Brainspotting

Online in Washington State

INDIVIDUALS | COUPLES | FAMILIES

You Feel Like You’ve Tried Everything, but You’re Still Stuck

You’ve listened to countless podcasts, read numerous self-help books, tried talk therapy, and even explored EMDR, but you still feel stuck and struggle with daily life. You’re ready to dive deeper into therapy and make lasting changes. You want to feel and function better and finally lift that weight off your shoulders.

When something traumatic or distressing happens, our brains hold onto the memory, trapping the trauma in our bodies. This can manifest as anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, or negative beliefs about ourselves. The goal of Brainspotting is to bypass the conscious, thinking part of the brain (prefrontal cortex) to access the deeper, emotional, and body-based parts of the brain (subcortical brain).

Brainspotting targets the brain and body simultaneously. You may notice that when discussing something distressing, your eyes are drawn to a particular spot. Brainspotting uses this eye position, or "brainspot," to influence how you feel. As you focus on the brainspot, you also become aware of the somatic and sensory experiences in your body, such as tightness in the chest, uneasiness in the gut, or overall tension. This focused mindfulness allows you to access, process, and heal emotional and physical wounds deep within the subcortical brain.

How Brainspotting Works

Brainspotting is a powerful therapeutic approach that harnesses the brain's natural ability to heal itself. Developed by Dr. David Grand, Brainspotting helps individuals process and release trauma, stress, and other emotional blockages stored in the brain and body. During a session, your therapist will guide you to identify "brainspots," which are specific eye positions that correlate with stored emotions and memories in the brain. These spots can reveal where trauma and emotional distress are held, allowing deep processing and healing to occur.

Unlike traditional talk therapies, Brainspotting accesses the subcortical brain where trauma is stored, bypassing the cognitive mind and accessing deeper, non-verbal aspects of the brain's processing. By focusing on these brainspots with the guidance of your therapist, you can access and release the emotional and physical responses linked to past experiences, promoting healing and emotional resilience.

What we’ll work on

Brainspotting Can Help You:

  • Process and release trauma stored in the brain and body.

  • Reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

  • Enhance emotional resilience and coping strategies.

  • Improve self-regulation and emotional stability.

  • Facilitate deeper self-awareness and insight.

  • Support personal growth and transformation.

Here Through Life’s Expansions, Contractions, and Transitions

Femme and them, pllc

FAQS

Common Questions About Brainspotting

  • Brainspotting works by identifying and activating specific brain areas that are linked to emotional experiences, allowing you to process and release unresolved emotions. Working together with your therapist, you focus on certain “brainspots” and use the eye-to-brain connection to “unlock” stuck emotions.

  • In a Brainspotting therapy session, we shift the focus away from extensive talking, which is typical in traditional therapy, and use eye movements to access and process deep emotional and body-based experiences. Guided by your therapist, you'll look at specific "brainspots" in your visual field that are connected to emotional activation and stored trauma.

    This method uses the direct link between your eyes and the brain's emotional centers, enabling deep introspection and healing without relying heavily on thinking and talking. Sessions create a safe, supportive space where you might naturally experience physical sensations and emotions as part of the healing process.