Brainspotting is an advanced form of trauma therapy that can access parts of the brain that are often hidden from our awareness. Developed by Dr. David Grand, this form of psychotherapy provides a simultaneous form of diagnosis and treatment for trauma by identifying eye positions associated with traumatic memories stored in the brain.
Brainspotting strengthens and enhances internal resources and allows contained, gentle, yet deep processing work with attachment issues, dissociative disorders, therapy for childhood trauma, and PTSD treatment. By regulating the brain’s control of the body, brainspotting promotes physical and mental healing.
How Does Brainspotting Work?
Grand developed the brainspotting theory while providing trauma treatment to hundreds of 9/11 survivors. Incorporating his experience as a mental health therapist with somatic experiencing (SE) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), he observed that a fixed eye position is often associated with recounting a traumatic experience.
As a formal training program has expanded the use of this innovative therapy, practitioners have found it allows patients to access deep emotions and heal the physical effects of trauma. Brainspotting appears to work on the limbic system to influence psychological factors like:
- Long-term memory
- Cognition
- Motivation
- Impulse control
- Emotional well-being
What Conditions Does Brainspotting Therapy Treat?
Brainspotting aids trauma recovery by helping patients reprocess the traumatic events and retrain their emotional responses. While usually offered by a mental health clinic, it has also been shown to help speed physical healing.
Brainspotting is used for:
- Anxiety disorder therapy
- Anger issue resolution
- Addiction treatment
- Chronic fatigue therapy
- Chronic pain treatment
- Impulse control improvement
- Stress treatment
- ADHD support
- Post-traumatic stress disorder treatment
- Phobia resolution
- Treating childhood trauma
- Sports performance improvement
What Happens in a Brainspotting Session?
A formally trained mental health counselor performs brainspotting as part of a therapy plan. During the process, the therapist is watching for subtle reflexive signals that indicate a brainspot has been detected:
- Using a pointer, the therapist guides the patient’s gaze across his or her field of vision.
- When the eyes reach a brainspot, the therapist takes note of its location.
- Using the brainspots identified, the patient recounts the event in a deeper and more detailed manner than normally possible.
- Through gentle guided sessions, specific memories can be reprocessed in a safe environment.
- Traumatic emotions and memories can be fully released, supporting the self-healing process.
Experience Brainspotting Therapy at Serenity Trauma Center
A strong, supportive relationship between the patient and the practitioner is essential to this delicate therapy. Choosing the right mental health center and the best individual therapist will provide the greatest benefit and fastest path to relief from the debilitating effects of trauma.
When making your decision, consider this quote from David Grand, PhD., the creator of brainspotting therapy:
“I am impressed by and support the cutting-edge work being done by Dr. Joanne Mednick at the Serenity Trauma Center. I am honored that ‘Brainspotting’ is a premier part of their multi-disciplined approach to resolving the underlying trauma that manifests itself in so many different ways in the lives of their clients and allows them to heal them at the deepest levels.”
– David Grand, PhD., Author of Brainspotting The Revolutionary New Therapy for Rapid and Effective Change
Our outpatient treatment center offers integrative and innovative mental health services in Southern California for those in need of immersive and compassionate trauma counseling. We help adults and adolescents re-establish safety and strong connections by overcoming past trauma and fully healing in mind, body, and spirit.
