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Brainspotting is a unique form of therapy that helps people process and heal trauma stored deep in the brain and body. Research shows that traumatic experiences can get stuck in areas of the brain that traditional therapy doesn’t always reach.
Brainspotting works by focusing on specific points in a person’s visual field, called “brainspots,” to access these deeply stored traumas.
This therapy targets the part of the brain, called the subcortical region, that controls motions, consciousness, emotions, and learning.
By bypassing the conscious “thinking” part of the brain, Brainspotting helps you get to the root of your emotional pain.
One of the key strengths of Brainspotting is its focus on the connection between the brain and body.
By accessing this more body-based approach to healing, trauma, some people experience a more immediate emotional release.
This form of therapy often proves to be a quicker and more effective way to heal from trauma compared to traditional talk therapies.
WHAT IS BRAINSPOTTING THERAPY?
In addition to its standalone benefits, Brainspotting seamlessly integrates with other therapeutic approaches, enhancing the overall effectiveness of treatment.
By combining Brainspotting with therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) talk therapy, or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), you can experience a more well-rounded healing process.
Together, these approaches offer a path to recovery that address both the emotional and physical effects of trauma for deeper and lasting results.
By focusing on specific points in your visual field, Brainspotting helps you tap into the emotional and physical sensations associated with trauma. This approach allows you to process these feelings on a profound level, bypassing the need to explain your feelings, to facilitate a healing experience that goes beyond words.
During a Brainspotting session, it may help to verbalize thoughts and feelings that come up during treatment, but this is individual to each client and memory being processed.
Brainspotting can be especially helpful for those dealing with trauma-related conditions like PTSD. Since discussing traumatic events can sometimes be overwhelming or even re-traumatizing, this therapy provides a more approachable path to healing.
By accessing the subconscious areas where trauma is held, Brainspotting enables you to revisit painful experiences with greater control and less emotional distress, paving the way for genuine recovery and well-being.
Brainspotting helps athletes tap into the mind-body connection to overcome challenges that may be holding them back. Dr Grand found that by locating and focusing on specific “brainspots” in the visual field, athletes can access and process unresolved trauma or emotional barriers that may be affecting their focus, precision, or overall performance.
For many athletes, unprocessed trauma in the body or mental stress can subtly undermine their ability to concentrate or perform at their peak. Brainspotting allows them to clear these obstacles by addressing the deeper issues that impact their mental game.
Whether it’s overcoming performance anxiety, perfecting a difficult skill, or breaking through a mental block, Brainspotting helps athletes achieve a new level of mental clarity and physical capability.
By releasing stored tension in both the brain and body, Brainspotting enables athletes to regulate their emotions more effectively, leading to improved focus, quicker recovery from mistakes, and the ability to stay in the zone during high-pressure situations.
This cutting-edge therapy provides a path to unlocking an athlete’s full potential, supporting not only physical performance but also mental resilience and emotional well-being to positively impact every aspect of an athlete's life.
Brainspotting helps by addressing the core issues that live beneath the surface of these conditions, offering a way to ease symptoms like racing thoughts, constant worry, low energy, trouble focusing, and sleep problems.
One of the key benefits of Brainspotting is its ability to reduce sensitivity to triggers that used to provoke anxiety or depression.
By releasing the emotional and physical tension held in the body, Brainspotting helps you respond to challenging situations with more calm and control.
Its focus on the mind-body connection promotes deep healing, addressing both the emotional and physical aspects of anxiety and depression for lasting relief.
This approach gives you the chance to find real, lasting change as you move forward in your healing journey.
Brainspotting Therapy (BSP) helps retrain your brain to develop healthier responses to these visual triggers. Many people also find that processing trauma with the help of a therapist helps treat the core wounds that led to addiction.
By focusing on specific "brainspots," this therapy allows you to gain deeper insight into the root causes of your addiction. It accelerates the healing process and improves emotional regulation, making it easier to manage cravings and impulses.
By uncovering and releasing unresolved traumas that fuel addictive behaviors, Brainspotting empowers you to break free from the cycle of reacting to triggers.
