Brainspotting is an advanced form of psychotherapy that can access parts of the brain that are often hidden from our awarenss.
It provides a neurobiological tool for accessing, diagnosing, and treating a wide range of somatic and emotionally-based conditions.
Brainspotting treatment combines psychology with physiology, bridging the mind-body connection
What is Brainspotting?
It is a relatively new form of treatment that taps into the body’s innate ability to heal in order to reduce and eliminate the impact of unresolved trauma, negative beliefs, and emotional distress.
It accomplishes this by using a unique and powerful combination of specific eye positioning.
When overwhelmed by something traumatic or deeply distressing, the emotional “charge” or memory from that event becomes stored or trapped in our body.
We’re often unaware that this has even occurred, but our brain is altered as a result. It can cause problems on all levels – emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Brainspotting is designed to discover, dislodge and ultimately release that trapped energy so that it no longer causes problems in our life.
They are actually in areas of the brain that aren’t accessible through talking.
Brainspotting takes place at a reflexive or cellular level within the nervous system, which can cancel out unwanted emotional and physiological responses.
Graciela Bilis has received advanced-level training from David Grand, PhD., the developer of Branspotting.
What is a “Brainspot?”
“A “Brainspot” is the eye position which is related to the energetic/emotional activation of a traumatic/emotionally charged issue within the brain, most likely in the amygdala, the hippocampus, or the orbitofrontal cortex of the limbic system.
Located by eye position, paired with externally observed and internally experienced reflexive responses, a Brainspot is actually a physiological subsystem holding emotional experience in memory form.” David Grand, PhD
How do Therapists Identify Brainspots?
A therapist identifies a Brainspot by waving a pen-shaped object in a specific pattern in front of the patient’s eyes, and when the pen-like object comes across a Brainspot, the deep brain will reflexively signal to the therapist that a Brainspot has been found.
This happens outside of the patient’s consciousness. These reflexive signals can include (all without the patient being aware of these happening) an eye twitch, facial tic, brow furrow, facial tic, pupil dilation/constriction, swallows, yawns, coughs, foot movement or body shifting. Among these signals, facial expressions are the strongest indicators of a Brainspot.
The patient participates in this by letting the therapist know, during the Brainspotting scan, when he or she feels any heightened intensity, either physically or emotionally.
How Brainspotting Works
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 aphysiological treatment, and provides physical benefits as well as psychological and emotional.
It works as both a diagnostic tool and a treatment. It assess what a person’s core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation, are.
It functions as a neurobiological tool as it identifies, processes, and loosens up the symptoms that are hidden away in the unconscious mind.
The therapist will use a pointer aimed at a specific point in space associated with your brainspot. The therapist will have you focus on that point while simultaneously focusing on something that is causing emotional distress.
As the trauma is released, healing immediately starts to occur deep within your unconscious. This will gradually lead to a deep sense of relief as the processing continues.
The beauty of Brainspotting is that it enables you to process painful traumatic memories without feeling highly aroused. In fact, clients feel very calm and even peaceful during Brainspotting sessions.
Advantages
Benefits
Goals of Brainspotting
1- desensitization – in other words, to help you no longer react (emotionally or physically) to triggers.
2- to identify the underlying cause of those over-reactions.
Often, the impact of unresolved trauma manifests at least in part in the form of negative or limiting beliefs about oneself, which also need to be identified. As you might imagine, that deeply ingrained negative self-belief would inevitably cause one or more important areas of your life – your relationships, academic performance, career, etc. – to suffer.
3- to essentially “re-process” or rewire our brain with regards to the past and release the distressing or traumatic memory that’s been stuck for so long. This release is what finally allows troubling symptoms to abate and enables you to move forward with your life, no longer hindered by the past.
Conditions that may benefit from Brainspotting include:
Trauma related to: | Non Clinical Areas |