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Brainspotting

What is Brainspotting?

Discovered in 2003 by David Grand, PhD., Brainspotting (BSP) is a focused-mindfulness approach that uses fixed eye positions ("a brainspot") to help individuals access and work through unprocessed trauma and challenging emotions stored within the brain and body to tap into the brain and body’s natural healing ability. 

Core Principles:

  • Brain-Body Connection: Brainspotting is a brain and body-based approach to healing. BSP recognizes that emotional and physical experiences are stored in the brain and body.

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  • Eye-Position ("Where you look affects how you feel"): Finding and focusing on a specific eye position (a "brainspot") can provide a gateway to the deeper part of the brain (the limbic system) where unprocessed trauma and emotional distress are located. The limbic system is a group of interconnected structures deep within the brain that play a crucial role in regulating emotions, behavior, motivation, and memory. It's considered one of the oldest parts of the brain and is responsible for instinctual behaviors needed for survival, such as the fight-or-flight response. This part of our brain doesn't know time and doesn't speak verbal language— it speaks the language of sensation, the felt sense, pulse, and breath. 

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  • Focused Mindfulness: The client is invited to be open, present, and curious while focusing on the "brainspot" (or the eye-position) while the therapist provides support and guidance, allowing the brain and body to naturally release and heal. 

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  • Deep Processing: The mindful focused attention, combined with bilateral sound (e.g., biolateral music), can facilitate deep, natural processing and release of the stored emotional and physical distress related to trauma and negative beliefs.

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Who Might Benefit?

Brainspotting has shown promise in treating a range of conditions, including: 

  • Anxiety and Depression: It can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression by addressing the underlying emotional and physiological factors. 

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  • Trauma and PTSD: Brainspotting can be particularly helpful for processing and healing from traumatic experiences without having to re-tell the story. 

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  • Chronic Pain: Brainspotting can be used to address the emotional and physiological components of chronic pain.

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  • Other Conditions: It may also be beneficial for conditions like grief, attachment issues, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

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  • ​Performance Issues: Brainspotting can be used to enhance performance in various areas, such as sports or creative endeavors, by addressing performance anxiety and self-limiting beliefs.

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Additional Information about Brainspotting 

What is ​Brainspotting? By Brainspotting Developer and Trainer David Grand, Ph.D

Brainspotting Therapy - A sketch animation by Dr Mark Grixti

Research & Case Studies on Brainspotting from the Brainspotting website

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