Brainspotting
What is Brainspotting?
Developed by Dr. David Grand in 2003, brainspotting is a relational, brain-body, mindfulness based therapy. Here is brainspotting explained by the founder himself.
Brainspotting is based on the premise, “where you look is how you feel.”
The brain has over four quadrillion synapses that fire and wire together creating neural pathways. Beginning from birth, our experiences shape how our body reacts to different situations, which is why we all have different responses to stress, for example some people feel it in their stomach, while others get a headache, or some completely freeze and shut down. Our experiences that are held in our brain are not always neatly stored, so they impact all areas of our life. Brainspotting helps to unwire those pathways by consolidating and moving those experiences out of the subcortex and storing them properly as long term memories.
Our subcortical brain is where our emotions and pre-verbal experiences live. It controls all bodily functions and is the seat of instinct, creativity and spirituality. It holds all of our memories and includes those that our neocortex chooses not to remember for protective reasons. This part of the brain knows and remembers everything about you, including the day you were born.
An eye position correlates with an experience or feeling in your subcortical part of your brain, which is known as a ‘brainspot.’ A brainspot is not one spot in the brain, but rather an active network of neural pathways that leads to a deep releasing of an issue or enhancement of a positive feeling where it is stored and bypasses your neocortex.
The brain has neuroplasticity meaning it has the ability to modify, change, and adapt both structure and function throughout life and in response to experiences. During and after a brainspotting session, the brain is re-stabilizing, resourcing and rebooting itself and will continue processing for up to two weeks. Combined with energy work, you have powerful change.
Below are examples of how Brainspotting with energy healing can make a difference in your life.
Ongoing Health Issues: If you are working closely with your doctor or naturopath and want to dig deeper for solutions to heal, the combination of energy and brainspotting can help unlock what's holding your body back in your healing journey.
Desire to Move Forward: Feeling stuck in a rut or unable to make the habit change you want to break? This is an opportunity to work on break throughs to get your momentum flowing in the a positive direction.
Expansion Brainspotting: This is a broad category in which we can create a personalized session to help strengthen and enhance desired states of wellbeing in your mind, body, and spirit.
Creative Expansion: Do you want to connect and expand your inner dancer, singer, actor, writer, painter, chef, or artist? The possibilities are endless in the creative realm as we can locate brainspots specific to your desires to help the brain process and open up to enhance your flow. If you have an upcoming try out for a performance piece, we can dig into the character connection and/or body movements to help you shine brightly during your audition.
Creative Blocks: If you are a creative and struggling to finish the book, the painting, the musical score, playwright, learn the piano, or other any other creative avenue, we can work together to help release those stuck points and re-ignite your inner fire.
Enhance Athletic Performance and Remove Blocks: This category encompasses athletes of all levels and of all types: dancers, gymnasts, triathletes, soccer, baseball, football, track & field, runners, bikers, and more. Whatever your level or performance desire, we can work to enhance your abilities, reduce negative loop patterns, and break through any blocks that is halting your goal.
Reduce Public Speaking or Public Engagement Anxiety: Do you have an upcoming presentation or public speaking engagement that is bringing you angst? Do you have an interview coming up that is causing some trepidation? We can work through those heightened emotions and bring them down so you are able to present in confidence.
Dreams or Images: Do you have a reoccurring dream or image and want to discover the underlying meaning? During your session we can unlock the story in the subcortical brain and find the meaning, which will help break the repetitive loop.
Improve Self Beliefs: Most of our belief systems are deeply rooted in our neural pathways that feel like the Colorado River running through the Grand Canyon. We can begin to carve out new positive belief pathways in your brain by slowly shifting them towards your true authentic self.
Body: Have you had an injury or surgery and want to help facilitate healing? Have you had mysterious pain that seems to have no underlying cause? Bodyspotting will help your body connect with the emotions and sensations and reveal what it's holding on to and aid in releasing the pain patterns.
DNRS Compatibility: For those who are going through the Dynamic Neural Retraining System program, focusing on positive statements, behaviors, and feelings is key to retraining the brain. During our sessions, we will focus solely on your positive feelings and statements to enhance the rewiring and increase the sensations throughout all energetic bodies.
And much more! Please feel free to contact me with questions and we can design a personalized session for you
Important to Note: Since this modality is tapping into the subconscious, the unexpected can arise, where emotions can fluctuate multiple times and visions and memories can appear in the conscious mind to process. If you have experienced past trauma, it is especially important to work closely with your licensed mental health counselor. Brainspotting, energy and sound therapy are not meant as a substitute for medical or psychological diagnosis and treatment; however, the three modalities I offer can readily complement other forms of therapy.
As I am not a licensed mental health counselor or social worker, I am unable to use the brainspotting modality with those clients who have been diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder Type A or B, extremely complex or very complex PTSD, schizophrenia, or other psychotic disorders. Please see this list of brainspotting practitioners that are licensed mental health counselors to find one specializing in your area of need.