Brainspotting Therapy
We experience the effects of past trauma on a weekly basis even though we are not thinking about these past traumas in the present time. Meaning we might be overly aware of certain discomforts, fears and hyper-vigilance that cause us to avoid certain people and places in our lives. We may avoid conversations or learning new skills that would help us grow because we fear becoming upset. This leads to our lives becoming smaller over time and limits our potential for joy and growth.
Brainspotting Therapy Shows Us How Our Present is Impacted by Our Past
Our behavior in the present shows us how we might be impacted by past traumas and how they are holding us back even when we can’t remember or connect the dots to the past. We know we are having a larger negative response to a person or situation than is warranted but we don’t know why.
EMDR and Brainspotting Therapy: Targeted Processes
Therapies like brainspotting and EMDR are targeted processes that address these triggers so we don’t have to suffer alone or waste our time talking about them over and over. We can actually get to the parts of the brain and body that are still holding on to them and can then safely release them. We do this through increasing safety and resources in our therapy sessions so that your mind and body are able to unwind from this trauma and not feel like you are forcing or pushing it out of your system. We don’t want to create more trauma, we are creating an environment that supports its resolution.
Access the Past to Overcome Trauma
As a therapist I specialize in sex therapy. I see many individuals and couples who struggle with emotional, mental, physical and spiritual intimacy with a partner. Clients say they feel disconnected or numb often and they aren’t sure why. They don’t know what happened in their past but they know it stops them from creating the relationship they truly desire. Some people experience high anxiety and flashbacks that prevent them from getting closer to their partner. Or they lean into addictions because intimacy and vulnerability are too scary or unknown.
Limitations are Often Unconscious
These limitations from the past are often unconscious, blocked or preverbal so they can’t be accessed through talking about it. Brainspotting is able to access these parts that have been frozen in time and space so they can release in your nervous system and integrate into current time. With an attuned and compassionate therapist, brainspotting is a phenomenal tool that can supports this deeper processing.
“Without realizing that the past is constantly determining their present actions, they avoid learning anything about their history. They continue to live in their repressed childhood situation, ignoring the fact that it no longer exists, continuing to fear and avoid dangers that, although once real, have not been real for a long time.”
― Alice Miller, The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self
What is Brainspotting Therapy?
Where you look can connect you with past trauma or negative experiences that are stored in your brain. Brainspotting Therapy is an effective, evidence-based therapy that utilizes a client’s visual field to locate unresolved trauma that is stored in the subcortical brain. This part of the brain controls all bodily functions and is the seat of instinct, thought, creativity and spirituality. Where we look, what are called brainspots, hold the key to accessing historical traumas and releasing them in as short as a few sessions.
Where You Look Affects How You Feel
Brainspotting was discovered by David Grand, PhD in 2003. He discovered that, “Where you look, affects how you feel.” Brainspotting therapy appears to access the right brain, the limbic system and the brainstem (midbrain). It is seen as a physiological approach with psychological consequences.
You can learn more about brainspotting at www.brainspotting.com
Is Brainspotting Just for Treating Trauma?
Brainspotting is effective for many mental health issues such as:
anxiety
emotional dysregulation
depression
How does brainspotting Therapy compare to EMDR?
They are both evidence-based trauma therapies that are heavily researched showing positive outcomes. EMDR works with a specific protocol while brainspotting is specific but also gives more space for your process to flow freely.
Both brainspotting Therapy and EMDR use bilateral sound to support right and left stimulation of the brain. Most clients find listening to this music during brainspotting sessions as soothing and supportive.
What if EMDR hasn’t worked for me?
Some clients report that EMDR hasn’t worked for them or that they don’t like it. Brainspotting often works well with these clients because it allows the brain and body to direct the process more than following a strict 8-step protocol such as EMDR. And, some clients like to use both processes depending on the issue they are currently working on.
Begin Brainspotting Therapy In Los Angeles, California
If you are feeling numb and disconnected and are struggling to connect in a meaningful way within your relationships it may be related to past trauma or experiences that you are unaware of. Brainspotting Therapy can help you process those buried emotions and allow you to connect with the people you love most in your life. It's not your fault that you're struggling, and I am here to help. If you're interested:
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Other Therapy Services By Cindy Michel, M.A., LMFT, CST
Brainspotting Therapy may not be the only service that you're looking for. I also offer other types of therapy services online such as Individual and Couples Sex Therapy, Online Sex Therapy in California, New Mexico, and Florida, EMDR Therapy, Sexual Trauma Therapy, and Somatic Therapy. I also provide Sex Coaching Services. Please reach out if you want to learn more about my other services and explore if therapy or coaching is right for you.