like the slow beat of a butterfly's wings. Use the pacer below to keep the rhythm steady.
- Breathe slowly and deeply into your belly.
- Notice what goes through your mind and body without judging it, like clouds passing across the sky.
- Stop when you feel settled, or after a few minutes. Rest your hands and take a slow breath.
Where the butterfly hug comes from
Lucina Artigas created the butterfly hug in 1998, during her work with survivors of Hurricane Pauline in Acapulco, Mexico. It gave people a way to receive bilateral stimulation without a therapist's hand or a device, including in groups.
It is now part of several EMDR therapy protocols, especially group protocols used after disasters and other overwhelming events. In those protocols, a trained therapist leads it, with preparation and a way to close each session safely.
Used on its own, it is a simple grounding exercise: a slow, steady left and right rhythm with your own hands that you can do anywhere, without anyone noticing much.
When to work with a therapist
If a memory, a reaction or a pattern keeps pulling you back, that is work to do with support rather than alone. EMDR with a trained counsellor includes preparation, pacing, and a steady close to every session.
Mahsa Hamedanizadeh, MCP, RCC, has completed EMDRIA-approved EMDR training. She offers the full EMDR process in person in Langley or by secure video anywhere in British Columbia, in English or Farsi.
Questions about the butterfly hug
- What is the butterfly hug?
- A self-administered form of bilateral stimulation. You cross your arms over your chest and tap just below your collarbones with alternating hands while breathing slowly. It comes from EMDR therapy, where it was developed in 1998.
- Is the butterfly hug the same as tapping for anxiety?
- No. "Tapping for anxiety" usually means EFT, Emotional Freedom Techniques, which taps a sequence of points on the face and body. The butterfly hug taps left and right in turn, which is what makes it bilateral.
- How long should I do the butterfly hug?
- A minute or two is enough to start. Some people do a few rounds with a pause and a slow breath in between. Stop sooner if it stops feeling calming.
- How fast should I tap?
- Slowly and evenly. The pacer starts at 60 taps per minute, one each second, and you can make it slower or faster until it feels natural.
- Can the butterfly hug replace EMDR therapy?
- No. In EMDR therapy it is one part of a structured treatment led by a trained therapist. On its own, it is a calming exercise.
- What if difficult memories or feelings come up?
- Stop, open your eyes and ground yourself in the room. That is not a sign you did something wrong; it is a sign the material deserves support. A counsellor can help you work with it safely.
Sources
- Jarero, I., and Artigas, L. (2020). The EMDR therapy butterfly hug method for self-administered bilateral stimulation. Iberoamerican Journal of Psychotraumatology and Dissociation, 11(1).
- Shapiro, F. (1989). Efficacy of the eye movement desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2(2), 199 to 223.
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