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Brainspotting Trauma Therapy

Brainspotting is one of the innovative trauma therapies used by clinicians at Rising Roads. We have found it to be effective in the treatment of PTSD and C-PTSD.
woman in trauma therapy happily taking a walk outside in california

Brainspotting

“Where you look affects how you feel.” That’s the motto of Dr. David Grand, inventor of brainspotting. This innovative therapeutic approach was created in 2003, when Grand posited that eye position can help clients to access and process unresolved trauma. At Rising Roads, our clinicians have mastered the highly specialized techniques required for effective brainspotting sessions. Read on to learn how this therapy can help you to break free from trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.

How Does Brainspotting Work?

Brainspotting is based on a connection between visual input and your subcortical brain. When you look in specific directions, various “brainspots” are stimulated. These are areas where your anxiety, trauma, depression, substance use, or trauma are held within the deeper recesses of your mind. When your eyes are in these positions, the body’s neural activity alters, and the therapist can begin to help you to identify and process the trauma associated with that spot.

How It Helps Women Overcome Trauma

The brain works so hard to protect us from trauma. It buries troubling events very deeply, sometimes even causing us to forget about them entirely. While this is intended to keep us from feeling pain, it causes trauma to manifest in other ways. This is usually in the form of substance abuse, unhealthy relationships, or self-destructive life choices. Until you have processed your past, it is nearly impossible to live a healthy, happy life.

Brainspotting is a groundbreaking approach to trauma treatment. Through the use of your visual field, it is possible to stimulate the deep, subcortical parts of the brain that are hiding your trauma away. Trained brainspotting therapists help you to analyze and deconstruct traumatic events that have fueled years of mental illness and substance abuse.

What to Expect at a Brainspotting Session

When you come to your first-ever brainspotting session, your therapist will begin by getting to know you. Why have you decided to seek treatment? Are there any specific issues you would like to work on? Once these questions are addressed, the therapist will determine what “activation” looks like for you. When you discuss traumatic topics, do you feel stomach pains? Tightness in your chest? This information will help your therapist to identify brainspots throughout the session.
To find your first brainspot, the therapist will ask you to follow a pointer with your eyes. They will move the pointer left, right, up, and down. All you have to do is look at the pointer. Your therapist will be the one monitoring subtle non-verbal cues like blinking, muscle twitches, and microexpressions. Once the spot has been identified, you have the chance to process. You may speak as much or as little as you’d like. When your session has concluded, your therapist may provide you with some grounding before you continue on with your day.

Transform Your Mind at Rising Roads

At Rising Roads, we offer a women-centered approach to recovery. We understand the specific mechanisms behind trauma, and we also know how strongly they can affect your quality of life. Our trained therapists offer innovative therapies like brainspotting to help you finally move on from what has happened to you.

To learn more about brainspotting, contact the Rising Roads Recovery admissions department.

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Carf Accredited
DHCS - California Department of Health Care Services
NAATP Provider Member
National Association of Mental Illness
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