Brainspotting Therapy
Brainspotting is a focused, trauma-informed therapy that uses eye position and mindful attention to access the deeper parts of the brain where trauma, anxiety, and emotional pain are held. It is a "bottom-up" approach to healing, meaning it works with the body and nervous system to support processing and regulation.
How Brainspotting Works
Brainspotting was developed in 2003 by Dr. David Grand and is based on the idea that where you look affects how you feel. By using specific eye positions, we can access deeper, subcortical parts of the brain where experiences and emotional patterns are held.
In addition to talking about what you are experiencing or what has happened, we pay attention to how your body and nervous system are holding it in the present moment. This creates space for your brain and body to process and release what may feel overwhelming, stuck, or difficult to shift through talking alone.
We begin by choosing an issue you would like to work on. I then invite you to bring gentle awareness to what you notice in your body as you think about or talk through that experience. From there, we find a specific eye position, or "brainspot", that connects to what you are experiencing. You also have the choice to listen to soothing, bilateral music on headphones while you work through the experience, which helps to soothe the nervous system. As you rest your attention on that spot, your brain and body begin to process in a natural, organic way. You don't have to make anything happen - your system knows what to do.
An integral part of this process is the attuned presence of the therapist. I maintain a grounded, focused, regulated presence as you process, helping you stay connected to your experience without becoming overwhelmed. Together, the eye spot and the attuned therapist's presence create the conditions for your nervous system to process, release, and integrate what has been held, often in ways that don't requires words.
What Makes Brainspotting Different (and Effective)
Brainspotting is different from many therapy approaches because it does not rely only on talking or thinking through a problem. Instead, it works directly with the deeper parts of the brain and nervous system where many experiences cannot be accessed and processed through talking alone.
Another important difference is that Brainspotting is led by your system, not by a technique or agenda. Rather than trying to analyze, fix, or push for something to happen, we create the conditions for your brain and body to process and heal in the way they naturally know how. This often leads to powerful, long-lasting shifts in how you feel and think.
Brainspotting is also powerful because of the Dual Attainment Frame, which means that the attuned, relational, regulated approach of the therapist nurtures a feeling of safety and connection. You are not doing it alone. My role is to be 100% present, attentive, and supportive.
Watch a 4-minute video of long-time Brainspotting therapist, Steve Sawyer, LCSW, explain Brainspotting.
Personal Brainspotting Experiences
I learned about Brainspotting, not as a therapist, but as a client. When my therapist first talked about Brainspotting, I was skeptical. However, my personal experience of it washed away all skepticism, and I still do it in my own therapy sessions. It has produced profound healing in me, in ways big and small. My relationships have improved, self-confidence has increased, anxiety has decreased, imposter syndrome is greatly reduced, and overall I feel more peaceful.
Don't just take my word for it. Check out these two articles to read more about others' experiences with Brainspotting.
Brainspotting, House Music, and the Places We Learn to Heal by Adam Cruz
My Eye-Opening Experience with 'Brainspotting' Therapy by Aileen Weitraub and featured in Oprah Dailiy
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