There are many different ways to treat trauma but one relatively new type of therapy that is gaining notoriety is called brainspotting. It is a type of treatment that is designed to help people access, process and overcome the trauma that they have experienced in their life. It also help people process their negative emotions and psychologically induced pain.
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting was discovered by David Grand in 2003 through his extensive work with survivors of trauma. He found that he was able to use this technique to reveal traumatic experiences from his patients that he was not aware of through his usual psychotherapy work. Brainspotting has become a therapeutic tool used by many mental health professionals to treat various psychological concerns in their patients.
The idea behind brainspotting has to do with the movement of a patient’s eyes and how the direction they look is related to their emotions. Grand found that when having a patient follow the movement of his hand he saw a visible reaction in one spot and discovered a hidden trauma revealed itself. His theory is that the direction in which someone is looking can affect the way that they feel.
However, it is garnering attention due to it showing rapid results among users.
Dr. Grand describes brainspotting therapy in this video and demonstrates how it has proven to be effective in easing human suffering in a rapid period of time. He treated people who have survived natural disasters or man-made disasters such as hurricane Katrina, the World Trade Center attack, and military veterans who survived wars and disasters. While he emphasizes that brainspotting is not limited to trauma survivors, it is clear that the concept extends beyond them. Various mental health disorders can be treated more effectively with this type of psychotherapy than with traditional treatments, according to Dr. Grand.
Brainspotting treatment involves having patients position their eyes in certain ways that allows them to target the sources of negative emotion. The therapist uses a pointer to slowly guide the eyes of the patient in order to discover “brain spots” which will activate a traumatic memory or painful emotion. Finding these brain spots allows patients to access emotions on a deeper level and start to target the physical effects of their traumatic experience.
How Brainspotting Therapy Work?
The core principle of brainspotting is that what you see affects how you feel, thus supporting the theory that the eyes are closely connected to the brain.
The brainspot refers to the position of the eye that corresponds to the location of a negative memory in the brain. There is a section of the brain where negative memories are stored, which is shielded from affecting and disrupting our daily lives. While the brain stores negative energy with good intentions, by doing so it actually harms us more than it helps.
As an example, veterans who have survived war possess a lot of memories that must be suppressed for their day-to-day existence. The memories still linger in the brain and this is where the problem begins. A result of these negative memories is the development of mental health disorders without any reason. It can be difficult for a patient to identify the connection between a mental health issue and negative memories, and this is where a therapist can be of assistance. You began healing through therapy, but brainspotting is a type of therapy that facilitates a deeper level of healing.
A brainspotting therapist can help you access those negative memories or traumas in your mind so you can release them. This will speed up healing of your body and brain. Let us take the example of a child who has endured sexual abuse and is participating in brainspotting therapy. Through brainspotting therapy, the therapist helps the child target specific areas within the brain where these negative feelings are stored. Upon recalling this traumatic experience, the therapist assists the child in processing and releasing this negative memory.
The technique has shown great success with patients experiencing faster healing.
There are several types of brainspotting techniques that can be used in trauma treatment. Here are the techniques we are using: inside window, outside window, integrative model, neurophysiology, dual attunement, bilateral sound, one eye and rolling and Z axis. Brainspotting techniques can be used in a variety of ways to ensure that every person receives the most effective treatment based on their specific circumstances.
How can this benefit you?
Those who need psychotherapy treatment but are unable to access their brains with traditional treatment may benefit from brainspotting therapy. Brainspotting techniques can be used to treat a most of the mental health disorders. The major disorders that can be treated include anxiety, depression, anger, trauma, dissociative disorders, PTSD, and chronic pain. It allows an individual to process and heal from traumatic experiences, reduce symptoms, and improve overall mental and physical well-being.
Dr. Grand while working with an Olympic ice skater discovered that the brainspotting treatment is helpful for athletes. It is now known as sports traumatic stress disorder. It helps athletes identify and process traumatic memories associated with their past sports injuries or performance failure.
