OurBrainspotting

BRAINSPOTTING

Brainspotting is a somatic-based psychotherapy that was discovered by Dr. David Grand in 2003. Developed from EMDR, Brainspotting allows the client to process trauma and disturbing life events more rapidly than talk therapy alone. Our brains are capable of great healing and Brainspotting allows the brain to process issues at the subcortical level, where trauma, emotions, survival responses, and memories live. Brainspotting can be used for everything from overcoming addictions to building self-esteem to strengthening athletic and professional performance.

WHAT IS A BRAINSPOT?

A brainspot is an eye position that is connected to an area of relevance in your brain which is connected to a particular issue that you are experiencing. We all have certain places we look when talking about different topics. Say you were in a car accident and every time you thought about it, you looked down and to your left. Or if you have ever been lost in thought and realized that you were staring off into space, often gazing at a particular spot. That eye position is connected to the part of your brain that most deeply accesses that memory and the body sensations and emotions that go with it.

HOW BRAINSPOTTING WORKS

The neuroscience behind this is fascinating. In traditional talk therapy, the client is accessing the neocortex or the frontal lobe. This is the part of the brain that we access when we are using rational thought, critical thinking, logic, linear processes, judgment, sequencing, and language. This part of the brain is not as involved in things like regulating emotions. This is where the subcortical cortex or the midbrain come in. The midbrain houses the limbic system and this is where our traumas, emotions, survival responses (fight, flight, freeze, etc.), memories, and motor coordination live. This is why talk therapy can take a long time to adjust behaviors and feelings. It requires you to access a part of the brain that doesn’t store the necessary information. (This is not to say that talk therapy is not helpful or useful. No form of therapy will work for every person because everyone is different and we all have different needs.) In a Brainspotting session, the client and the therapist locate the brainspot for the issue that the client wants to work on. As the client keeps their gaze on the brainspot, this allows their brain to begin a self-scanning process and access the neural networks that are holding the information needed to address the issue. The brain will then engage in the process of working to regain homeostasis. The therapist acts as a support by modeling secure attachment, or a sense of safety, to the client through attunement.

WHO IS BRAINSPOTTING FOR?

You may be wondering if you need to have a big “T” Trauma for Brainspotting to be beneficial. Not at all! Brainspotting can be helpful for working through a variety of issues. People who have struggled with addictions for years have been able to find and maintain sobriety. People who have a fear of public speaking are able to become confident speakers. People with low self-esteem have been able to come to a place of self-love and confidence. There is even evidence that Brainspotting can be helpful for people struggling with ADHD.

Brainspotting can be used for just about any age. There are adjustments that are made in how the session is conducted for small children or someone who is nonverbal but the results are the same. Children are able to process things at lightening speed so what may take an adult several sessions to work through, a child may work through in a session or two. Brainspotting can also be combined with just about every other type of therapy. Practitioners have combined it with art therapy, music therapy, sand tray therapy, Reiki, and various others. It is extremely versatile.