What is Brainspotting?
BrainSpotting is a brain-based processing method that channels the body’s natural ability to heal itself from unprocessed trauma, or highly stressful experiences. It may create symptoms like anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, and over reactivity. It does so by finding specific eye positions (Brainspot) linked to the unprocessed experiences that have been stored in the brain, which allows the body to “detox.”
How does it work and who does it work with?
According to the founder Dr. David Grand, “Where you look, affects how you feel.” When a Brainspot has been identified by the therapist, the area of our brain, known as our subcortical brain is stimulated. The subcortical brain includes the corpus collosum, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus and putamen. (See image below). When a Brainspot is stimulated, it allows the client to focus, process and release a wide range of emotionally and bodily-based conditions, in addition to strengthen their natural resources and resilience.
Brainspotting is effective for a wide variety of emotional and somatic conditions. Brainspotting is particularly effective with trauma-based situations, helping to identify and heal underlying trauma that contributes to anxiety, depression and other behavioral conditions. It can also be used with performance and creativity enhancement. Brainspotting gives the therapist access to both brain and body processes. Its goal is to bypass the conscious, neocortical thinking to access the deeper, subcortical emotional and body-based parts of the brain.
As a client, why choose brainspotting?
Clients often fall into two categories. The first being those who are seeking therapy for the first time. The second are people who have been in therapy before who are seeking a therapist with new techniques. With focus and precision, one can find with eye positions (Brainspots) where the trauma, anxiety, depression or behavioral problems are held in the brain. This allows the brain to process from the inside out and from the bottom up.