Find Brainspotting Therapy

Brainspotting was developed by Dr. David Grand as an advanced trauma-processing technique that works directly with the brain's subcortical systems — particularly the limbic system, brainstem, and midbrain structures responsible for trauma storage and emotional regulation.

The foundation of Brainspotting is simple but profound: Where you look affects how you feel. By guiding the client’s eye position to a precise location, known as the brainspot, the therapist helps the client access emotional and somatic material stored at a deep neurological level.

Unlike purely cognitive approaches that rely on conscious thought and verbal processing, Brainspotting allows clients to bypass the prefrontal cortex and directly activate the areas where unprocessed trauma, emotional memories, and implicit body-based experiences are stored. With the therapist’s attuned presence and support, clients process emotional material safely, often leading to deep emotional release and nervous system stabilization.

Brainspotting therapy is a versatile, neurobiological treatment modality that addresses a wide range of psychological, emotional, and physical symptoms, including:

• PTSD and complex trauma (C-PTSD)
• Developmental and attachment trauma
• Anxiety disorders and panic attacks
• Depression and mood dysregulation
• Performance anxiety (public speaking, test anxiety, sports, and performing arts)
• Chronic pain and somatic disorders
• Medical trauma or pre-surgical anxiety
• Dissociation, emotional numbing, and shutdown responses
• Phobias and intense fears
• Grief and complicated loss
• Perinatal trauma and birth trauma

Because Brainspotting works at a subcortical level, it is particularly helpful for processing experiences that are not fully accessible through traditional talk therapy or conscious recall.

Brainspotting therapy is especially helpful for:

• Trauma survivors who continue to experience unresolved emotional pain
• Clients who feel stuck in talk therapy despite intellectual insight
• Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) and neurodivergent individuals seeking body-based processing
• First responders, veterans, and healthcare professionals exposed to secondary trauma or repeated critical incidents
• Athletes, performers, and executives struggling with performance anxiety or blocks
• People experiencing chronic pain, tension, or somatic symptoms without clear medical explanation
• Individuals with early developmental or attachment wounds that defy cognitive processing

Because Brainspotting targets the deeper layers of the nervous system where non-verbal experiences reside, it offers a powerful avenue for healing when other therapies fall short.

A typical Brainspotting therapy session is client-centered, gentle, and highly attuned to the client's nervous system. Sessions may unfold as follows:

• Grounding and Preparation: The therapist helps the client settle, establish emotional safety, and clarify the issue to target.
• Locating the Brainspot: Through eye tracking or the use of a pointer, the therapist guides the client to the eye position that activates the target material.
• Focused Processing: The client gazes softly at the brainspot while observing internal sensations, emotions, thoughts, or images as they arise.
• Therapist’s Attuned Presence: The therapist offers co-regulation, pacing, and emotional containment without pushing or directing.
• Processing Experience: Clients may experience waves of emotion, body sensations, memories, or dissociation as unprocessed material surfaces and integrates.
• Client-Led Pacing: The client controls the pace, with no pressure to narrate their story or fully verbalize emotions.

Each session is uniquely tailored, allowing the brain and body to process and release trauma safely at a level appropriate for the client’s nervous system.

Unlike cognitive therapies that focus on the "thinking brain," Brainspotting therapy works directly with subcortical brain systems responsible for emotional memory, trauma storage, and autonomic regulation:

• Midbrain, brainstem, and limbic system activation: Brainspotting stimulates areas involved in emotional processing, fight-flight-freeze responses, and procedural memory.
• Trauma integration: The brain processes previously frozen or blocked material, allowing integration and resolution.
• Bypassing cognitive defenses: Clients access experiences stored in the body and implicit memory without needing a verbal narrative.
• Neuroplasticity: New neural pathways are formed, supporting emotional regulation, nervous system stability, and long-term healing.

This "bottom-up" approach addresses trauma at its core neurological roots, often producing shifts that talk therapy alone cannot access.

While both Brainspotting and EMDR are effective trauma therapies, their mechanisms and techniques differ significantly:

• No bilateral stimulation: Brainspotting uses fixed eye positions rather than the side-to-side eye movements used in EMDR.
• Minimal narrative focus: Clients are not required to discuss or describe their trauma in detail, which reduces re-traumatization risk.
• Body-based processing: Brainspotting emphasizes internal sensations and nervous system regulation over cognitive processing.
• Therapist attunement: The therapist maintains a non-directive, highly attuned, and regulating presence, allowing the client’s system to lead.
• Effective for preverbal trauma: Brainspotting excels at processing early childhood trauma where no verbal memory exists.

For many clients who feel overwhelmed by exposure-based therapies, Brainspotting offers a gentler, more accessible approach to healing deeply stored emotional pain.

Brainspotting therapy is administered by licensed mental health professionals who have completed specialized training in Brainspotting protocols, such as:

• Licensed psychologists (PhD, PsyD)
• Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
• Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC, LCPC)
• Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
• Certified trauma therapists or somatic practitioners

Brainspotting certification typically includes completion of Phase I, Phase II, and advanced Phase III trainings offered through official Brainspotting organizations. While certification is not legally required, working with a certified Brainspotting therapist ensures proper training, safety, and ethical standards.

Brainspotting therapy is supported by a growing body of clinical research and practitioner experience:

• Studies show positive outcomes for PTSD, complex trauma, anxiety, and depression.
• Many trauma-informed therapists view Brainspotting as one of the most promising new approaches for difficult-to-treat trauma.
• Integrated into the protocols of many trauma treatment centers, private practices, and mind-body clinics worldwide.
• Ongoing research continues to expand the evidence base for Brainspotting’s efficacy in both emotional and somatic disorders.

As the science of trauma healing advances, Brainspotting is increasingly recognized for its neurobiological grounding and transformative results.

Because Brainspotting therapy works at the nervous system’s own pace, treatment length is highly individualized:

• Some clients experience significant emotional shifts within a few sessions.
• More complex trauma cases may require months or years of gradual, titrated work.
• Many clients benefit from ongoing Brainspotting integrated into long-term trauma recovery or personal growth work.
• Brainspotting can serve as either a stand-alone therapy or as an adjunct to other therapies like somatic experiencing, EMDR, or CBT.

Because Brainspotting allows the client’s body and brain to process at a tolerable pace, treatment is both flexible and deeply customized.