OFFICIAL BHHT TRAINER FOR AUSTRALASIA
A HUG YOU CAN GIVE
yourself, anywhere
BRINGING THE BUTTERFLY HUG HUMANITARIAN TRAINING TO AUSTRALASIA
A SELF-ADMINISTERED TECHNIQUE FOR ACUTE STRESS, ROOTED IN 28 YEARS OF PROVEN PRACTICE.
Humanitarian · Pro bono
Individual & Group Formats
All ages, no equipment
1998
Developed with survivors
of Hurricane Pauline
2000
EMDRIA Creative
Innovation Award
2
Method authors: Lucina Artigas
& Ignacio Jarero
WHAT IS THE BUTTERFLY HUG
BORN in a circle of survivors
The Butterfly Hug began in Acapulco in 1998, while Lucina (Lucy) Artigas — the method's author — was working with children who had lived through Hurricane Pauline. Guided by a small boy's question about who would comfort him at home, she offered him a simple, self-administered gesture — arms crossed, hands alternately tapping the chest. Alongside Ignacio (Nacho) Jarero, she developed it into a technique now used by EMDR therapists, clients and communities for self-soothing during and after crisis.
"...in a moment of inspiration, I answered him with the Butterfly Hug."
— Lucina (Lucy) Artigas, Acapulco, Mexico, 1998
WHY BHHT
Built for The moments people need calm most
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NO EQUIPMENT, NO CLINICIAN REQUIRED
A self-administered bilateral stimulation technique — just crossed arms and alternating touch. It can be taught in minutes and used anywhere.
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WORKS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
Originally developed with children, it now works with adolescents, adults and elderly people, in both individual and group settings.
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PROVEN OVER 28 YEARS IN THE FIELD
Standard practice for EMDR therapists working with survivors of natural and man-made disasters around the world.
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FREE AND ALWAYS ACCESSIBLE
Like ASSYST HEART, the humanitarian track of this training is offered pro bono to communities responding to crisis.
HOW BHHT DIFFERS FROM ASSYST HEART
A focus on anxiety & emotional self-regulation
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ANXIETY & EMOTIONAL SELF-REGULATION
Where ASSYST HEART centres on acute trauma stabilisation, BHHT is built specifically around self-regulating anxiety and everyday emotional overwhelm.
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BACKED BY 30 PEER-REVIEWED STUDIES
The method draws on an evidence base of more than 30 published, peer-reviewed papers.
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MEASURED WITH THE GAD-7 SCALE
Outcomes are tracked with pre- and post-training GAD-7 assessments, a validated measure of anxiety.
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YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE, INDIVIDUALLY OR IN A GROUP
Participants choose a personally meaningful, anxiety-inducing situation to work through during the practicum, alongside others. Afterwards, they can use the technique on their own or in a group.
How the practicum works: rather than isolating a single worst moment or specific component of an experience, participants run a continuous "mental movie" of the whole adverse experience while self-administering the Butterfly Hug at their own pace — a gentler, self-paced rhythm distinct from the ASSYST group method.
WHAT THIS TRAINING OFFERS
Official BHHT certificate.
Recognised training in the Butterfly Hug method, delivered in direct partnership with EMDR México.
Delivered locally by Vania Miteva.
Vania is the official BHHT trainer for Australasia, trained directly under Nicolle Mainthow — a warm, energetic trainer within the official EMDR México program.
Rooted in the method's original research.
The technique itself was authored by Lucina (Lucy) Artigas, in collaboration with Ignacio (Nacho) Jarero — the training carries their research and voice throughout.
Self-care for humanitarian emergencies.
A dedicated track for responders and helpers who need sustainable tools for their own regulation in the field.
Simple enough to share in groups.
A gentle, self-help technique — not a clinical protocol — that can be taught to many people at once in the aftermath of a crisis.
Ongoing resources through VMEMDR.
Ongoing access to updates, research, and community connection as this partnership grows across the Pacific.
WHERE IT’S USED
ONE TECHNIQUE, EVERY SETTING
The Butterfly Hug travels well — from acute disaster response to the quiet, ongoing work of everyday practice.
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Disaster response
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Schools
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Hospitals & clinics
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Community centres
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Refugee & displacement settings
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Telehealth
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Group workshops
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Individual sessions
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Humanitarian field teams
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Home & self-practice
A LOW-INTENSITY, SELF-LED APPROACH
DESIGNED TO BE self-administered,
BY DESIGN
The Butterfly Hug asks nothing of infrastructure or expertise from the person using it — only a body, and a moment of stillness. That's what makes it so well suited to settings where mental health resources are stretched thin: the person in distress can offer themselves comfort, without waiting for a clinician to arrive.
Every person shares a human body — one that recognises the warmth of hands placed over the heart, and is soothed by the alternating rhythm of the tap.— adapted from Lucina (Lucy) Artigas, method originator
WHY THIS TRAINING, WHY NOW
Built for TIMES OF CRISIS, right now
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FAST-ONSET DISASTERS
Cyclones, floods, and climate displacement leave communities needing tools that can be taught and used immediately.
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Limited mental health workforce
A technique that doesn't require a therapist present extends reach in regions with under-resourced systems
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PROLONGED, ONGOING ADVERSITY
Effective not just for a single acute event, but for communities carrying compounding, ongoing stress.
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WHO & RED CROSS ALIGNED
Consistent with low-intensity, stepped-care frameworks endorsed for global mental health response.
TRAINING DATES COMING SOON
WANT TO KNOW WHEN REGISTRATION OPENS?
We're finalising dates for the first BHHT cohort in Australasia. Register your interest (as an individual or a group) and we'll reach out as soon as spaces open.
GET IN TOUCH
Ready to Connect?
Whether you're a teacher, a nurse or other healthcare worker, a humanitarian responder, or part of a community group — reach out to learn more about the Butterfly Hug Humanitarian Training.
The Butterfly Hug method was authored by Lucina (Lucy) Artigas, in collaboration with Ignacio (Nacho) Jarero. Vania Mileva is the official BHHT trainer for Australasia, trained directly under Nicolle Mainthow, part of the official EMDR México program.
