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Brainspotting allows you to process unresolved issues, transform unwanted habits, breakthrough addictions, heal pain, forgive and release hurts, regulate your nervous system and let go of unwanted patterns. It can be helpful to identify areas you would like to work on and heal. You do not have to have specific memories or incidents in mind, yet be aware of the patterns or issues you want to work on. Your Brainspotting therapist will help you to clarify what’s important for Brainspotting at the beginning of your session.
What happens in a Brainspotting session?
- During a Brainspotting session the Brainspotting therapist will help you identify an issue to work on.
- While focusing on the issue you will notice how you feel, sense and experience the issue in your mind and body.
- From here the eye position or ‘brainspot’ associated with this issue will be identified by scanning from one side of your visual field to the other.
- The brainspot acts like a doorway into all the stored, stuck baggage from the past. The focused eye position further allows the brain to stop scanning externally for threats and instead internally self-scan to identify and maintain its presence on the deeper unresolved issue.
- When a brainspot is activated, reflexive movements can be observed by the therapist that provide valuable access to healing. These movements come from deep regions of the brain, outside of our conscious, cognitive, and verbal awareness.
- People report having deeper and more profound releases with Brainspotting as compared to other brain-based and traditional therapies. The brain is re-stabilizing, resourcing, and rebooting itself during Brainspotting and the processing often continues to occur after the session has ended. A doorway has been opened and information will continue to come up and out for releasing and healing.
What to expect during and after Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a powerful therapy that helps process and unravel stuck and unresolved issues. It can bring up feelings to express, sensations to release and sometimes memories to process. It often leads to powerful insights, revelations and new perspectives on old issues. It is not a therapy that one does on their own. In fact, it works in part because of the compassionate support and presence of your Brainspotting therapist. After Brainspotting the therapy continues to work during the hours, days and weeks to follow. Expect to continue to feel the unwinding and unfolding of the process as the mind and body integrate the experience. Many people notice key insights coming through in the days following that they bring to the next session for processing.
Brainspotting Side Effects
During a Brainspotting session you may experience emotions, physical sensations and memories. Some people report feeling physically or emotionally tired following a Brainspotting session like they have had a powerful release. Most often they have had a deep release on both conscious and subconscious levels. Other’s report feeling relaxed, calm and at peace. The releasing and unwinding may continue well past the Brainspotting therapy session. Individuals regularly report new insights and awareness’s following Brainspotting sessions that allow for ongoing integration, healing and growth.
Positive Side Effects
Brainspotting therapy, as a mental health treatment, offers not only effective trauma processing but also several positive side effects that enhance overall emotional well-being. One of the most notable benefits is the increased ability to access and release long-held emotional pain related to traumatic memories. As clients begin to process trauma through mindful awareness and targeted focus, they often report a profound sense of emotional relief and lightness. This natural unburdening allows the brain and body to release unresolved trauma, which can lead to noticeable improvements in mood, emotional regulation, and overall mental clarity. These effects contribute to a stronger sense of inner peace and greater resilience in daily life.
Another positive side effect of Brainspotting is the deepened connection between mind and body. Through the process of treating trauma with brain-body techniques, individuals often become more attuned to their physical sensations and emotional signals. This heightened awareness fosters a healthier relationship with oneself and provides tools for recognizing and managing emotional distress before it escalates. As the brain continues to rewire and integrate new experiences, symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and emotional numbness tend to decrease. Treating symptoms related to past trauma in this somatic and neurological way supports long-lasting recovery and builds a more stable emotional foundation.
Empowerment and Personal Growth
Finally, Brainspotting therapy often leads to a greater sense of empowerment and personal growth. As unresolved trauma is processed and cleared, many clients find that they are able to re-engage with life in more meaningful and fulfilling ways. They may experience enhanced creativity, improved relationships, and an overall increase in self-confidence. This trauma treatment not only helps to process trauma but also cultivates strength, clarity, and hope. The positive side effects of Brainspotting reflect its power as a mental health treatment to not only address the wounds of the past but also open the door to a more grounded and emotionally healthy future.
How Effective is Brainspotting Online?
Brainspotting is very effective online and over the telephone. There are many benefits to doing online Brainspotting such as:
- The convenience and comfort of being in your own space
- The flexibility to work with a specialist certified in Brainspotting that may not be in your area
- The ability to work with a Brainspotting therapist of your choice that has been referred
- Saving time and energy traveling to and from appointments
Talk Therapy vs Brainspotting
While talk therapy has long been a trusted and effective method for addressing mental health challenges, Brainspotting therapy offers a distinct and innovative approach to trauma and emotional healing. Traditional talk therapy often relies on verbal expression and cognitive processing to understand and manage emotional distress and mental health disorders. It can be incredibly helpful for building self-awareness, improving relationships, and navigating everyday stress. However, for individuals dealing with deep-rooted traumatic memories or intense emotions that are stored in the body and subconscious brain, talk therapy may not always access the deeper layers of healing needed for lasting relief.
