Brainspotting

Brainspotting is a therapy method that connects eye positions with body sensations to help people process and heal from trauma.

Brainspotting and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) are both therapeutic techniques used primarily to treat trauma and its associated symptoms, but they differ in their methods and mechanisms. EMDR is rooted in the idea that rapid, bilateral eye movements can help clients process traumatic memories and reduce their emotional charge. It follows a structured eight-phase approach where the therapist guides the client through these eye movements while recalling distressing memories. On the other hand, Brainspotting is based on the belief that the direction one looks can affect how one feels. In this therapy, clients are guided to find specific eye positions (or "brainspots") that correlate with internal bodily sensations and emotions, facilitating deeper processing and healing. While both techniques aim to access and process trauma, Brainspotting focuses more on the body's felt sense and is often perceived as less structured than EMDR, allowing for a more flexible and individualized approach to treatment.

Brainspotting is a targeted approach to accessing and processing deeply embedded emotional and traumatic experiences that might affect you. Focusing on a specific "Brainspot" (a fixed point in your visual field) is believed to connect directly to the part of the brain holding onto those unresolved traumas. With the guidance of a trained therapist, you'd maintain your gaze on this spot while processing emotions and memories that arise. This can lead to the release of core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation, and other challenging symptoms. As a result, Brainspotting can help you by directly targeting and releasing these stored traumas, allowing you to experience relief, increased self-awareness, and overall emotional healing.

In my therapeutic practice, I utilize brainspotting as a somatic approach to help clients delve deep into their known and hidden traumas. By guiding clients to specific eye positions, or "brainspots," we tap into the intricate connection between physical sensations and emotional experiences. This method often allows clients to access and process recollected traumatic events and uncover previously unrecognized or buried traumas. Their heightened self-awareness from this process offers a clearer roadmap for subsequent therapeutic interventions. Armed with these insights, I can introduce complementary trauma therapies, all to facilitate comprehensive healing and empower my clients to move forward with greater resilience and understanding.