What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a focused treatment method that allows us to connect with the brain and body to help release held trauma (physical and mental), anxiety, depression, mood dysregulation, lack of focus, or even lack of energy!
Your Brainspotting trained therapist supports you in session while your brain naturally guides your eyes to look in a particular direction so you can process whatever your brain and/or body is holding onto.
What is significant about the eye position?
David Grand states, “Where you look affects how you feel.” Finding a fixed eye position allows your brain to access the area your brain and/or body is storing the trauma.
Essentially, we are bypassing the “rational” part of your brain known as the frontal lobe and directly working with your limbic system, where all your trauma, anxiety, depression, etc. is held. Don’t worry, you are always in the driver’s seat while your therapist holds a safe space for you.
Why is this important?
The frontal lobe is where all your rational thinking and thought processes are located. This part of your brain allows you to drive, complete work tasks, and have conversations with people. The limbic system is where all your trauma is held. When things are going well, you can utilize coping skills to get through stressful moments and/or disagreements. Both your limbic system and frontal lobe are communicating, and all is well.
If you suffer from anxiety, depression, PTSD, or any other form of dysregulation, your frontal lobe and limbic system stop communicating and you are now in a fight or flight mode. You’re JUST surviving. You may be irritable, and lose your temper easily. You may be unable to effectively communicate your emotions and needs to people and then withdraw. You may find it hard to focus causing you to struggle at work, or even perform simple daily tasks. Anxiety and/or depression may flare up and feel unbearable.
You may not feel like the type of mom, dad, partner, child, employee, etc. that you want to be. Brainspotting can help you find relief, regulate, and heal your brain, allowing you to lead the kind of life you desire.
Ready to learn more?
What can you expect during a Brainspotting session?
Your therapist will ask questions to help identify the Frame, or Topic, you are wanting to process during your session. It could be topics like: remembering a time your parent shut your feelings down and made you feel alone; why you need to snack at 9 o’clock at night even though you’re not hungry; a time you were assaulted; a sports injury; or, fear of an upcoming speaking engagement. Your topic may even something as simple as being exhausted that day and really needing more energy and focus to push through the rest of your day.
You will identify what you are feeling in your body when you think about this topic. Tightness, tingling, restlessness, nauseous, butterflies, etc. Next, your therapist will ask you where you feel this (or these) sensations. Your head? Maybe in your chest, arms, or legs? It could be your eyelid or even your pinky toe!
Once you have established the topic, felt sensations, and locations, it is now time to put a number to the strength of that feeling, or as we learn in our Brainspotting training, the strength of the activation. Many therapists will use a scale of 0-10 with 10 being the highest. This helps us to measure how much relief you have received during the Brainspotting therapy session.
From here, you and your therapist have several Brainspotting techniques to choose from.
Some Brainspotting therapists will utilize a pointer to help identify when you have found your eye position that correlates with your felt body sensations. Often, you will know when that spot has been found. You may notice an increase in your “felt sensations,” emotions increase, etc. Your therapist may notice when you have found your eye position because of reflexive signals your body involuntarily makes. These can include yawning, eye twitching, coughing, rapid blinking, rubbing your neck, etc.
There are many techniques used in Brainspotting therapy sessions, here we will explain a few of them.
The two techniques that most often utilize a pointer are Outside Window and Inside Window.
Outside Window is typically used when it is hard for you to identify a “felt sense,” or you may be so inside your own head it is hard for you to notice changes. The therapist will be watching closely for those reflexive signals previously mentioned.
Inside Window is the basic Brainspotting technique used. Here, you are noticing the changes you experience, and let the therapist know when you have found your spot.
Sometimes your eyes naturally flit to a location while you are talking about the chosen topic. This eye flit is called a Gaze spot. No pointer is used with this technique. Your therapist may notice this happening, draw your attention to it, and ask you to just notice what is happening. Other times your therapist may simply ask if there is a spot in the room you feel drawn to look.
A great, everyday, example of this naturally occurring in your daily life is when you are trying to recall information. Personally, I tend to look up and to the right when I am trying to remember information.
Some advanced techniques may also include the use of an object blocking your vision in one eye such as blacked-out glasses, an eye patch or a bandana. This technique can help further process a specific situation or even intentionally identify the strongest activated eye position.
You may also utilize relaxing music during your session. This music is specifically designed to cross both hemispheres of your brain and stimulate your vagus nerve. This helps your body relax and feel safe while processing things that could be upsetting and hard to focus on.
I found my spot, now what?
Your Brainspotting therapist will hold the space for you while your brain and body lead the way through your healing journey. Some people, especially those that have trouble turning their thoughts off, may find no thoughts come. This is okay and perhaps even a bit of a relief! Some people have a flood of thoughts, memories go by like a movie or even a rolodex. Some people notice different body sensations as their bodies process and release held trauma. A few people end up napping while they process. The most important thing to know is that you are in complete control and your therapist is right there with you holding a safe space for you.
Ending the session
A few minutes before your therapy session ends, your therapist will let you know how many minutes you have for processing. This helps signal your brain that it needs to find a natural close to the processing. Your therapist will check in on a scale of 0-10 and see how activated you are feeling. Typically, your therapist will also debrief and see whether there was anything that came up that stood out. If you are still feeling too activated, a grounding or meditative exercise may also be completed.
Want to learn more or schedule your free 20-minute consultation to see if Brainspotting is the right treatment for you? Contact me here.
Sources
Goenka, R. (2021, December 5). How does brainspotting help to heal from emotional trauma? How Does Brainspotting Help To Heal From Emotional Trauma. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://insightfulcounselling.com/how-does-brainspotting-help-to-heal-from-emotional-trauma/
What is brainspotting. Baltimore Brainspotting Collective. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://brainspottingtherapists.squarespace.com/whatisbrainspotting
What is brainspotting? Brainspotting. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://brainspotting.com/