MRC Therapists Provide Innovative Therapeutic Technique, Brainspotting To Treat All Forms of Trauma,

Brainspotting is a powerful new type of therapy designed to help people access, process, and overcome trauma, negative emotions, and pain, including psychologically induced physical pain. Brainspotting was developed through David Grand's work with survivors of trauma, and many have found it to be an effective form of treatment for a variety of mental health concerns.

How Does Brainspotting Work?

The direction in which people look or gaze can affect the way they feel. During brainspotting, therapists help people position their eyes in ways that enable them to target sources of negative emotion. With the aid of a pointer, your therapist slowly guides the eyes across the field of vision to find appropriate “brainspots,” with a brainspot being an eye position that activates a traumatic memory or painful emotion. This allows therapists to access emotions on a deeper level and target the physical effects of trauma. Trauma can be “stored” in the body and can alter the way the brain works. Trauma can, for example, have an effect on emotions, memory, and physical health. Brainspotting activates the body’s innate ability to heal itself from trauma.

While a therapist not using brainspotting may attempt to access both the physical and emotional “locations” of negative emotions, brainspotting therapists use something called “dual attunement,” a process through which the therapist simultaneously attunes to the therapeutic relationship as well as the brain-body response of the person in therapy. There is some evidence that brainspotting works primarily in the limbic system, a collection of brain structures that play a role in emotion, long-term memory, cognition, motivation, impulse control, and several other psychological factors that can affect well-being.

Who Can Benefit from Brainspotting?

Brainspotting can help with a variety of psychological concerns. Brainspotting is primarily used in trauma therapy and for the treatment of PTSD. However, it is also used to treat:

Anxiety

Anger

Attention Issues (ADHD)

Phobias

Substance Abuse

Chronic fatigue and Chronic pain

Impulse control issues

Sports performance issues

How Do I Get Started?

MRC therapists, Karen Gottlieb and Deidre Prosen are skilled therapists and trained to provide brainspotting therapy. You can find more information and contact information about them both and MRC's other therapists here. For general questions and scheduling, please call (414) 975-8106.