Brainspotting for Trauma: Is it Right for You?
The old saying goes, “In each life, a little rain must fall.” But, while some of us experience a little rain, others experience torrential downpours, hail, and high winds.
Brainspotting
Brainspotting (BSP) is a new type of therapy designed to help people overcome trauma, pain, and negative emotions. The method was discovered in 2003 by David Grand, Ph.D., and has been used successfully by over 13,000 therapists worldwide.
How Does Brainspotting Work?
Creator David Grand discovered that the direction in which people look or gaze has a direct effect in the way they feel. During a BSP session, the therapist guides people to train their eyes in ways that enable them to target sources of negative emotion. Brainspots refer to eye positions that activate traumatic memory or painful emotion.
Over the years, research has shown that trauma has a way of storing itself away in the body where it has an effect on our memories, emotions, and even our physical health. Brainspotting seems to be able to activate our body’s innate ability to heal itself from trauma.
Who Can Benefit from Brainspotting?
This neuro-based therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment option for those who have or are experiencing:
- All forms of trauma
- PTSD
- Anxiety
- ADHD
- Anger issues
- Phobias
- Substance Abuse
- Chronic pain
- Impulse control issues
- Sports performance issues
What are the Differences Between Brainspotting and EMDR?
If you suffer from trauma or anxiety, your research has most likely turned up another form of therapy often used called EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR therapy has been around since the 1980s. It uses eye movements to trigger bilateral stimulation in the brain to help reprocess trauma and emotions. Essentially, EMDR helps individuals tap into parts of the brain where nonverbal information is stored.
Brainspotting (BSP), on the other hand, does not use eye movements, but rather a fixed eye position. Some therapists have suggested it is a more flexible form of therapy that allows for real customization with each client. But perhaps the real benefit of BSP over EMDR is that BSP tends to yield faster and deeper results, most likely because the method is much more adaptable to each client.
If you or someone you love has experienced trauma or is currently living with anxiety and would like to explore Brainspotting, please get in touch with me. I am a Certified Brainspotting Therapist and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have and see how I may be able to help. Please reach out and call: 505.387.3027.
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