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I wanted to write about this because there is a lot of talk about EMDR and somatic therapies, but it seems like Brainspotting doesn’t come up as much. And, it’s always helpful to know about tools that may help.

This article offers a simple and neutral overview of how Brainspotting works, especially for those living with complex trauma.

I am not a licensed professional. I’m just sharing what I know, what I’ve read, and what I’ve personally experienced. You may wish to reach out to a licensed therapist if you want more detailed information about Brainspotting for trauma. I’ll also include some resources at the end of the post.

If you are familiar with EMDR, Brainspotting may look similar at first because it also uses the eyes, however, the processes are different. Brainspotting grew out of EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and David Grand’s work with trauma survivors, but it developed its own approach.

The origin story that’s often brought up is that Grand was working with a competitive figure skater who could not complete a specific jump. While they thought it was physical limitations at first, he then realized it was more psychological and that she would experience dissociation as well.

During one session, he asked her to think of the most clinical moment for her. Her eye wobbled. At this point, he asked her follow his finger with her eyes. Her eyes fluttered and then moved onward. The next day she reported that she was able to complete the jump.

Grand later noticed that many clients naturally looked toward certain spots whenever something meaningful, overwhelming, or important was happening inside them.

He also noticed that some clients seemed to get stuck in their healing when their eyes repeatedly returned to a certain position. Holding the gaze there sometimes allowed the nervous system to process material that had not moved before.

This led to the central idea behind Brainspotting: where you look can influence how you feel.

Some therapists use biolateral sound but I have not personally experienced Brainspotting with biolateral sound.

If you’ve been living with CPTSD, you may have heard a lot about different types of trauma therapies that may work better than traditional talk therapy. This is because trauma is often stored in the body or parts of the brain that our conscious part cannot reach.

Like many therapies used for CPTSD, Brainspotting for trauma focuses on what the body is holding onto and trying to process and release it.

The goal is to help the nervous system release root physiological causes that show up as emotional and physical pain, dissociation, and trauma responses. Sometimes these roots can be very old experiences that we’ve held onto and aren’t always aware of.

Some therapists describe Brainspotting as something that may feel like a wide net that gently tugs on several layers at once. It can feel softer than EMDR for some people, although that depends on the therapist, the pacing, and your nervous system.

I want to acknowledge something important. A lot of meaningful work also happens outside of therapy. Daily choices, small moments of self-compassion, and the way you understand your symptoms can create deep change over time. Therapy can help, but moments of self-compassion and self-trust also accumulate over time.

Talk therapy works mostly with the cortex, which is the thinking and reasoning part of the brain. Complex trauma often lives in the deeper layers that react before thought and often ruptures the connection between the “thinking brain” and the “deep brain”. This can be healed though.

Brainspotting for trauma is thought to work with the subcortical or deep brain. This includes the systems involved in emotion, memory, protection, and survival. It may be able to reach those experiences that were stored from so long ago in CPTSD.

These systems can activate long before you can think about what’s happening. This is why you may know logically that you are safe but still feel afraid, anxious, overwhelmed, dissociated, numb, hypervigilant…

We cannot, and it’s a good thing, know every single relationship the brain has formed over the years. A lot of traumatic connections can also be made in the formative years. Something happening today can be linked a thousand times over to something long ago that we are not always aware of. It is also a good thing that we do not always know.

This doesn’t mean it can’t be treated. You can also process sensations and feelings, not just specific memories. Brainspotting also doesn’t require you to retell traumatic events if you don’t want it. It can also target pre-verbal traumatic moments by focusing on present sensation instead of individual memories.

Some considere Brainspotting for trauma as more gentle as it doesn’t require focusing on one memory and has a less rigid protocol.

Something I personally noticed and have metioned as a grounding tool, is that our eyes glaze over when feeling dissociative, overwhelmed or in trauma loops.

One grounding tool I use is to focus on objects around me for a few seconds before moving onto another object and so forth, instead of staying lost in that glaze. (This is not Brainspotting, but I thought I’d mention it here).

All therapists work differently, but most sessions follow a similar structure. If you do decide to pursue Brainspotting for trauma, it may help to find a therapist that is “trauma-informed”.

1. History and Assessment: A therapist will take your history and check how activated you feel. The history intake may happen before the initial in-person session as well.

2. Finding the Brainspot The therapist may have you follow a pointer and have you look at the tip. They will slowly move it across different visual fields.

They are probably looking for physical signs or clues that they may be hitting a particular “spot” or ask you if you feel anything at certain spots.

3. Processing: When you do find a spot, they may ask you to hold it for awhile, checking in and asking you what you notice. You may be told to hold the gaze for awhile before moving onto the next spot.

4. Resource Spots: A therapist may also help you find a gaze position that feels grounding or calming. These are often called resource spots, and sometimes positive spots. These can be used before, during, or after processing to support your system. They may also have you go back and forth between a difficult spot and a resources spot.

5. Closing with Grounding: I’m not sure whether this is part of the actual protocal but it’s a good idea, in my opinion, and especially if activated during the session, that there be some time left for some sort of Grounding technique. A few examples:

• Guided Visualization
• Guided breathing
• Some therapists also use the “Flash Technique” where you blink your eyes rapidly and associate with a more positive experience.

People describe many different experiences, including:

• Nothing
• Physical tension softening
• Recalling certain events
• Internal movements
• Feeling very tired after sessions
• Feeling lighter or more clear
• Feeling worse before feeling better
• Tingling or shaking
• Unpleasant feelings

All of this is normal and is just a partial list. Healing is not linear. The nervous system decides the pace and that’s okay.

Full trauma processing is usually not recommended on your own because it can bring up more than expected.

Some therapists do telehealth, I’ve personally have found in-person session overall, regardless of method, to be better. However, Brainspotting for trauma via telehealth can give you an extra “wall” if you feel like you want that extra degree of separation.

Some therapists teach clients how to use resource spots for grounding. These can support you during stress, panic, or dissociation, but they do not replace full sessions but this is a decision better left for the professional and client to decide.

Whatever path you choose is okay. Doing any sort of work for complex trauma, whether in or out of therapy, can be tiring. You’re doing more than you know. Please remember to be gentle with yourself. Thank you for reading.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Warmly,
Allie C. | CalmFire™

When you’re triggered, finding the right words can be hard.
I created a free Phrase Bank with specific phrases for safety, neutrality, compassion, belonging, and personal power. Use it as a gentle anchor back to the present.

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Future Posts: I plan to write a post on Brainspotting versus EMDR for healing complex trauma, and about my own personal experience. However if you’d like to learn more about Brainspotting for trauma now you can visit Dr. Grand’s website here.

Note: I’m not a licensed professional. I’m sharing from my own healing journey and these are tools that have helped me personally. Please give yourself and others space and patience along the way. This blog is for support, not a substitute for professional care. If you are in crisis, call 911 or your local emergency number.

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