What is Brainspotting?
Developed by Dr. David Grand
Brainspotting is based on the profound attunement of the therapist with the patient, finding a somatic cue and extinguishing it by down-regulating the amygdala. It isn’t just PNS (Parasympathetic Nervous System) activation that is facilitated, it is homeostasis.” — Rober Scaer, MD, “The Trauma Spectrum”
Brainspottng (BSP) is a treatment approach which works by identifying, processing, and releasing stored negative or traumatic experiences from the brain to help affected individuals heal from within. It also promotes healing for individuals suffering from physical pain.
Brainspotting vs Talk Therapy
What issues can Brainspotting address?
Brainspotting can be applied to most distressing clinical issues including mood disorders, anxiety, stress, Post traumatic stress disorders, performance issues, Attention Deficit Disorder, and many other issues.
Brainspotting vs EMDR
- Brainspotting(BSP) has roots in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and similarly supports the reprocessing of negative experiences and retrains emotional reactions. Both BSP and EMDR are therapeutic interventions that access deeply stored emotional, somatic, traumatic and often subconscious information. Both interventions may involve bilateral stimulation and are considered advanced brain-body based strategies. The primary difference between the two involves the procedure used.
| BSP process is an | EMDR process is a |
| organic and intuitive process led by the client and supported by the clinician. BSP does not require the client to reexperience the trauma to process. BSP utilizes fixed eye gazes and relevant eye positionings(s) correlating with a spot in the brain (brainspot) that gives the client access to releasing and processing the challenging experience while focusing mindfully. | structured protocol led by the clinician. The client is guided to repeatedly re- experience memory associated with trauma or dysregulating experience. EMDR Utilizes rapid bilateral movement of the eyes, auditory or sensory system eye movemts |