This opens the door to emotional relief and supports your journey toward lasting recovery.
THE BENEFITS OF BRAINSPOTTING
Brainspotting Therapy (BSP) offers a range of transformative benefits by directly targeting the brain’s natural ability to heal itself. By focusing on the root causes of emotional and psychological distress, Brainspotting helps individuals move past unresolved pain and unlock personal growth.
BENEFITS CAN INCLUDE:
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Reduced intensity of emotional and visual triggers
- More control over emotions
- Increased self-awareness
- Sharper focus and easier decision-making
- Reduction in physical symptoms of trauma
- Improved connection with self and others
These benefits emerge as you progress through Brainspotting, allowing for deep healing and long-lasting emotional relief.
Brainspotting is a powerful therapeutic technique designed to help you access and process unresolved trauma and emotional pain. By engaging both the mind and body, this approach focuses on identifying specific points in your visual field, known as brainspots, which are linked to distressing memories and feelings.
During a session, your therapist guides you through the process of locating these brainspots, helping you tap into the deep, unconscious layers where emotional blockages reside. This approach promotes deep healing and provides long-lasting relief from emotional pain.
HOW BRAINSPOTTING WORKS
HERE'S HOW A TYPICAL BRAINSPOTTING SESSION WORKS:
- Establishing Focus: At the beginning of your Brainspotting session, with the help of your therapist you’ll identify a distressing issue or emotion you'd like to address. It can be an emotion you feel within your body or a feeling that needs to be explored. This sets the stage for identifying the "brainspots" associated with your feelings.
- Locating Brainspots: Using a pointer or simply guiding your gaze, your therapist helps you scan different points in your visual field. You'll pause at various spots to notice any shifts in your emotions or physical sensations. These specific eye positions can correlate with areas in the brain where trauma or stress is held.
- Activation of Brainspots: Once a brainspot is identified—marked by a noticeable emotional or physical response—you'll focus your attention on that spot. This allows you to access and process the underlying emotional content connected to it.
- Mindful Processing: While maintaining focus on the brainspot, you may experience a range of thoughts, feelings, or physical sensations. You have the choice to share these experiences out loud or to process them internally. The key is to remain mindful and open to whatever arises.
- Therapist's Observation: Your therapist will observe subtle cues like eye movements, facial expressions, or body language that may indicate emotional activation, helping to guide the session effectively.
- Integration and Grounding: After working through the brainspot, you'll have the opportunity to reflect on any insights or changes you've noticed. Your therapist may guide you through grounding exercises to help you feel centered and present before concluding the session.
- Ongoing Processing: Healing doesn't stop when the session ends. It's common for processing to continue for up to 72 hours afterward. You might notice further emotional release or new insights that unfold during this time.
Brainspotting is flexible and can conform to your comfort level. Some people find significant relief after just one session, while others may opt for additional sessions to delve deeper into complex issues. By tapping into the mind-body connection, Brainspotting offers a powerful path for healing.
HOW OUR BRAINSPOTTING THERAPISTS SUPPORT YOUR HEALING JOURNEY
At the end of the first meeting, you and your therapist will know your goals for Brainspotting and therapy and establish a method to achieve them.
Ongoing sessions are variable and the cost is based on the clinician and certifications. During these sessions, you will share more of your story and learn tools along the way to help manage your trauma symptoms and learn to thrive again.
Create therapy goals
Should you choose to move forward with Brainspotting, you will schedule an initial 90-minute intake appointment.
During this first session, we want to get to know more about you and how your unresolved trauma is affecting your mental health and body. We are careful not to make this too overwhelming and won’t get into anything too deep this first meeting.
Schedule your intake appointment
Our intake coordinator will schedule a free 20-minute consultation with our Brainspotting therapist.
In this consultation, you will have the opportunity to learn more about how Brainspotting works and whether you’d like to get started.
Choose your therapist
Schedule a complimentary 20-minute consult to discuss your concerns with a Brainspotting therapist.
