Brainspotting for Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Anxiety and panic attacks are rooted in a chronic state of nervous system hyperarousal. The body remains stuck in a heightened fight, flight, freeze, or appease response. Brainspotting works by accessing the subcortical brain regions, such as the amygdala and brainstem, responsible for storing unresolved trauma and maintaining this anxious state. Brainspotting enables the processing and release of stress and traumatic imprints that play a significant role in chronic anxiety and panic. Through a simple yet sophisticated process, brainspotting supports unravelling the cause of anxiety and panic. As the nervous system re-regulates and moves toward homeostasis, clients often report feeling noticeably calmer, more resilient, and less reactive. Situations that once triggered intense anxiety begin to feel neutral or manageable—an indication that healing has taken root at the brain-body level. Research in neuroscience and somatic therapies continues to affirm the effectiveness of brain-based approaches in reducing anxiety symptoms by targeting the body’s implicit memory systems.

Brainspotting vs. CBT: Key Differences in Treating Anxiety

Both Brainspotting and CBT are used to treat anxiety and panic attacks, but they differ in some significant ways.

• Brainspotting is a bottom-up, neurobiological approach that begins with the body’s sensory experience to calm and regulate the nervous system and mind. Since anxiety is often a visceral and deeply felt experience, accessing the subcortical regions of the brain, the areas connected to instinct, emotion, and body memory, is essential for lasting relief.
• CBT is a top-down, analytical approach that relies on the rational mind to identify, manage, and reframe anxious thoughts. While this method can be helpful for some, it often falls short during acute anxiety or panic. If you’ve ever tried to tell yourself to “calm down” in the midst of a panic attack, you know how ineffective logic can be when the nervous system is in a heightened state of alert.

Are you anxious or just stressed out?

We all know what it feels like to be stressed out, worried, overwhelmed and as though we may buckle under the pressures of life. At these times the nervous system can get activated and our heart may race, palms sweat or stomach feels queasy. Just think of a time when you had to speak in public or felt put on the spot in front of a group of people and didn’t know what to say. Anxiety often triggers our body’s natural fight, flight, freeze, collapse or appease mechanisms. These responses from our nervous system are designed to protect us from a perceived threat or danger. However most modern-day anxiety is based on our perception of situations and not true physical threats. Persistent worry and stress can cause a constant state of nervous system overdrive and become very uncomfortable to experience.

Although feeling anxious is normal in new, uncertain or risky situations, it can be challenging to know if there is a problem with anxiety or if you are experiencing normal levels of stress and nervousness. As a general guideline, you are likely having a problem if anxiety becomes so frequent and intense that it takes over your life and you can’t control the worry, self-doubt, stress and overwhelm. Anxiety in this case, becomes generalized and as a result, feelings of worry and stress can be felt in multiple areas. It can also have a very intense physical component impacting sleep, energy levels and feeling tense or on edge all of the time. Many people feel like they don’t want to be in their body because they are so uncomfortable. These are all signs that the sympathetic nervous system is activated and it is releasing stress hormones. This is often part of the fight, flight or freeze response where we are on heightened alert to guard against the perceived threat.

By nature, anxiety is related to a fear of what might happen, once the snowball of the nervous system starts it can sometimes be rather challenging to stop. In other words, anxiety begets more anxiety and a vicious cycle ensues. Understanding how to prevent this from happening and also stop it once it’s started requires working directly with the nervous system.

When Normal Stress Becomes an Anxiety Disorder

Although feeling anxious is normal in new, uncertain or risky situations, it can be challenging to know if there is a problem with anxiety or if you are experiencing normal levels of stress and nervousness. As a general guideline, you are likely having a problem if anxiety becomes so frequent and intense that it takes over your life and you can’t control the worry, self-doubt, stress and overwhelm. Anxiety in this case, becomes generalized, and as a result, feelings of worry and stress can be felt in multiple areas. It can also have a very intense physical component impacting sleep, energy levels and feeling tense or on edge all of the time. Many people feel like they don’t want to be in their body because they are so uncomfortable. These are all signs that the sympathetic nervous system is activated, and it is releasing stress hormones. This is often part of the fight, flight or freeze response where we are on heightened alert to guard against the perceived threat.

By nature, anxiety is related to a fear of what might happen, once the snowball of the nervous system starts it can sometimes be rather challenging to stop. In other words, anxiety begets more anxiety and a vicious cycle ensues. Understanding how to prevent this from happening and also stop it once it’s started requires working directly with the nervous system.

Panic attacks are sudden surges of intense fear and physical discomfort that reach a peak within minutes, often accompanied by racing heart, shallow breathing, feeling dizzy, choking sensation and a fear of losing control or dying. Many clients describe panic attacks as terrifying and disorienting, especially when they happen without warning.

Are you Anxious or Depressed?

Clients come to us confused as to whether they are anxious or depressed. The answer is quite often, both. Persistent worry and fear of the future that is typical with anxiety often brings up regrets from the past that is typical with depression. It is common for people who experience anxiety to also experience depression and vice versa. In fact, 50% of people who experience depression also report experiencing anxiety.

Anxiety has been considered the common cold of mental health with more than 40 million adults in the United States experiencing anxiety every year. That equals over 18% of the population and makes anxiety the #1 mental health diagnosis. Although anxiety is considered a mental illness or disorder, we find it more useful to think of it as an imbalance in the mind and body. While only 36% of people seek treatment, there are many effective treatments for anxiety. If you or someone you know is experiencing several of the following signs, consider reaching out for help.

What Can Trigger or Contribute to Anxiety?

• Past trauma or highly stressful life events
• Chronic insomnia
• Gut-brain imbalances
• Hormonal fluctuations
• Sudden loss or change
• Health challenges

Traditional approaches for anxiety generally include medication and talk therapy. Although these are often viewed as the primary forms of treatment, they don’t work for everyone. Many of our clients find they experience short term or limited results with these approaches. Our evolving understanding of the mind body connection and neuroscience have led to a range of highly effective methods for treating anxiety.