Brainspotting is an innovative therapy technique that identifies and uses the connection between eye position and emotional experiences. This powerful approach provides a unique way to access, process, and release deep-rooted emotional distress.
Discovered in 2003 by psychotherapist David Grand, Ph.D, Brainspotting has rapidly gained recognition for its powerful ability to address a wide range of issues––from anxiety, PTSD, dissociation, and depression to unresolved trauma.
At its core, Brainspotting is based on a profound yet simple principle, “where you look affects how you feel.”
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What is Brainspotting?
The Neuroexperiential Foundation
At its core, Brainspotting is rooted in what its creator, Dr. David Grand refers to as the “Neuroexperiential Model.” This approach emphasizes the interconnectedness between our experiences and our neurobiological processes––highlighting the need for therapy to address botha aspects simultaneously for healing to be effective,
This integration of unconscious nervous system processes (neuro—) and conscious sensory awareness (—experiential), allows the therapist to respect and accommodate the client’s individual perspective within the therapeutic relationship.
A key aspect of the neuroexperiential model is the acceptance of uncertainty. Instead of adhering to strict protocols, therapists are encouraged to create a flexible and supportive environment that facilitates natural healing. This approach acknowledges that the complexities of each individual cannot be easily predicted or controlled.
This model aligns closely with trauma-informed principles, highlighting the necessity of a safe and responsive therapeutic environment.
By grounding itself in this neuroexperiential model, Brainspotting is a holistic, body-mind integrated approach to therapy. It creates a therapeutic framework for accessing and processing deep-seated emotional experiences that may be difficult to reach through traditional talk-therapy methods alone.
The Brainspotting Process
Brainspotting is a fluid and adaptive therapeutic approach that avoids prescriptive structures or processes. With that in mind, here’s an overview of how a typical Brainspotting session unfolds:
1. Identifying the Issue: The session begins with the client identifying a specific issue they want to work on. This could be a traumatic memory, a persistent negative emotion, or a challenging situation.
2. Activation and Somatic Awareness: The therapist helps the client connect with the emotional activation associated with the issue in question. The client is asked to notice where they feel the activation in their body, and rate the level of activation from 0-10.
3. Locating Brainspots: Brainspots are specific eye positions that correlate with the neural activation related to the issue at hand. There are three primary methods for finding Brainspots:
- Outside Window: The practitioner slowly moves a pointer across the clients field of vision, carefully observing for subtle reflexive signals (like eye twitches or facial movements) that indicate a Brainspot.
- Inside Window: The client is guided to locate their own Brainspot by scanning their own visual field and identifying where they feel they most activation or resonance with the issue.
- Gazespotting: This method involves observing the client’s natural eye positions and pauses as they discuss their issue, and draw attention to these positions as possible spots for investigation.
4. Focused Mindfulness and Processing: Once a Brainspot is located, the client maintains their gaze on that spot, while focusing on their internal experience simultaneously. The therapist “holds space,” offering support and occasional guidance for whatever arises—which could be emotions, memories, or insights as the client processes the issue.
5. Integration and Reflection: Periodically, and especially toward the end of the session, the therapist will guide the guide “back to the beginning” and have them reassess the original issue. The client will rate their activation again, using the same 0-10 scale as before––helping to integrate the processing that has occurred and to gauge progress.
Throughout the full session, the therapist maintains a stance of “dual attunement”—an awareness of both the client’s internal experience and to the therapeutic relationship itself. This creates the safe and supportive environment needed for deep healing to occur.
Brainspotting for Trauma Processing
Brainspotting has demonstrated versatility in addressing various psychological issues. In particular, it provides a uniquely gentle yet powerful approach to healing trauma.
The Neuroexperiential Model (NEM) recognizes that trauma isn’t just stored in our memories—it lives in our bodies, nervous systems, and the deep recesses of our brains. By accessing the somatic felt sense of these experiences, we can process through them without the need for detailed verbal recounting, reducing the risk of retraumatization.
Trauma Processing
Brainspotting (and the NEM) is built on a deep respect for the body’s innate healing capacity. Rather than imposing a rigid structure, it creates a supportive space for natural healing processes to unfold. This collaborative approach can be particularly empowering for trauma survivors, who may have experienced a loss of control or agency in the past.
As trauma is processed through Brainspotting, individuals often find themselves moving out of survival mode and into a state of greater calm and presence. Many report feeling more grounded, more in tune with themselves, and better able to engage fully in their lives and relationships.
Attachment Disruptions
Early relational experiences, especially those with primary caregivers, shape the neural pathways that influence how individuals relate to others throughout their lives. When these early experiences involve inconsistent parenting, neglect, or abuse, they can lead to attachment disruptions that continue into adulthood.
Brainspotting is particularly effective for addressing attachment issues because it recognizes that these patterns are deeply ingrained in the nervous system and subcortical brain. By accessing these ingrained patterns through specific eye positions, Brainspotting can help individuals:
- Process early attachment wounds without the need for explicit memories
- Develop greater emotional regulation capacities
- Increase self-awareness and self-compassion
- Cultivate more secure attachment patterns in current relationships
Brainspotting’s focus on the body’s felt sense is especially valuable in attachment work, as it allows individuals to tune into subtle relational dynamics that may be difficult to articulate verbally.
This somatic awareness can provide insights into ingrained relational patterns and pave the way for more authentic, secure connections.
Brainspotting: Bridging Mind, Body, and Experience
By bridging the gap between neurobiology and lived experience, Brainspotting is a unique and powerful approach to healing that honors the complexity of the human mind and body.
The Neuroexperiential Model at the heart of Brainspotting recognizes that our deepest wounds—and our greatest potential for healing—often lie beyond the reach of conscious thought or verbal expression.
By utilizing the connection between eye position and the encoding of emotions and memories in the nervous system, Brainspotting provides a direct route to these hidden realms of experience.
From processing trauma to resolving attachment issues, or simply promoting greater self-awareness, Brainspotting serves as a versatile tool for personal growth and healing—all we have to do is look.
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