Brainspotting- and why you should try it

The first time I tried brainspotting, I was blown away. I had been in therapy since college on and off, and had noticed shifts around many of the life circumstances which had brought me there, but there were still things that felt… unresolved. In one session, it felt as though someone had lifted a weight off my shoulders; I felt and thought differently about the thing, without having to do any “homework” outside of session. I noticed that I didn’t even think about the thing anymore, until someone asked me how I felt, and then I realized I felt different. I realized the more you brainspot, the more clarity and grounded you tend to feel. Think about it like if your head was an attic, and you’ve been storing boxes up there your whole life how hard it is to retrieve anything you need. Brainspotting is going up into the attic with a trusted friend and starting to clean up whats there, re organize it so you can find things again and make space for new things that you actually NEED now. Once that attic is cleaned up and organized, its so much more efficient to find something when you want it.

So, what is brainspotting? Brainspotting was discovered by Dr. David Grand in 2003 when working with an athlete who was hoping to work through a performance block using EMDR. Grand noticed the client giving a reflex on a specific spot where they were looking, which prompted him to hold their gaze instead of continuing to move their eyes. The result; the client was able to conquer the jump which they had never been able to do out of somatically held body fear the next day at practice. Grand knew he was on to something and continued to see how this held eye position impacted other clients.

Brainspotting is based on the idea that "where you look affects how you feel." The technique involves identifying points in a person’s visual field (called “brainspots”) that correlate with unprocessed trauma stored in the brain and body. When a person focuses on one of these brainspots, they may access deeper emotional or physiological material connected to past experiences. Brainspotting is a “bottom up” therapy, meaning it works through the body and brain ( subcortical system) versus cognitive processing ( which can take a long time for subconsciously held experiences to shift). Side note, did you know that 95% of human brain activity and behavior is led by the subconscious mind!

It’s a common misconception that brainspotting can only be used as a reprocessing trauma therapy ( for those of you saying, “I don’t have trauma”; another blog on that later). Brainspotting can be helpful for all sorts of symptoms and challenges, including but not limited to trauma and PTSD symptoms, anxiety, phobias, depression, chronic pain, grief and loss, performance anxiety, attachment and relational issues, working through fear, anger, substance use concerns/ cravings and more. Honestly, you can brainspot just about anything and have it shift the way you feel or think about a thing.

Brainspotting is based off the premise that the clients brain has the capacity to heal itself given the right environment. That “right environment” is a safe space where a trained brainspotting professional can attune to the client, guide them to a brainspot and hold space while the processing occurs. Brainspotting sessions are fluid and open and allow for so much healing to occur not only on a scientific level, but on a spiritual level.

So what does a brainspotting session feel like? It’s different for everyone, as everyone’s brain and life experiences are different, but generally speaking, people experience somatic and emotional changes/ arousal, and may have thoughts or images come and go around whatever it is that they are processing. Some clients experience visual changes, headaches, tension or temperature changes in their body, or become emotional. The goal is for you to feel calmer, grounded and have more insight at the end of the session. You may use bi lateral music to aid in your processing when you engage in brainspotting. Your therapist will attune to you and hold space, only checking in when they notice you may need support or guidance. Most clients report that brainspotting is tiring, though some feel refreshed and energized after a session. Typically clients notice a shift in their thoughts, feelings or mood within hours to days after a session, though results differ for everyone and can be dependent on the issue. Most of the time the most common thing clients report after brainspotting is that they just “feel” different, they don’t think about the thing anymore, or others in their life comment on how they are showing up differently.

So, why should you try brainspotting? Because its awesome, and because it will help you meet your goals in therapy or coaching faster. One brainspotting session is equal to 5+ talk therapy sessions, so you are getting more bang for your buck and your time, and meeting your goals sooner. Brainspotting has also shown to reduce overall stress, improve sleep, help you become more mindful and connected to yourself and others. It can create clarity and groundness. Its also a great way to do therapy if you don’t feel like talking a whole lot ( because we don’t talk a whole lot in brainspotting). It can also be done online or in person.

When looking for a brainspotting provider, its good to find someone who has been trained in at least Phases 1 and 2, and if they are a Certified Brainspotting Provider or Consultant, even better. You may pay a bit more to see someone who has completed Certification, but its worth it. Being Certified means they have done 6 months of additional 1 on 1 consultation to ensure that they understand the concepts of brainspotting and have had over 100 hours of practice ( it’s nice to feel like your provider is confident and knows what they are doing!)

If you are interested in learning more about brainspotting and what its like, please visit my page here to watch some videos and read more about the process. www.tlbtherapy.com

If you’d like to try brainspotting, reach out! We always have space for new brainspotting clients in the state of Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina and Virginia.