Brainspotting is a somatic, body based approach that uses eye position and nervous system attunement to connect to experiences, emotions, and memories that may be harder to reach through words.
While traditional talk therapy is limited to frontal lobe processing (thoughts, logic, reasoning), somatic practices like Brainspotting help us connect to the subcortical brain where our experiences, emotions, and sensations live.
You may have heard of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) - Brainspotting is like a spin-off. Rather than eye movement, we find an eye position that connects to the issue you’re wanting to process, and use focused mindfulness to allow your brain to use its innate capacity to heal and find balance. One thing that sets Brainspotting apart is that we trust your brain and body’s own knowing, so you do not have to “relive” the trauma in order to release and process it.
Note: even without “reliving” the experience or necessarily verbalizing, it will still involve experiencing painful memories and feelings, and it is vital to have support and a plan in place for coping with difficult feelings afterward.
Brainspotting
What is it?
What should you expect?
First we will identify the sensation, experience, discomfort, or memory you want to focus on, and find the place that sensation lives in your body. From there, we’ll work together to find the corresponding eye position that allows you to feel the most focused in that activation. Then we will hold that eye position as you mindfully observe your internal experience - no matter what comes up.
There is no judgment, no assumption, no right or wrong - simply relying on your own inner wisdom to move through the process. My job as the therapist is to be your guide, and help you track and make sense of what comes up during your Brainspotting sessions.
Expect a collaborative, relational, experiential journey - one where you feel seen, accepted, and deeply held. During the process, you may notice physical sensations like tension, numbness or tingling, temperature change, flashes of memory, heaviness or lightness, as well as a wide range of emotions. Often clients feel a sense of calm or release by the end of the session.
What issues can Brainspotting help with?
It can help with a wide range of issues, some examples:
Acute and complex trauma
Anxiety and panic
Anger and dysregulation
Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions
Phobias
Management of major medical illness
Preparing for potential stress-inducing experiences like performances or difficult conversations
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Deeply held feelings of guilt and shame
and more!