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“I know everything is fine, but I still feel panicked.”
Brainspotting for Anxiety and Panic Attacks
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A Brain-Body Approach to
Healing Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Anxiety can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and sometimes impossible to control. Many people understand, logically that they are safe, yet their body continues to react, as if danger is present. If you've ever told yourself to just relax, but still felt your heart racing, your chest tightening, or your mind spinning with worry, you're not alone.
This is because anxiety is not just a thinking problem, it's a nervous system problem. Brainspotting therapy is one of the most effective brain-body approaches for resolving anxiety at its source, helping the nervous system release stored stress and trauma, so the body can finally return to a state of calm.
Why Anxiety Persists: The Brain-Body Connection
Anxiety Lives in the Survival Brain
Anxiety is primarily driven by the amygdala, the brains’ alarm system responsible for detecting danger, and activating the fight, flight, freeze, or appease response.
The amygdala operates below, conscious awareness, and does not rely on language or logic.
This explains why many people with anxiety say things like:
Traditional talk therapy works mainly with the thinking brain (prefrontal cortex) but when anxiety is triggered, the survival brain overrides logic.
As brainspotting founder, Dr. David Grand explains:
“Where you look affects how you feel.”
Brainspotting works by accessing that subcortical brain, or trauma, emotional stress, and anxiety responses are stored.
The Problem With “Just Talking” About Anxiety
Talking about anxiety or stress can increase awareness and insight, but many people discover that understanding their anxiety doesn't stop it. This happens because anxiety is stored in implicit memory systems in the body and nervous system that exist below our conscious awareness and rational thought.
Common signs that anxiety is stored in the nervous system include:
- Persistent muscle tension
- Racing heart
- Hypervigilance
- Difficulty, relaxing
- Panic attacks that seem to appear suddenly
When anxiety is rooted in the deeper brain systems, bottom-up therapies are often required.
The Bottom-Up Solution: Brainspotting
Brainspotting works from the body up to the brain, helping the nervous system process and release stored emotional stress. Through a precise process involving eye position and focused awareness, brainspotting helps identify the location in the brain where anxiety is ‘held’.
Once the spot is located, the brain begins its natural self healing and regulation process.
Clients often report that anxiety triggers that once felt overwhelming begin to feel neutral or manageable.
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is an advanced therapy for overcoming negative emotions, healing traumatic experiences and rebalancing the nervous system. The process involves identifying, processing and releasing stored trauma and emotional stress with the help of a certified Brainspotting therapist. It is one of the few techniques that effectively addresses the root cause of psychological stress and emotional trauma. This is a primary reason why Brainspotting is so effective at treating PTSD, depression, anxiety, addictions and many other stress-related and mental health challenges. If you feel like you have plateaued in your healing or are not finding relief in other approaches, Brainspotting offers new possibilities for breakthrough.
How Brainspotting Helps Heal 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.
The Reflexive Response:
Signs the Brain is Processing
During brainspotting sessions, therapists observe subtle body cues that indicate the nervous system is processing unresolved stress.
These reflexive responses may include:
These signals show the brain is releasing stored emotional material and rebalancing the nervous system.
How Brainspotting Therapy for Anxiety Works
Brainspotting sessions are gentle, focused, deep and often surprisingly calming.
Here is what a typical session looks like.
What results can you expect from brainspotting for anxiety?
Relief
Many clients report feeling:
- Calmer
- More grounded
- Less reactive
In as little as 1 to 3 sessions. This is because the nervous system has begun releasing stored stress.
Long-Term Resolution of Anxiety Triggers
Over time, brainspotting helps desensitize triggers that once caused intense anxiety. Situations that previously activated panic or fear may feel neutral or manageable.
What is Anxiety?
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.
What are Panic Attacks?
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.
Common Symptoms of Anxiety
Emotion / Mood
- Fear, terror, dread
- Uneasy, edgy, irritability
- Hypervigilance, panic, excessive worry
- Overwhelm, fear of death
Cognitive
- Racing thoughts, catastrophic thinking, rumination
- Hypochondriac, self-doubt
- Difficulty concentrating, focusing, making decisions or remembering
Physical
- Gastrointestinal issues, stomachache
- Low energy or wired with high energy
- Muscle tension, heart palpitations, heart racing
- Shortness of breath, shallow breathing,
- Nausea, headaches, palms sweaty, dizziness
Weight
- Appetite changes, losing weight, gaining weight
- Craving foods
Behavioral
- Avoiding social interactions
- Risky and self-destructive behaviors such as excessive drinking, using drugs, gambling, driving fast and promiscuity
Sleep
- Sleep disturbance - too much sleep or too little sleep
- Nightmares
Equally Challenging, Less Known Symptoms of Anxiety
12 Lesser-Known Signs of Anxiety You Might Be Overlooking
Over time, brainspotting helps desensitize triggers that once caused intense anxiety. Situations that previously activated panic or fear may feel neutral or manageable.
