Brainspotting Therapy

What is Brainspotting Therapy?

Lacamas Counseling Serves Vancouver, Camas, Washougal Washington and the surrounding areas

Brainspotting is based on the concept of “where you look affects how you feel.” Brainspotting therapy locates points in the visual field to access, focus, and process  a variety of emotionally and body-based conditions and issues. 

David Grand, PhD, developed Brainspotting in 2003 when he discovered traditional Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy could be enhanced through maintaining a visual focus point to resolve his client’s most challenging issues. Since then, more than 13,000 therapists around the world have been trained and offer brainspotting as a healing tool.  

How does it work?

Brainspotting therapy harnesses the body’s natural healing by locating a point of vision that correlates with inner neural and emotional experiences. These eye positions, called Brainspots, access the subcortical brain, which is the inner part of our brain that holds emotional, non-verbal, and trauma memory. Accessing these brainspots lead to healing and resolution of issues that are held deeply in the non-verbal, non-cognitive areas of one’s neurophysiology. 

What is it like?

In session, the therapist will help you work through your personal challenges to find a Brainspot that is “activating” (makes those thoughts and feelings stronger) or “resourcing” (a spot that is neutral, calm, or “grounded”). Sometimes you will use both “resource” and “activation” spots to work through trauma or addiction issues. Bilateral Music may also be used to enhance these states. The therapist is a supportive guide to your body and brain’s natural healing process. The most common responses are to feel a change and improvement in physical energy, emotional state, physical symptomatology, or psychological symptomatology.