Online Brainspotting Therapy
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a brain-body based therapy; a form of therapy that reveals a client’s unprocessed traumas through fixed eye positions. Specific eye positions each link to their own brain spot, an area of the mind that retains thoughts and emotions. It’s based on the notion that where you look or your eye position correlates with deep emotional experiences that are unreachable by traditional talk therapy. A focused mindful processing, Brainspotting is a tool used within an authentic, nurturing, supportive therapeutic relationship that goes beyond talk therapy to help release painful memories and trauma.
By locating eye positions (or brainspots) that correlate with relevant internal experiences, plus an attuned relationship with the therapist, healing and resolution of issues that are held deeply in the non-verbal, non-cognitive areas of the brain are possible. Brainspotting helps your system move from dysregulation to regulation; from internal chaos to internal stability, something that your system already knows how to do when it is not blocked from a traumatic experience.
Research in neuroscience reveals that painful memories can get stuck in the non-verbal, non-cognitive subcortical brain which decreases our ability to live fully in the present moment. The brain makes its best effort towards survival, often hiding the distress and trauma deep within us. Trauma and distress are stored in the body and often presents as anxiety, depression, chronic pain, sleep issues, numbing, digestive complaints, and muscle tension. Distress and trauma can also contribute to relationship conflict, problems with boundaries and overall wellbeing. For additional evidenced based research and case studies on Brainspotting click here and here.
People often present for therapy when their own self-care strategies have become barriers to thriving. Brainspotting accesses the brain’s deep reserves to help people integrate distress and trauma and move toward the life they want. It is a powerful tool for healing, and a trusted therapist can provide a holding space of self-compassion and nonjudgement that allows you to create newer, healthier pathways as you heal and process.
Who does Brainspotting work for?
Brainspotting can be an effective mode of treatment for clients with a wide variety of issues including:
Anxiety
Depression
Trauma
Relationship issues
Lack of motivation and procrastination
Chronic stress and fatigue
Grief and loss
Performance enhancement for athletes and artists
How does Brainspotting work?
Once the client has an awareness of an issue, the therapist and client collaborate to locate an eye position (the brainspot), the therapist asks where the activation (the physical feeling) of the emotionally charged issue is in the body, then asks the client to assign a number between 0-10 for the level of activation for this issue.
The therapist then moves a pointer across the client’s visual field and asks where the client feels the most activation. They stop on the spot the client chooses and then begin to process the material from there. This is the brainspot that accesses the autonomic and limbic systems within the central nervous system. The therapist checks in with the client as the client processes images, memories, thoughts, and sensations as they arise. Bilateral music can also be incorporated to enhance the emotional processing.
Brainspotting is a wonderful tool to help neurobiologically locate, focus, process, and release experiences and symptoms that are typically out of reach of the conscious mind and its cognitive and language capacity.
Where did Brainspotting come from?
Brainspotting was developed by David Grand, PhD in 2003. There are over 13,000 trained practitioners world wide. Learn more about Brainspotting here and in the video below.
I have experienced the powerful results of Brainspotting not only as a practitioner but as a client myself. If you’re ready to further your healing and growth through Brainspotting, book your free 20 minute consultation with me below.