Exploring Brainspotting: Insights From Our Practice
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a therapeutic method created by Dr. David Grand that helps people access, process, and release emotional and somatic (body-based) distress that is “stuck” in the nervous system.
At its core, Brainspotting works with the idea that “where you look affects how you feel.” In other words, certain eye positions (called brainspots) can correlate with activation in deep brain circuits tied to trauma, emotion, and physiological responses.
How Does It Work?
Somatic Cue & Reflexive Response
During a session, the therapist and client look for subtle bodily signals or reflexive responses (eye twitches, shifts in posture, changes in breathing, facial expressions) that indicate the client’s nervous system is activated in relation to an issue or trauma.
Locating the Brainspot
Once such cues are noticed, the therapist helps the client maintain gaze at that specific visual position (the brainspot) while the client also attends to the internal bodily sensations and emotional activation. This eye position is thought to “anchor” or “access” the neural circuitry holding the problem.
Focused Processing & Release
Holding attention at the brainspot, the client is gently guided to stay with whatever arises (sensations, images, emotions). Over time, this process tends to shift the neural activation toward integration, reducing distress and allowing deeper healing.
Use of Bilateral Sound
Optional to incorporate BioLateral auditory stimulation (sound that alternates between left and right ears) to deepen processing and facilitate integration across brain hemispheres.
Resource & Desensitization Work
Brainspotting can also be directed at developing internal resources (strength, safety, resilience), not just distress. Therapists may pendulate between the resource states and traumatic states to make the process more tolerable and contained.
Why Brainspotting?
Brainspotting, like other somatic approaches, allows for the body to process what it couldn’t and to move toward the natural homeostasis toward which it is always striving. Unlike other approaches like Somatic Experiencing or Eye Movement Densensitization and Reprocessing, Brainspotting is even less verbal and much more subcortical, which allows there to be much more of a profound experience and effect. Brainspotting can be especially helpful for pre-verbal, intergenerational, and other forms of trauma that are hard to name but are physically experienced. Brainspotting is easy, without any specific protocols to follow, and allows for the client’s experience to lead in an organic way. It has been postulated that a single brainspotting session is equivalent to 10 talk therapy sessions, and many have reported that they have been able to process and release things that even other somatic approaches were inadequate for supporting.
Our Teams Insights
Nichole:
When I first experienced Brainspotting, I noticed my strong intellectualizer part wanting to take over. I felt blocked, almost like I was doing it wrong. But as I was reminded to trust my body and nervous system, I realized that this part was just protecting me from deeper pain. The second time, I leaned in more fully, and it felt like a journey. Random memories surfaced, some I hadn’t connected to my original issue, yet they were all woven together like a dream. By the end, I felt relief and a weight lift off my shoulders, as if even preverbal trauma had shifted. It’s hard to describe because Brainspotting works at such a deep, subcortical level, but I left feeling lighter and freer.
As a practitioner, I love how Brainspotting bypasses the mind’s defenses and gently accesses trauma stored in the body. Unlike traditional talk therapy, where clients can sometimes feel stuck in their story, Brainspotting allows the nervous system to process and release what words cannot reach. I’ve witnessed clients move through long-held blocks and find clarity or lightness that feels liberating. Experiencing it myself affirmed why I’m passionate about offering this work, brainspotting reminds us that the client is the expert of their own healing, and I get to witness the profound transformation that unfolds when they trust themselves.
Jean:
My experience with brainspotting was profound, both in receiving and practicing it. Initially, as a client, I was hesitant as I sat there wondering how the process would go.
The process was more visceral than expected, marked by deep sensations and powerful emotional shifts that allowed me to access and process layers of past experiences I hadn’t expected to surface, creating meaningful connections to events I had overlooked. The work felt both raw and transformative, as if my body and emotions were speaking a language beyond words. I left the experience feeling mentally lighter and with less physical pain.
In practicing Brainspotting with others, I found myself deeply attuned to the client, witnessing the almost wave-like cycles of their processing. Brainspotting offers a compassionate and gentle way to process and access traumas in a way the body and brain can digest. Holding space in this way revealed the depth of the mind-body connection and the power of simply being present while clients navigated their own inner landscapes.
Marjan:
The word that kept coming up for me over and over again when I described my Brainspotting experience to others was “fascinating.” Going into the training, I found myself to be a lot more relaxed than expected. I chose a memory that I had processed with others and in my own therapy before. I thought that since this is something I’ve already “processed”, it’s not going to be as activating for me and I’ll feel more at ease sharing it with the clinician I was paired up with but that was proven to be not true. I chose to process the same memory all three days of the training and each day, something new came up for me and I made new connections but as time passed, I found myself feeling so much more neutral towards that memory. I was shocked at how I experienced something new each day and was able to zoom out of the details of the memory and focus on the themes that were distressing to me. I really appreciated the fluidity of Brainspotting as it allowed my mind to wander trusting that it’s going exactly where it needs to without any judgment, interjection, or redirection.
When I conducted Brainspotting, I found myself to be really present and attuned to the other person’s process. Learning about Brainspotting reaffirmed for me that I don’t always need to use fancy interventions or ask thought-provoking questions to support clients process their issues. It reminded me that clients are the expert of their own stories and me simply witnessing their experiences in a present, grounded state can be so healing. Whether you are an external processor like me or an internal processor, this modality allows you to reach and uncover parts of yourself that traditional talk therapy can’t. We can talk through the entirety of a Brainspotting session or sit in silence and allow your mind and body to do what they need. Brainspotting is very much about trusting the process and your body’s inner knowing.
Pauline:
What a gift to learn Brainspotting?! Although I’m trained in and have been using Hypnosis and Attachment-Focused EMDR for years, this feels more potent. Because we are working subcortically, words don’t get in the way. It was all physical sensations and body experiences. I love how the entire training solidified my deep belief and faith in the wisdom of the body and its ability to facilitate its own healing. I felt honored to be creating space for others to experience their own healing, in their own way. Brainspotting is so fluid and respects each person’s unique process. No two people will experience the same thing and I didn’t even experience the same thing in each round. It required me to let go of what “should” and to be much more attuned to what “is.”
In the first session, I felt like I was taken for a spiritual ride. Images and figures came up for me in a natural and organic way and as the session went on, I felt more and more grounded in this knowing that I am being deeply supported by my ancestors. The second session was far more physical and I did not see many visuals. I followed my body through temperature changes, tension, tightness, tears, discomfort, and finally, lightness, peace, and comfort. In the first session, I thought more and realized more. In the second, I felt more and experienced more. It’s beautiful to see how the body knows what you need and will guide each process to be exactly what will be most beneficial and healing.
Closing statement:
Brainspotting invites us to slow down and listen to the wisdom of the body, trusting that healing often happens beneath words. As therapists and as clients, we’ve experienced how powerful it can be to find those “spots” where the body and mind finally meet each other in understanding. Like many approaches, it’s not about fixing but about witnessing, allowing the nervous system to complete what it once couldn’t.
Our clinicians are trained in Brainspotting and integrate it with other culturally-affirming, trauma-informed approaches. If you’re interested in experiencing this firsthand, contact us to schedule a free call to talk about how brainspotting could support you.
Written by: Jean Donabedian, AMFT, APCC
Jean (he/they) is a queer, 2nd generation Armenian immigrant Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counseling at Noor Therapy and Wellness who helps BIPOC and LGBTQ+ flox find balance between culture and identity.