Brainspotting Therapy
Brainspotting therapy, on the other hand, is a cutting-edge, body-based therapy that directly targets the brain-body connection. Brainspotting works by using eye positions and focused mindful awareness to access areas of the brain where unresolved trauma is stored—often beyond the reach of conventional therapy. Through the use of bilateral stimulation and brainspotting techniques, this innovative therapy helps individuals process intense emotions and deeply held traumatic memories in a non-verbal, somatic way. Unlike talk therapy, which primarily engages the thinking brain, Brainspotting activates deeper regions associated with emotional and physiological regulation, offering a more direct route to emotional release and healing.
Both Brainspotting and Talk Therapy
Both Brainspotting and talk therapy have value, but Brainspotting may be especially effective for those who have tried conventional therapy without fully resolving trauma-related symptoms. When facilitated by a trained therapist, Brainspotting carries low psychological risks and offers a safe and powerful method of transforming the emotional state by tapping into the body’s innate wisdom. For many, combining both approaches can offer a comprehensive path to improved mental well-being—talk therapy helping to build insight and coping strategies, while Brainspotting clears the emotional blocks stored in the nervous system. This integration of traditional and innovative trauma therapies can lead to more profound, lasting healing for individuals facing mental health challenges.
EMDR and Brainspotting
EMDR and Brainspotting are both highly effective trauma therapies that help individuals process and heal from traumatic memories, but they differ in technique and therapeutic focus. EMDR therapy, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, uses guided eye movements to help the brain reprocess unprocessed trauma, reducing the emotional pain associated with it. It follows a structured protocol that includes recalling a traumatic memory while the therapist directs the client’s eye movements, helping to desensitize and integrate the experience. EMDR therapy has been widely studied and is often recommended for PTSD symptoms, especially in cases where conventional therapy methods like talk therapy haven’t provided sufficient relief. It is particularly effective in breaking the intensity of traumatic flashbacks, making it one of the most recognized evidence-based trauma treatments available.
Brainspotting
Brainspotting therapy, while similar in its use of eye positioning, differs by offering a more intuitive, client-centered process that allows for deeper access to the parts of the brain where traumatic memories are stored. Brainspotting therapists use a somatic and mindful approach, guiding the client to find a specific eye position—called a brainspot—that connects to emotional or physical tension tied to unprocessed trauma. Unlike the more structured format of EMDR, Brainspotting allows for greater flexibility and often leads to the spontaneous release of trauma without requiring the client to verbally recount the traumatic experience. As with other trauma therapies, both EMDR and Brainspotting are powerful tools for resolving emotional pain, but Brainspotting is particularly effective for individuals who struggle with verbalizing their trauma or who have found limited success with conventional therapy methods. Many therapists incorporate both modalities depending on the client’s needs, offering a more holistic path to healing and recovery.
Brainspotting Work
Brainspotting therapy is a powerful therapeutic approach developed by Dr. David Grand that helps individuals process and release trauma by accessing the deeper parts of the brain where traumatic memories are stored. During brainspotting sessions, the therapist guides the client to find a specific eye position—known as a brainspot—that correlates with the emotional or physical activation linked to past traumatic events. This point of focus allows the brain to bypass the thinking mind and access the subcortical regions where heightened emotions and unresolved trauma are held. As clients’ trauma emerges in a safe and supported space, brainspotting therapy facilitates the deep processing of psychological symptoms often associated with mental health conditions such as chronic pain, PTSD, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.
Unlike Traditional Talk Therapy
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which may not always reach the root of the trauma, brainspotting is particularly effective in treating trauma by helping the brain and body rewire and release the distress stored at a neurological level, leading to lasting relief and emotional regulation.
Brainspotting Sessions
Brainspotting sessions offer a transformative approach to healing by helping individuals access and process traumatic memories stored deep within the brain. Developed by Dr. David Grand, Brainspotting therapy focuses on the mind-body connection, allowing clients to uncover distressing memories that might be causing mental fogginess, emotional distress, or other psychological issues. During a session, the therapist guides the client to specific eye positions, known as brainspots, which are linked to areas of unresolved trauma. By maintaining a supportive environment and fostering a connected therapist-client relationship, brainspotting facilitates a safe space for the brain to process and release emotional pain that has been held in the subconscious. This approach not only targets the psychological impact of trauma but also helps to release the physical tension and emotional blockages that can accompany it, offering clients a path to deeper healing and emotional clarity.
Brainspotting Therapists
Brainspotting therapists undergo specialized training to master the unique techniques of Brainspotting therapy, which focuses on helping clients access and process traumatic memories stored in the subcortical brain. These traumatic experiences are often stored beyond the reach of conventional talk therapy, and Brainspotting provides a way to directly engage with them. During a therapy session, the therapist guides the client to specific eye positions within their visual field, known as brainspots, that correlate with emotional distress or unresolved trauma. The therapist moves carefully and intentionally, taking into account the client’s personal preference and responses, to find the most effective brainspot for processing the trauma. This precise and mindful approach allows the therapist to create a safe and supportive environment, which often leads to profound emotional release and healing in just a few sessions. The therapist’s deep understanding of the mind-body connection and their ability to attune to the client’s needs make Brainspotting an effective and transformative therapeutic approach for processing and healing from past trauma.