What Does Anxiety Look Like?
4 Major Types of Anxiety (and How They Differ)
What Causes Anxiety?
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
Treating Anxiety
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.
Success Stories
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Brainspotting Therapy in San Diego
If you are looking for brainspotting therapy for anxiety in San Diego we specialize in helping clients regulate their nervous systems and resolve anxiety at its root. We offer a compassionate approach to helping you move beyond chronic worry and panic and into greater calm, resilience and emotional freedom.
Brainspotting for Anxiety FAQ’s
How many sessions of brainspotting do I need for anxiety?
The number of sessions varies depending on the individual and the root causes of the anxiety. Many clients notice meaningful shifts within 3 to 5 sessions, though deeper healing may take longer if anxiety is connected to longstanding trauma or chronic stress.
Can Brainspotting Trigger a Panic Attack?
Brainspotting therapists are trained to carefully titrate and pace the intensity of emotional activation. This means the therapist continuously monitors the clients responses and nervous system activation and adjusts the process to keep it within a manageable range. The client is always in control of the process and can stop at any time. The goal is not to overwhelm the client but to allow the nervous system to process stress gradually and safely.
What Is the Difference Between EMDR and Brainspotting for Anxiety?
Both EMDR and Brainspotting are highly effective trauma therapies.
However they differ in several ways.EMDR
- Structured protocol
- Therapist guided processing
- Set of 8 phases and procedures
Brainspotting
- More flexible and intuitive
- Deeper focus on body sensations
- Client led processing
- Often reaches deeper subcortical brain regions
Many therapists describe brainspotting as less structured and more adaptable to each client's unique nervous system.
Can Brainspotting for Anxiety Be Done Online?
Yes
Brainspotting works extremely well online. Therapists guide clients in locating brainspots using the computer screen and many clients report the process is just as effective as in person.
About the Authors
Hilary Stokes Phd
HIlary Stokes, Ph.D., LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist in California with more than 25 years of clinical experience, specializing in trauma therapy, PTSD treatment, anxiety, depression, and nervous system healing. She holds Master's degrees in Clinical Social Work and Kinesiology and Sports Psychology and a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology with a specialization in Tibetan Buddhist Psychology. Dr. Stokes is extensively trained and certified in brainspotting, EMDR, somatic therapy and other mind body approaches. Her integrative work bridges neuroscience, mindfulness, and holistic psychology to help clients process unresolved trauma, rewire stress patterns, and build emotional resilience.
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Dr. Stokes’ clinical approach is informed by advanced professional training and her own healing journey from complex trauma, which shaped her commitment to therapies that go beyond traditional talk therapy. She has worked in psychiatric hospitals, addiction and PTSD treatment centers, universities, integrative medical facilities, and private practice. As co-developer of the psychology and wellness programming at Sanoviv Medical Institute, she witnessed firsthand the power of integrating mind and body for lasting transformation. Today she helps individuals heal trauma, strengthen emotional regulation and reclaim purpose through brainspotting, EMDR, somatic therapy and mindfulness interventions.
Kim Ward Phd
Kim Ward, Ph.D. holds both a masters and a doctorate in Transpersonal Psychology with a specialization in Tibetan Buddhist Psychology. She brings more than 25 years of experience in trauma recovery, Brainspotting and mind-body transformation. She is extensively trained and certified in Brainspotting, somatic therapy, and trauma-informed approaches. Dr. Ward integrates neuroscience, nervous system regulation and consciousness-based psychology to help individuals process unresolved trauma, shift limiting beliefs, and access greater emotional resilience. Her work focuses on healing at the root, beyond symptom management, through brain-body therapies that create lasting change.
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As co-developer of the psychology and wellness programs at Sanoviv Medical Institute, Dr. Ward brings a uniquely holistic perspective to trauma therapy and personal growth. Her path from corporate leadership into psychology shaped her commitment to helping clients move beyond external success toward embodied fulfillment and emotional freedom. Dr. Ward's expertise combines Brainspotting, emotional intelligence, contemplative psychology and purpose-driven coaching. Drawing from both advanced academic training and lived experience navigating complex family mental health dynamics, she supports clients in transforming stress patterns, reclaiming vitality, and aligning with authentic purpose.
Contact us
Anxiety EMDR Therapy
Phone/Fax: (619) 819-6841
Email: contact@authenticityassociates.com
Our office is located in Carlsbad, CA 92009
We also do nationwide sessions via Skype
and FaceTime.