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Brainspotting
Brainspotting, which was developed by David Grand, PhD, is a therapeutic technique that I describe as “EMDR-adjacent.” It works on similar principles to those of EMDR; both techniques involve the body, not just the brain, in therapy, and both access parts of the brain that standard talk therapy does not.
I use one or the other or both with clients, depending on their needs and preferences. While I’d say that most people do well with either one, there are people for whom one or the other is preferable. That’s why I’m glad to have both EMDR and Brainspotting, among other therapeutic techniques, in my toolkit. As Dr. Grand says, “There is no turf when it comes to healing.”
Dr. Grand, when talking about the origins of Brainspotting, speaks of a client who was a competitive figure skater. They were doing EMDR to help her with her inability to complete a triple loop. At one point, as he moved his fingers back and forth, Dr. Grand noticed that her eyes wobbled and then locked into place. He kept his fingers where they were, and for ten minutes, the client was flooded with a series of memories of traumas that had not come up in their previous intensive work together. After the ten minutes, her eyes unlocked and they finished the session as they normally would. The next day, the client called him and told him that she had completed multiple triple loops in practice; she never had a problem with it again.
A common saying in Brainspotting is “Where you look affects how you feel.” Our brains use our eyes to orient to information both outside and inside of us. Orienting the eyes to certain “Brainspots” (as happened with the figure skater) can help a client to connect with and process traumas. Brainspotting is about orienting the eyes rather than seeing, so even someone who is blind can do Brainspotting.
Just as I use tools for EMDR (“buzzies” or a lightbar), I use a tool for Brainspotting: a pointer that helps my client to orient to the Brainspot being used. I put an egg shaped pencil grip on the end of the pointer to make it easier to see. (I have six colors, so you can choose whichever color you prefer.) I also use what Dr. Grand named “BioLateral Sound” and, sometimes, special goggles, during Brainspotting sessions.
Does Brainspotting, like EMDR, sound weird? To most people, probably. But as my clients and I say, it doesn’t matter how weird it may seem. What matters is that it works.
If you’d like to experience Brainspotting for yourself, call or text me at 410-888-0590, or email
JenniferBeall.LCPC@gmail.com.