Brainspotting
Why Consider Brainspotting (BSP) As A Treatment Option?
Everyone experiences adversity in their lives. However, sometimes, a person can endure or witness something so extreme or disturbing that the brain simply can’t process what’s happened. As a result, painful memories, thoughts, and feelings associated with the experience begin to permeate every aspect of daily life.
Anxiety, depression, low self-worth, shame, and guilt can all take root in the fertile soil of that wounding. In many cases, tackling the root cause solely on a cognitive level by talking about it simply can’t provide relief or facilitate true healing.
Brainspotting Therapy, in contrast, is a brain-based technique that is scientifically proven to help clients process and resolve trauma (as well as other psychological and physical symptoms) on a neurological level. It can also be used for people struggling with less intense concerns—such as frustrating circumstances or ruminating thoughts or fears—who want to try something other than just talk therapy.
Similar to EMDR Therapy, Brainspotting is perfect for clients with a trauma history who are unable to talk through their pain or are flooded with intrusive thoughts or feelings. It can improve emotional regulation, increase self-esteem, and help people generate greater self-awareness.
At Key Counseling Group, our therapists have used Brainspotting Therapy for treating everything from depression, anxiety, and PTSD to birth trauma and relational pain. It’s a versatile, non-invasive tool that we’ve seen work in even the most complex scenarios, and we believe it can help you too.
How Does This Brainspotting Technique Work?
Unlike many traditional treatment methods, Brainspotting is a brain-based therapy model that involves the therapist simultaneously attuning to both your somatic (physical) and mental processes. It operates on the principle of its motto, “Where you look affects how you feel.”
As you might infer from that, Brainspotting Therapy utilizes your field of vision to find where you might be storing “frozen,” unprocessed trauma in your brain. It then focuses the brain’s processing capacity in a way that promotes the release and resolution of trauma.
In the words of its founder, Dr. David Grand, “[BSP’s] goal is to bypass the conscious, neocortical thinking to access the deeper, subcortical emotional and body-based parts of the brain.” We’ll do this through a series of steps that include:
Determining the issue or experience that is causing you distress.
Calming the nervous system through mindfulness practices, relaxation techniques, and guided visualization.
Using your field of vision to identify brainspots indicative of negative thoughts, feelings, or memories associated with the issue at hand.
Bringing your focus to that brainspot and noticing any related somatic responses or physical sensations.
Processing the issue, understanding its symptoms, resolving difficult feelings, and releasing the emotional pain.
What Are Some Of The Highlights Of BSP?
Brainspotting is a brief, yet highly effective treatment model that can lead to faster breakthroughs than traditional talk therapy or Natural Flow EMDR. It allows you to heal and feel supported in a very attuned way that, consequently, does not require you to share all the details of your most painful experiences.
Brainspotting is also a gentle approach to healing a wide range of trauma, fears, and emotional wounds. It gives you a space for containing painful experiences and situations so you can safely process things to completion instead of remaining stuck in a loop, suffering indefinitely.
In a relatively short time compared to other therapy models, you can experience a greater sense of ease and calmness when faced with previously frightening circumstances. You may also experience other common positive outcomes, such as better work performance, increased creativity, improved sleep, and a reduction in—or even the elimination of—ruminating negative thoughts.
Why Did We Decide To Embrace Brainspotting As A Treatment Method?
Sometimes, healing requires accessing and processing emotional wounds in a way that goes beyond discussion and skills-building.
Brainspotting fills that gap, enabling both the client and therapist to “get out of the way” of healing and trust in the brain and body to naturally process what needs to be processed. We also appreciate the client-centered aspect of Brainspotting and how it integrates the relational attunement aspect of talk therapy within the framework of a brain-based treatment model.
Since BSP is a scientifically proven, brain-based approach to healing, it can often promote breakthroughs where traditional therapy models have failed to produce results. It works very well with other modalities—and because it focuses on building new neuropathways and new ways of thinking, BSP enables clients to find lasting relief from a broad spectrum of challenges.
Let Us Introduce You To A New Form Of Healing
Whether you are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, or any other kind of emotional wounding, Brainspotting can help you break through the pain and start living again. To set up your free, 20-minute consultation, please call Key Counseling Group at 678-400-9477 and see how working with one of our Brainspotting therapists can help you.
Key Counseling Group provides online and in-person BSP services for Atlanta and the greater Georgia area.
