Brainspotting
A blast from the past…
Even though you know the past is in the past… whoosh! There you are again.
Too quickly, you feel transported back in time in your body. It’s sudden and unpredictable.
The rush of fear overtakes you. Anger. Rage. Loneliness. Guilt. Shame.
Reminders are rough.
Your dog’s incessant barking reminds you of your dad barking at you when you were a teen.
You drive past the semi-truck with white knuckles, just like the one that drove you off the road years ago. Images flash. Your stomach is in your throat.
A nagging boss filters in those nasty messages from your childhood that you weren’t good enough.
Sometimes, you know why you were triggered, and sometimes you have no clue what set you off.
Life is harder than it should be.
Focus and energy are abysmal. You vacillate between brain fog and looping in fear of making a mistake.
You keep missing the mark with parenting. You either make the same mistakes your parents did or overcompensate to the other extreme.
Relationships are suffering. You cover up your emotions or avoid connecting altogether. Showing up in your best self is clouded by all you’ve been through.
If only you could sleep, it would take the edge off everything else.
Move toward the light.
Deep inside, there’s always been a light that lets you know things can be better.
A kernel of truth that all the bad memories could be just that – bad experiences, without all the rest that’s attached.
See yourself walking through life with a sense of ease and calm, astounded at how you feel a sense of lightness and peace.
Brainspotting can pull you out of the dark.
What is Brainspotting?
David Grand, PhD, discovered the method in 2003 when working with a 16-year-old figure skater. While using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) with material that had yet to resolve, David noticed her eyes wobble at a particular spot. He became curious and asked if she was open to holding her gaze in that direction.
New and meaningful processing emerged and resolved that had not previously been accessed. This was the beginning of the Brainspotting model which has been used across the world for the past 20+ years.
Emotions, stress, and trauma live behind the eyes where fight/flight/freeze responses occur, in the limbic system, midbrain, and brainstem. Eyes play a crucial role in storing both calming and activating information. Maintaining a gaze in a particular direction plays an important role in the process of self-regulation.
For example, when someone sees something upsetting, the eyes naturally either look away quickly or freeze. When overwhelmed with sadness, eye gaze tends to drift downwards or we close or cover our eyes.
And when we think or talk about an issue that is bothersome, discomfort is often felt in the body. When this happens, the eyes unconsciously shift in a specific direction in the visual field that is connected to the information stored deep in the brain.
What’s in a session?
A Brainspotting session is guided by the client’s nervous system, while the therapist deeply attunes to the client’s experience as the processing unfolds. Moment-to-moment shifts in the body and mind are noticed with curiosity, while accessing the relevant eye position collaboratively discovered in each session.
The brain affects the body, and the body affects the brain.
All nervous systems are designed to naturally release stress. Often, the environment doesn’t support this process. In a Brainspotting session, the brain is given an invitation in a new supportive environment to do what it didn’t get a chance to unwind and let go of yet.
Brainspotting allows trauma and anxiety to finally release stuck feelings and sensations, leading to a reduction of the initial activation and healing from original wounds.
Gentle guidance to release chronic anxiety and trauma.
Brainspotting has the power to give you your life back, or to live fully for the first time.
Create a sense of peace and understanding with warm, grounded guidance.
Stop suffering alone and invite healing with Brainspotting.
Reach out today by sending me a quick message on the contact form below.