What is brainspotting?
Many clients report having talked about their concerns in therapy for a long time, only to experience temporary relief from symptoms. They often report feeling frustrated with therapy and themselves, noting that somehow they feel like they “should” be able to shift their feelings or behavior but they feel “stuck” and don’t know how to effect lasting change. Brainspotting can often help in that it works with the deep brain and body to engage with the autonomic and limbic systems, which hold emotional and traumatic memory. Brainspotting can help these parts of the brain release and rewire, thus effecting more integrated lasting change.
How does brainspotting help?
Brainspotting is a powerful treatment method developed by Dr. David Grand as an outgrowth of his therapeutic and EMDR work with clients. Brainspotting is incorporated within the context of a supportive attuned healing relationship with a skilled therapist. It works by identifying, focusing and releasing neurophysiological capsules, or stuck places, in our nervous system that hold emotional, physical or psychological trauma or distress. This is done by helping the client connect with whatever distressing memory, body sensations, or habit patterns he or she wishes to see released or shifted. A “brainspot”, designated by an eye position, that correlates with this distress is located by the client or the psychotherapist and is used as a locus of processing. Often the client can find the brainspot by noticing a felt sense of an increase in their distress. Or a therapist can locate a brainspot by noting reflexive responses in a client such as eye movements, facial expressions, breathing or body movement. Processing is also often done from a “resource brainspot,” an eye position that correlates to a felt sense of greater ease, support, groundedness or calm. This often makes processing feel less overwhelming. Resourcing empowers clients to regulate the intensity of their distress as they face the painful experiences in their life thus allowing release, healing and integration to unfold more smoothly.
Brainspotting incorporates biolateral sensory input, typically in the form of listening to gentle music or nature sounds that travel from ear to ear. Dr. Grand refers to this biolateral sound as a “massage for your brain” and most clients find this a soothing support to their healing process.
Whom can brainspotting help?
Brainspotting can be an effective treatment approach for individuals facing a wide variety of physical, emotional and psychological challenges including:
- Physical, emotional, and/or sexual trauma
- Accidents or traumatic injury
- Serious medical illness and/or physical pain
- Attachment trauma
- Relationship concerns
- Grief and loss
- Anxiety, phobias, or worry
- Traumatic brain injury
- Attention deficit disorder
Brainspotting can also be used to enhance athletic, academic, musical or artistic performance.
What to expect from your brainspotting session?
Brainspotting can be used in a flexible way. Brainspotting sessions can last up to 90 minutes, but can often also be used effectively in shorter sessions as well. Most people who experience brainspotting notice that their habit patterns and repetitive emotions begin to shift and change. Many report feeling a sense of lightness and more ease and spaciousness around the stuck places in their lives. If interested in possibly incorporating brainspotting, feel free to contact me to discuss how brainspotting might be a support in your unique healing process.
To learn more:
See the Rocky Mountain Brainspotting Institute’s website for videos with Dr. David Grand as he introduces and discusses the Brainspotting therapeutic technique.
See here for a list of books and research articles about brainspotting.