Brainspotting in Briargate, Monument, Colorado Springs & the State of Colorado
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a form of Somatic Therapy that was developed out of EMDR. It’s a technique that can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the specific outcome you’d like to work towards.
Somatic Therapies are a type of therapeutic modality that focuses on the body sensations associated with unpleasant thoughts and emotions. CBT, for example focuses on changing cognitions and behaviors to change how you feel, while Somatic Therapy supports a person work through the bodily responses they experience undesirable thoughts and emotions.
If we are using Brainspotting to work through trauma, for example, our processing session will draw your awareness to the stress response (fight/flight/freeze/fawn/faint) you might have while thinking or talking about the past harmful experience(s).
If we are using Brainspotting to help you work through barriers in your sports performance or career we may notice a stress response getting in the way, but we may also want to focus on enhancing the confidence you feel in yourself when you have been successful in a certain area of life.
How Will Brainspotting Help Me?
Many clients notice a change in how they perceive themselves or the topic they wanted to work through after one session. We will likely complete several sessions to ensure your body and brain have integrated your new experiences well - this will lead to you experiencing relief, new insight, or a sense of clarity. Ultimately a reduction in anxiety, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, etc. are evidence enough that your body and brain have worked towards resolve of the issue you began Brainspotting.
Brainspotting is my preferred technique to use with clients because of the quick and lasting change we see. As a client myself I have experienced deep healing through Brainspotting and I feel grateful to lead others into the very same freedom from emotional pain.
What is Brainspotting like in a Session?
Brainspotting can feel both focused and surprisingly gentle. Each Brainspotting session is a bit different, but generally you’ll prompted to think about or talk through what it is you’d like to address that session. We’ll then work together to find what’s called a brainspot which is often a place your gaze lands, somewhere in your visual field. When we find a brainspot you’ll experiences what we call activation. This can be a strong emotional response, like tearfulness or a great sense of joy. Other times you may experience an uncomfortable sensation in your body, briefly, along side an intense emotional response. Though this can sound intimidating, it tells us we are on the right track.
As you hold that eye position, you may notice a variety of sensations in your body, or even none at all, both responses are completely normal. Sometimes images and memories will come to mind without you needing to talk through every detail (which is a huge perk of Brainspotting in my opinion - I can help you find relief from emotional pain without you having to describe the trauma!).
Brainspotting can last anywhere from 5-40 minutes in a typical session and the more familiar you become with this technique, the better you will be able to engage with and guide your own experience. Throughout the process I may check in or offer gentle prompts as your body and mind process through stuck emotions/memories/experiences. Sessions will always move at your pace - sometimes there is a lot of silence during processing and other times there may be more talking.
