Brainspotting
Brainspotting is a physiological approach with psychological consequences. it is based on the premise that “where you look affects how you feel (David Grand)”. It is a gentle, powerful, focused mindfulness, emotional healing tool that utilizes current neuroscientific understanding of how your brain/body store and processes emotions, memories and trauma. It is firmly rooted in the belief that the brain knows how to heal itself.
Emotion, pain, unresolved experiences, when left untreated, creates “capsules” within us. Those capsules interfere with goal achievement, relationship satisfaction, daily functioning, our sense of fulfillment and satisfaction with life.
Brainspotting is able to access the “land of no words” in our brain, the subcortex, which is where all of our significant emotional experiences and traumas are stored. Brainspotting utilizes the healing power of the brain to heal and release the emotional charge around our painful life experiences and beliefs. Because Brainspotting is directly accessing where our traumas and faulty self perceptions are stored, it works more quickly and effectively than many traditional therapies, including talk therapy.
What is Brainspotting?
What to expect
When you come in for a Brainspotting session, you will choose the topic you’d like to work on, whether that is grief, anger, frustration, performance issues, physical pain, specific memories, relationship issues, etc. Many issues can be helped with Brainspotting. Brainspotting can also be used to increase positive states: contentment, peace, creativity, happiness, confidence, etc.
Once you have identified your topic, you’ll be guided to notice how your body is responding, to identify where in your body the emotion or experience is showing up. We call this activation. Activation simply means you’re noticing a response in your body. That response can be physical symptoms (muscle tightness, headache, stomach issues, heart racing, etc.), emotions or intense thoughts/memories.
Using a pointer or with your natural gaze, your therapist will help you locate your Brainspot. The Brainspot is found in your field of vision. There will be a specific spot in your field of vision that will connect the strongest with the body sensations. This will give you access to the subconscious capsule where the emotional issue/content is stored. Your therapist will hold the pointer in place or will ask you to keep your gaze on the specific spot.
At this point, you are invited to follow what comes up inside of you, whether that be more physical sensations, emotions or memories. There is no need to try and keep your focus on one topic. You simply notice what comes up and be curious about what comes next. Everyone experiences this process differently. Some people’s process involves talking as new connections or experiences come to their awareness while others process in complete silence. Your therapist will hold space for you in whatever way your system needs.
At the end of the Brainspotting process, your therapist will invite you to let them know when you are ready to move away from the spot. At that point, space will be provided for you to share your experience, explore any insights, or engage in a grounding exercise.
Since Brainspotting works at a subcortical level, it might take a few days, weeks, or months to become aware of the healing that is taking place. Additionally, once a subconscious capsule is tapped into during a Brainspotting session, your mind and body will continue to process for two to three days after the session. Most people feel relief after one Brainspotting session. Longer term issues may need more time.
Science of Brainspotting
Our brain is divided into two hemispheres, right and left hemisphere. This is called the two-part brain.
We also have the three part brain: the brainstem (also known as the reptilian brain), the limbic system (also called the mammalian brain), and the Neocortex.
In the limbic system, we have the emotion center of the brain. One of the areas in this region is called the amygdala, the smoke detector of the brain. Its job is to scan all incoming information from the sensing organs (eyes, ears, nose, etc.) for any hint of danger. If it interprets information as a danger to the stability (homeostasis) of the body’s system, the amygdala then sends out its own message alerting the body to prepare for action.
The neocortex is involved in higher functioning processes: conscious thought, executive decision making skills, etc. It operates as if it knows everything (but it doesn’t!).
The subcortex region of the brain includes the limbic system and the reptilian brain and is known as the unconscious mind. For the most part, the neocortex does not have access to subcortical processes. Subcortex activities are involuntary and we do not have conscious control over it. Our bodies are responding and reacting based on information stored in the limbic system, and that responding happens before our neocortex is even aware of the message that was received.
It’s this experience of reacting and responding that Brainspotting targets. It helps to unwire the pathways of activation, releasing what has gotten stuck in your network of experiences. In the future then, you do not respond to what’s in your world as if it’s attached to every single event in your life that caused you fear.
Additional Resources
Journal for Psychotraumatology, Psychotherapy Science and Psychological Medicine
A preliminary study of the efficacy of Brainspotting – a new therapy for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Effective Treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Clinical experiment evaluating the efficacy of three therapeutic intervention techniques.
Recruiting the midbrain for accessing and healing sensorimotor memories of traumatic activation
Hypothesis that the capacity for healing of the altered feeling of self occurs in the midbrain.