What is brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a highly effective neurobiological approach to inner healing and emotional processing, and is intricately connected to our God-designed nervous systems.
It works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional and body pain, trauma, dissociation, and a variety of other challenging symptoms. Extensive research on brainspotting has revealed its remarkable ability to facilitate profound transformational changes, ranging from emotional and psychological differences to physical ones.
Dr. David Grand, a licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, discovered brainspotting in 2003 while working with patients who had experienced trauma or desired performance enhancement. While guiding his patients to focus on a specific point in their visual field related to their traumatic experience, Dr. Grand noticed they were able to access deeper emotional and physiological responses that were previously unattainable through years of talk therapy alone. This technique, called a "brainspot," involved locating and maintaining a particular eye position and could efficiently address unresolved trauma and other psychological concerns.
Brainspotting can be effectively integrated into a functional health approach by addressing and treating unresolved emotional and psychological stress, which can be a root cause of many physical symptoms in the body.
Functional health focuses on identifying underlying causes of disease or imbalanced physiology and aims to restore optimal function for overall well-being. Integrating brainspotting with other health practices allows underlying emotional blocks to come to the surface and be identified, addressed and potentially resolved.
Brainspotting can also help deepen mindfulness and self-awareness, which often fuels behavioral change. By addressing emotional blocks, individuals can develop a better understanding of themselves and their responses to certain situations. As a result, this empowers them to be more mindful in their daily lives and make healthier choices for their overall physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Brainspotting is not the same as EDMR therapy. EMDR utilizes eye movements as a form of bilateral stimulation, while brainspotting focuses the eye on a fixed gaze position. The position of your eyes, or where your gaze is directed, can actually unlock some deeper insights that have not yet been recognized.
Ways I have personally integrated brainspotting:
addressing flight, fight and freeze responses
processing grief, anger, guilt, sadness and anxiety
relieving muscle tension
creativity/performance enhancement
contemplating Scripture
addressing limiting beliefs
Brainspotting can help individuals create grounded spaces where they can process trapped emotions and adapt accordingly. Want to learn more? Keep scrolling to see how we can work together towards a healthier life through brainspotting.
As a brainspotting trained practitioner, I will be sharing more about it through a functional health lens, as well as discussing ways I personally keep it Biblically framed and Christ-centered. You can get all the details and lessons inside my Aligned + Renewed Facebook group, which is included in the “Aligned + Renewed” 12-week course.
Want an even more personalized experience? If you’re seeing this before August 2023, you can also book a one-on-one session with me in July!
