What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting was discovered in 2003 by Dr. David Grand who discovered that “Where you look affects how you feel.” Brainspotting locates points in the client’s field of vision that help to access unprocessed trauma in the subcortical brain.
Brainspotting works by directly tapping into the brain’s autonomic and limbic systems, located within the central nervous system. Because of this, it can be considered a physiological treatment, and provides physical benefits as well as psychological and emotional benefits.
Brainspotting also functions as a neurobiological tool as it identifies, processes, and loosens up the obstacles that are hidden away in the unconscious mind. This promotes a healthy relationship between Brainspotting and healing.
Brainspotting allows you to:
- Get to the core of the issue interfering for you
- process unresolved issues
- transform unwanted habits
- heal pain
- release hurts
- regulate your nervous system
- let go of unwanted patterns.
What happens in a Brainspotting session?
- During a Brainspotting session I will help you identify an issue to work on.
- You will put on headphones that will play biolateral music which helps your brain relax.
- 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.
- After a Brainspotting session the treatment 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. 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.
Issues that Brainspotting can help with include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Trauma
- Professional or Sports Performance
- Anger Issues
- Insomnia
- Chronic pain
If you’d like to explore working with me and brainspotting, please reach out via email or phone at 415.235.2734 for a 15-minute consultation.