Is it effective?
Yes, based on the research conducted on participants with post-traumatic stress disorder, the results are positive. In the research, brainspotting was used as an alternative treatment for PTSD patients. Positive results were found among patients who stated that within a short period of time their symptoms had decreased.
The Brainspotting technique is a visual, mental, and non-invasive treatment and therefore more and more people will be willing to give it a try. A positive example was set by people who tried this technique. People are excited about trying this method because it enables them to access parts of the brain that they would not normally be able to access on their own.
Where Do You Get It?
It is very important that you seek out a qualified professional, one who is specifically trained in brainspotting.
To date, there are over 8,000 certified and trained brainspotting experts around the world. A list of certified therapist can be found through the brainspotting international organization. Because the therapist has to be in complete attunement with their clients, they require special certification in the area of brainspotting.
If you want to obtain more spiritual attunement, there are therapists being trained specifically on how to use brainspotting to help others become even more spiritually aware of their soul and inner self.
If you have tried traditional treatments without much progress, or even if you have had success with traditional psychotherapy but are interested in trying something new and progressive, brainspotting may be the perfect alternative solution.
There are many times when traditional therapists incorporate alternative varieties of therapy to aid in the process of healing. Some may involve yoga, acupuncture, and even medication. With researchers providing an increasing amount of evidence promoting its effectiveness, brainspotting may be a technique you want to try too.
Brainspotting and Trauma
The theory behind brainspotting is related to the recently increasing evidence that trauma is actually stored in the body and in many cases can actually alter the way the brain works. Brainspotting can help heal some of the effects that trauma tends to have on memories, emotions and physical health. It works to activate the body’s natural ability to heal itself from the pain of trauma.
Most therapists work to find the “locations” of trauma and negative emotions through various techniques such as breathing work or speaking with the patient to bring up difficult memories. Brainspotting therapists use a method called dual attunement through which the therapist can simultaneously attune to the therapeutic relationship and the brain body response.
The current belief is that brainspotting works in the limbic system which is known as the body’s emotional brain because it is a collection of brain structures that play a role in emotion, long-term memory, cognition, motivation, impulse control and other psychological factors related to well-being. The effect of brainspotting on the limbic system can help reduce the impact of trauma on these different areas.
Brainspotting vs EMDR
The idea behind brainspotting for most people might bring to mind EMDR or eye movement desensitization and processing. This is another type of trauma treatment that was developed in the 1980s and has been used increasingly to effectively treat patients suffering from mental health problems. Brainspotting is a more recent form of treatment that has certain similarities to EMDR methods.
Both types of therapies help you access information that is stored in the amygdala which is an area of the brain that is not accessed verbally. That means that speaking with patients about their past will not reveal traumas or negative emotions that have been stored in this area of the brain. Both therapies also use bilateral stimulation which means that while the patient focuses and thinks about the traumatic event they will follow a movement with their eyes or experience other stimuli such as hearing tones.
The main difference between the two therapies is that brainspotting focuses on a single eye position and is less stimulating than EMDR. Brainspotting is actually more flexible in its use and can be used on virtually anyone while EMDR is sometimes overstimulating and cannot be used on every patient.
Brainspotting is used for all kinds of issues including:
- PTSD
- Traumatic Memories
- Relationship Problems
- Grief
- Phobias
- Anger Management
- Addiction
- Depression
People who receive brainspotting therapy tend to say that it works more deeply and EMDR and they see results sooner.
Using Brainspotting in Treatment
Like many new therapies, brainspotting needs to be more thoroughly researched to find out how consistently effective it is for patients. There have been few studies comparing the benefits of brainspotting to other types of treatment to determine its usefulness. However, the new therapy has been growing in popularity and more therapists are finding it beneficial to their patients that are dealing with trauma and negative emotions.
If you are interested in trying brainspotting then you can find a treatment center near you that offers this option. It is always best to consult with a psychologist to determine if this type of therapy can be helpful for you.