Brainspotting
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is an effective method for addressing problematic patterns and symptoms of trauma. It combines talk therapy, mindfulness, and somatic therapy with specific eye positions that access deeply stored pockets of psychological experience. These eye positions are connected to memories, mental and emotional schemas, and somatic experiences in the body. The process helps to address root cause symptoms that are normally out of the reach of the conscious mind. Brainspotting can accelerate healing for deeper issues in a way that may not be possible through talk therapy alone. It is commonly applied for treating trauma. However, it can also be an effective tool for a wide range of mental health issues.
What to Expect During a Session
Your Brainspotting session may be integrated with other psychotherapy methods used by your therapist. It may also be blended with EMDR techniques. Every session is custom-tailored for your situation, so interventions will be applied to fit your needs. Your therapist will conduct a thorough intake interview with you in order to map out issues and goals you want to work on, along with desired states of being you would like to cultivate. Brainspotting therapy is enhanced by the use of bi-lateral stimulation. This may be in the form of music designed with alternating audio patterns that stimulate of each cerebral hemisphere, or EMDR tappers. The aim is to increase the brain’s processing ability.
Brainspotting to Expand Your Potential
In contrast to activated brainspots, expansion brainspots are eye positions that are connected to positive emotions, strengths, and other internal resources. These help to cultivate desired states of being, tap into your potential, and expand on qualities such as creativity, performance abilities, life passions, and personal skills. Through expansion, it is possible to increase a felt sense of hope, peace, gratitude, motivation, joy, connection, presence, and a feeling of being in a state of flow.
The aim of expansion spotting is to improve positive neural networks, reduce distress, and accelerate transformation. Expansion Brainspotting is also a crucial element for more vulnerable clients who have experienced intense trauma. Resourcing is crucial for successful trauma processing because it prevents prolonged traumatic re-experiencing. The expansion method helps keep enough emotional regulation on board so that productive therapeutic gains can be made.
Are There any Risks with Brainspotting?
When an activated eye position is located, you may experience unpleasant emotional states or distressing memories. However, it is important to know that a certain level of activation is a crucial ingredient in the process of mental / emotional change. Neuroscience research shows that moderate activation of distress is part of what stimulates the brain to undergo a process of permanent change. This phenomenon is known as memory reconsolidation. When the distress is therapeutically activated, there is a 5-hour window of time in which old emotional learning can be modified and updated by new, present-day experiencing.
Activation of distress is not the only ingredient necessary for change. New learning through direct experiencing must also occur. Your therapist has a solid understanding of these principles, and therapy will aim to guide this process to unfold naturally. Finally, activation of distress needs to be balanced with enough emotional regulation so that the brain remains in a productive healing state. This is known as the “window of tolerance.” Your therapist is trauma-informed and will work with you in a way that honors your own personal range of tolerance.
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