Brainspotting
Brainspotting bypasses the limitations of language to access the brain’s subcortical regions — where trauma, strong emotion, and instinctive reactions are actually stored. It is a gentle, body-led path to healing.
What Is Brainspotting? — Healing beneath the words
At its core, brainspotting (BSP) is based on a simple but profound insight: our visual field is intrinsically linked to subconscious processing. By finding and holding specific eye positions — “brainspots” — a therapist can help you access unresolved trauma and emotion stored deep in the brain.
This isn’t a technique that requires you to narrate your pain. It works with your body’s innate capacity for self-regulation, facilitating shifts in thinking, feeling, and behavior that talk therapy alone may not reach.
What makes Brainspotting different
Two Therapeutic Models — Activation & Resource
"Where you look affects how you feel."
— Dr. David Grand, founder of Brainspotting
What makes Brainspotting different
Some things can't be talked through. They can only be felt through.
You may have spent years in therapy. You may know exactly why you feel the way you feel — and still feel it. You may have all the insight in the world and none of the relief. That’s the limit of what language can reach.
Brainspotting goes to where the words don’t.
Your body already knows how to heal.
Brainspotting is rooted in the understanding that our bodies have a natural capacity to heal themselves when given the right conditions and support. By guiding you to focus on identified brainspots with mindfulness, the brain’s own restorative abilities are activated — allowing it to finally integrate and release what was trapped.
You don't have to understand it for it to work.
One of the most radical things about brainspotting is what it doesn’t ask of you. It doesn’t ask you to explain yourself. It doesn’t ask you to have insight before you feel relief. It doesn’t ask your thinking mind to lead.
In fact, the thinking mind — the part that narrates, analyzes, and tries to make sense of everything — is often exactly what’s been standing between you and the shift you’ve been looking for.
Brainspotting works beneath that. In the part of the brain that doesn’t speak in words.
Neither of us knows where this will go. That's the point.
A brainspotting session isn’t guided by a protocol or a predetermined map. There are no assumptions about what a particular eye position means, or what should happen next, or how long it should take.
What emerges is yours. The process belongs to your nervous system, not to a technique.
This isn’t uncertainty as a limitation. It’s uncertainty as respect — for the fact that your inner world is more complex and more intelligent than any framework imposed on top of it.
What this means for you, practically:
You don’t need to come in knowing what to say. You don’t need to have your story organized. You don’t need to be ready to talk about it at all.
You just need to be willing to notice what’s happening in your body — and to stay with it long enough for something to shift.
That’s the whole thing. The rest takes care of itself.
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What Happens In A Session
01 — Initial Discussion The session begins with a conversation about your current concerns, feelings, or the specific issue you want to address. Your therapist explains the process and answers any questions.
02 — Body Awareness & Baseline You identify where in your body you feel stress or discomfort when focusing on the issue. You rate its intensity (1–10). This baseline measures change throughout and after the session.
03 — Locating the Brainspot Using a pointer, gazespotting, or observation of reflexive responses (yawning, muscle twitching, pupil changes), the therapist identifies the eye position that most activates the issue’s charge.
04 — Processing You hold your gaze on the brainspot and allow emotions, sensations, memories, and insights to arise without judgment. Bilateral sound may be used. Physical sensations, images, and emotional responses are all normal and welcome.
05 — Therapist Support Your therapist maintains attuned, grounding presence throughout. If the process becomes overwhelming, they provide support. They may weave in other modalities to deepen the healing experience.
06 — Integration & Close At the end, you share thoughts or feelings that emerged. This is a moment to further integrate insights, consolidate gains, and prepare for continued processing in the days ahead.
Two Therapeutic Models — Activation & Resource
Brainspotting uses two complementary approaches that can be used alone or in sequence — one for moving toward the distress, one for building the inner ground that makes that possible.
Activation Model Focuses directly on the distressing material, identifying the brainspot with the most intense emotional or physical charge. This allows direct access to deeply embedded memories, emotions, and sensations.
- Direct access to core issues and deeply embedded memories
- Unlocks “stuck” patterns of recurring emotional and behavioral difficulty
- Facilitates somatic release of physical tension stored as trauma
- Builds enhanced self-awareness and insight into the nature of trauma
- Improves emotional regulation over time by processing at the source
Resource Model Emphasizes identifying and strengthening internal resources — calm, groundedness, strength, positive experience. Particularly valuable for clients who are not yet ready for direct trauma processing, or as preparation for it.
- Creates a sense of safety and stability before approaching difficult material
- Builds resilience and an inner “toolkit” of positive states
- Helps clients access positive memories overshadowed by trauma
- Improves emotional regulation through strengthening calm states
- Gentler approach; well-suited for high sensitivity or overwhelm
After Your Session — What to expect
Emotional Vulnerability It is normal to feel emotionally tender after a session, as the therapy can surface buried emotions. Be gentle with yourself in the hours that follow.
