For real change to take place, the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present
Janine at Your Therapy offers Brain Spotting in Sandton and Online as part of her counselling services to individuals, adults, adolescents and to couples.
What is Brain Spotting?
“Brainspotting is a powerful, focused treatment method developed by David Grand Ph.D. Brain Spotting works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation, fears and experiences that are difficult to process.
How Brain Spotting Works
Brainspotting gives us a tool, within this counselling relationship, to neurobiologically locate, focus, process, and release experiences and symptoms that are typically out of reach of the conscious mind and its cognitive and language capacity.
The Brain Spotting Process
Brain Spotting is based on the premise that “where you look affects how you feel.” During a session, the therapist helps you find specific eye positions (brain spots) that correspond to areas where trauma or emotional distress is stored in the brain. These eye positions access the brain’s natural ability to scan, locate, and process experiences.
Direct Access to the Deep Brain
Brainspotting works with the deep brain and the body through its direct access to the autonomic and limbic systems within the body’s central nervous system. Unlike traditional talk therapy, Brain Spotting bypasses the thinking brain and works directly with the emotional and survival centers of the brain where trauma responses originate.
What Makes Brain Spotting Unique
Brain Spotting harnesses the brain’s innate capacity for self-healing by:
- Using the visual field to locate and access traumatic memories
- Allowing the body’s natural wisdom to guide the healing process
- Working with both activation and calm states in the nervous system
- Requiring minimal talking or cognitive processing during sessions
Understanding Trauma
Any life event which causes significant physical and/or emotional injury and distress, in which the person powerfully experiences being overwhelmed, helpless, or trapped, can become a traumatic experience.
The Growing Recognition of Life Trauma
There is growing recognition within the healing professions that experiences of:
- Physical and/or emotional injury
- Acute and chronic pain
- Serious physical illness
- Dealing with difficult medical interventions
- Societal turmoil
- Environmental disaster
- Many other problematic life events
Will contribute to the development of a substantial reservoir of life trauma. That trauma is held in the body. The traumatic experience then becomes a part of that individual’s trauma reservoir.
Treatment Benefits
Brainspotting provides a neurobiological tool for accessing, and treating a wide range of somatic and emotionally-based conditions including:
- Post-traumatic stress
- Anxiety and panic disorders
- Depression
- Physical pain and tension
- Performance issues
- Addiction and compulsive behaviors
- Attachment and relationship difficulties