Our intake coordinator will walk you through the process of getting onboarded with therapy and scheduling your first appointment.
SCHEDULE A CONSULT
READ MORE ABOUT Brainspotting
The Benefits of Brainspotting Therapy: Improving Performance, Recovery, and Mental Health
view more
BRAINSPOTTING FAQ’S
- EMDR uses a structured approach with guided eye movements to help you process painful memories, aiming to reduce the emotional intensity tied to them. It’s a highly effective method for many people, though it follows a more structured process during each session. EMDR typically starts by focusing on a specific memory, which is then processed and worked through step by step.
- Brainspotting focuses on identifying specific points in your visual field, known as “brainspots,” that are connected to deep, unresolved emotions or trauma. This process allows for a more flexible and intuitive experience, that often starts more with a feeling in the body and you explore and process at your own pace. Brainspotting often feels more organic, with less structure and talking, so you can focus inwardly and allow your brain and body to do the healing.
Both methods can be incredibly effective, while Brainspotting offers a more fluid, body-centered approach that can address deep emotional wounds. It can also be combined with other therapies like talk therapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to tackle negative thought patterns while simultaneously processing the underlying emotional and physical aspects of trauma. With the help of your therapist, you can decide where to start, and when to introduce each therapy into your healing.
- Emotional Sensitivity: It's common to feel more emotional than usual. You may experience feelings like sadness, irritability, or anxiety as your mind continues to process the issues addressed during the session.
- Physical Sensations: Some people report physical sensations such as fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, or even lightheadedness. These are often signs that your body is releasing stored tension and stress.
- Increased Dream Activity: You might notice more vivid or frequent dreams as your subconscious mind works through the healing process.
- Temporary Discomfort: Revisiting and processing deep emotions can sometimes lead to temporary discomfort or a feeling of being "off." This is a normal part of the healing journey and usually subsides quickly.
- Heightened Awareness: You may become more aware of your thoughts and feelings, which can be both enlightening and occasionally overwhelming.
These side effects are typically short-lived and are part of the natural healing process as your mind and body work through unresolved issues. Having a self-care plan for after sessions—such as resting, staying hydrated, and engaging in relaxing activities—can help ease discomfort. If you have concerns about how you're feeling after a session, don't hesitate to reach out to your therapist for support and guidance.
Brainspotting works by allowing your brain and body to process unresolved trauma at their own pace, so it’s important to approach therapy with patience. While some people experience immediate relief, deeper or long-standing issues may take more time to fully heal. Throughout the process, your therapist will work with you to track your progress and adjust the treatment as needed to ensure you’re moving toward your goals.
In general, Brainspotting is known for its efficiency in creating lasting change, often in fewer sessions than traditional talk therapy. Many clients report feeling lighter, more balanced, and better equipped to handle life’s challenges as they continue through their therapy journey.
It’s especially helpful for people dealing with:
- Trauma and PTSD: Brainspotting allows for deep processing of traumatic memories, helping individuals find relief from the emotional and physical effects of trauma.
- Anxiety and Depression: By accessing and releasing unresolved emotions, Brainspotting can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, offering a path to feeling more balanced and in control.
- Addiction Recovery: Brainspotting helps uncover the underlying emotional and trauma-based drivers of addictive behaviors, supporting recovery efforts.
- Athletes and Performers: Many athletes and performers use Brainspotting to enhance focus, reduce performance anxiety, and break through mental blocks that may be holding them back.
- Chronic Stress and Emotional Overwhelm: If you struggle with high stress levels, emotional sensitivity, or burnout, Brainspotting can help you release stored tension and promote relaxation.
Whether you’re managing mental health challenges or seeking personal growth, Brainspotting offers a path to healing that taps into the brain-body connection to bring about lasting change.
Brainspotting can also be used alongside traditional talk therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to challenge and reframe negative thought patterns while addressing underlying emotional and physical aspects of trauma. Some therapists may even combine Brainspotting with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for a more extensive approach to trauma processing, leveraging Brainspotting's body-centered, non-verbal techniques to facilitate healing.
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