Physical Fatigue Your brain and body have been working hard. Some tiredness is natural and a sign of meaningful processing having occurred.
Continued Processing The effects of brainspotting continue to unfold in the days and weeks following a session, as the mind and body integrate the experience at their own pace.
Sense of Calm & Release As processing deepens across sessions, many clients experience a lasting sense of calm and release from issues that previously felt chronic or immovable.
Shifting Dreams & Sleep Sleep patterns may shift, and dream content often changes as therapy progresses — recurring nightmares tend to reduce while more neutral or positive dreams emerge.
Duration of Therapy The duration of brainspotting therapy varies significantly — from a handful of sessions to several months — depending on individual needs and the complexity of what is being addressed. Brainspotting is particularly helpful for those who struggle to verbalize their experiences or who have difficulty accessing emotion through traditional talk therapy. It integrates naturally into ongoing therapeutic work.
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The Science
Brainspotting is a newer trauma therapy with a small but growing research base. Early studies suggest it can reduce symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and depression, sometimes with outcomes similar to EMDR or standard treatments. Research suggests Brainspotting can help reduce symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. A multicenter study found Brainspotting and EMDR produced similar improvements in trauma symptoms, and a 2022 comparative trial showed that a single Brainspotting session reduced distress related to specific memories as much as EMDR and a body-based meditation practice. Another preliminary study by Palsimon (2022) found that Brainspotting was associated with reduced PTSD symptoms among Filipino women with severe posttraumatic stress disorder.
Brainspotting does not yet have the volume of large randomized controlled trials that more established therapies like EMDR does, and major professional organizations have not formally classified it as an evidence-based treatment at this stage. Some reviewers have also raised critical questions about its proposed neurobiological mechanisms and call for more rigorous research.
Because of this, I describe Brainspotting as a promising, emerging approach: one that is supported by early studies and extensive clinical experience, but whose evidence base is still developing compared to longer-standing modalities. For many clients—especially those who feel “talked out,” struggle to put their experiences into words, or respond well to body-based work—it can be a powerful addition to therapy, used on its own or alongside other evidence-based treatments.
Frequently Asked Questions
about brainspotting
Are there differences between in-person vs virtual sessions?
Sessions are available in person in New York City and virtually, wherever you are. Both formats work equally well — the core process, the attunement, and the depth of processing are the same regardless of how we meet.
Headphones are used in both settings for BioLateral bilateral sound, which supports the brain’s natural processing during the session. For virtual sessions, you’ll also need a stable internet connection, a device with camera and microphone, and a private, quiet space where you feel safe. Gazespotting and pointer tracking via screen both translate effectively online.
Whether you prefer the in-person container or the comfort and convenience of working from home, the modality remains the same — only the room changes.
What exactly is a "brainspot"?
A brainspot is a specific eye position in the visual field that corresponds to neural networks holding a traumatic or distressing memory. When the gaze lands on that point, the body registers increased activation — a physical or emotional signal indicating that unresolved material is stored there. It becomes the access point for processing.
Do I have to talk about what happened to me?
No. One of brainspotting’s most significant features is that it works beneath narrative. You can process deeply without telling the story — which is a relief for many clients for whom language feels re-traumatizing, insufficient, or simply inaccessible. The body leads; words are optional.
What does processing feel like during a session?
Processing is different for everyone and different each session. You might notice physical sensations (tingling, warmth, tension), emotional responses (sadness, anger, relief), memories or images, or new perspectives emerging. Some distress or discomfort during processing is normal — your body is working through what needs healing.
Is brainspotting the same as EMDR?
They share common origins and many similarities, but differ in important ways. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (which can include side to side eye movements) and follows a structured eight-phase protocol. Brainspotting holds the gaze fixed and follows a less structured, more intuitive approach — trusting the client’s nervous system to lead. Both are powerful trauma therapies; some clients respond better to one than the other.
Is it appropriate for dissociation or severe trauma?
Yes, with appropriate care. Brainspotting has specific approaches for working with dissociation and highly activated nervous systems — including window-of-tolerance titration and the Resource Model, which builds inner stability before approaching more difficult material. A trained practitioner will assess carefully and adapt the approach to your level of readiness.
Can brainspotting be used for performance, not just mental health?
Absolutely. Brainspotting is widely used by athletes, musicians, performers, and professionals to address performance blocks, reduce anxiety, and unlock creativity and focus. It accesses the same subcortical regions where performance-inhibiting patterns are stored — making it as relevant for peak performance as for trauma recovery.
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