Brainspotting was discovered by David Grand, Ph.D. in 2003. It works with specific eye positions to access painful emotions, traumatic memories, and physical symptoms. A “Brainspot” directly connects to the neurobiological areas in the brain where memories are stored that are often inaccessible to the conscious mind. Brainspotting works by identifying, processing, and releasing deep sources of emotional and physical pain. When a Brainspot is found, the unconscious mind/body opens to process, release and reorganize limiting and painful beliefs, emotions, and behaviors.
Here’s how it works
The therapist and client sit across from each other. The therapist asks the client to (1) focus on a disturbing memory, (2) be aware of the disturbing body sensations that accompany this memory, and (3) rate the discomfort in their body on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most intense. The therapist uses a pointer to find a spot in their field of vision where the felt-sense of discomfort is most intense. The client is advised to stay on that spot and notice with “mindfulness” the thoughts and feelings that arise and to see where they take them.
Sometimes the therapist and client pair all of the above with bilateral stimulation — typically from bilateral music that has been programmed to move back and forth from hemisphere to hemisphere (David Grand Bilateral Music), or to hold alternately pulsating tappers (Thera Tapper™). This helps the brain find the neurological file where the material is stored and then stimulates a fast-forward stream of consciousness that dramatically speeds up client healing.
Effectiveness
After a five year study by the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation of 25 trauma modalities used, Brainspotting was voted most effective by parents who had lost children in the Sandy Hook Massacre.