Butterfly hug is one of the activities that we can do to reduce negative emotions such as sadness, disappointment, anxiety, and feelings of pressure. This activity was first discovered in 1998 by two EMDR therapists, Lucina Artigas & Ignacio Jarero, when they helped victims of natural disasters in Mexico. Butterfly hug itself comes from the word butterfly which means butterfly and hug which means hug. Butterfly symbolizes sincere and beautiful love and hug means warmth that symbolizes love and affection. This method is expected to make people more grateful, sincere, and love themselves and accept the shortcomings and strengths that exist in themselves. Â According to (Jarero & Artigas., 2023), we can do a butterfly hug by crossing our arms over our chest with the middle finger of each hand under the collarbone and the other fingers located between the collarbone to the shoulder and the collarbone to the sternum. The hands should be as high as possible so that they point more towards the neck rather than towards the arms. After that, you can close your eyes and move your hands up and down. You can breathe slowly while observing what is happening in your arms and body. Stop when you feel your body is calm.
According to research conducted by (Nugraha, et. al.), the amygdala, which contains catecholamines that have two chemical reactions---adrenaline and noradrenaline---is affected by butterfly hug therapy, which lessens anxiety. The body's senses directly register anxiety reactions as inbound sensations that enter the thalamus to serve as information interpreters. The thalamus then sends these interpretive signals to the hippocampus and amygdala at the same time. Â (Safitri et al., 2023).
Brier et. al. (in Safitri et. al.,2023) went on to say that information is sent from the amygdala to the thalamus, hippocampus, and other areas of the brain, including the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus receives instructions from the amygdala to communicate with the autonomic nerves. The amygdala is in charge of survival behaviors, necessary responses, and safeguarding the person so that reflex actions follow suit. Additionally, the amygdala stores reactions to specific memories, causing people to automatically respond to the same stimuli. Due to the hippocampus's inability to function normally during anxious episodes, the amygdala's information processing fails and adrenaline is released as a response. According to Wahyu et al. (in Safitri et. al.,2023) a butterfly hug is a bilateral stimulation technique that uses outside visual stimuli and can be used at any time or place. In order to lessen or eliminate emotions or anxiety, people can benefit from auditory and tactile stimuli that help them process traumatic memories into positive thoughts, feel spacious, and balance their right and left brains. People start to feel more at ease and hopeful, stop believing that horrible things will happen in the future, and learn to accept the things that initially made them anxious.
The butterfly hug movement has been shown to reduce anxiety and is a self-healing therapy that involves touching yourself to put a person in a mild mediative condition. Touching the chest with the hands causes an increase in serotonin production, which is the cause of this. The prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus are home to the neurotransmitter receptor serotonin, which directly lowers emotional and physiological dysregulation to produce a calming and relaxing effect. It has been demonstrated that respondents feel more at ease and serene when their arms are crossed over their chests.
Conclusion
Based on some of these studies, it can be seen that the butterfly hug seems to have a positive effect in reducing anxiety. This is because the butterfly hug can affect the amygdala, the part of the brain that regulates emotions. Butterfly hug, which is a stimulation technique that uses tactile stimulation, can help people process traumatic memories into positive thoughts. Butterfly hugs can also balance the right and left brain so that negative emotions can be reduced or even resolved. Thus, this technique is proven to reduce anxiety by helping individuals feel calm, have positive expectations, and accept things that initially make them anxious.
Future research prospects can more specifically examine the relationship between the butterfly hug and the body's neurobiological response. Researchers can also conduct further research on the mechanisms underlying changes in the processing of traumatic memories into positive thoughts and whether this technique can affect various types of trauma. Furthermore, with no tools required, the butterfly hug itself can be self-healing that is easily applied by anyone anywhere and anytime, so future studies can focus on the integration of the butterfly hug in mental health practice at large.
References
Cagaoan, M. S. F., Dayrit, A. C. D., Vega, A. C. R. Dela, & Flores, M. J. V. (2023). Effectiveness of the Butterfly Hug Method to the Level of Mental Health Status of Senior Citizens Living in a Selected Healthcare Facility: Basis for Adjunct Therapy. Journal of Rural Community Nursing Practice, 1(2), 185--209. https://doi.org/10.58545/jrcnp.v1i2.119
Caturini, E., Safitri, N. D., & Sugi, S. (2023). The Effectiveness of Butterfly Hug in Reducing Anxiety Long-Distance Relationship (LDR) with Parents in Nursing Students. Basic and Applied Nursing Research Journal, 4(1), 9--19. https://doi.org/10.11594/banrj.04.01.02
Girianto, P. W. R., Widayati, D., & Agusti, S. S. (2021). Butterfly Hug Reduce Anxiety on Elderly. Jurnal Ners Dan Kebidanan (Journal of Ners and Midwifery), 8(3), 295--300. https://doi.org/10.26699/jnk.v8i3.art.p295-300
