Brainspotting
Brainspotting
Unlock Deep Healing with Brainspotting
If you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unable to move past difficult emotions or memories, Brainspotting may be just what you need. This powerful therapy helps you tap into your brain’s natural ability to heal — and you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a gentle yet powerful therapy that helps your brain and body process unresolved trauma, anxiety, and emotional distress. By focusing on specific eye positions, Brainspotting allows your mind to unlock stuck emotions and create space for healing.
Who Can Benefit from Brainspotting?
Brainspotting can be helpful for:
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Anxiety and panic attacks
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Trauma and PTSD
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ADHD
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Stress
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Self-Esteem
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Performance anxiety (for athletes, performers, or professionals)
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Chronic pain and physical tension
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Emotional overwhelm and blocks
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Grief and Loss
What to Expect in a Session
In a Brainspotting session, we’ll start by chatting about what’s been feeling difficult for you. Then, I’ll guide you to find a “brainspot” — a specific eye position that connects with where your distress is stored in the brain. This gentle focus gives your brain space to naturally process what’s been weighing you down.
During the session, you’ll have the option to sit quietly, listen to calming music, or share what’s coming up for you — whatever feels most comfortable. There’s no pressure to force anything; we’ll follow your pace, and I’ll be right there to support you every step of the way.
Why Choose Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is especially helpful if you:
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Struggle to fully express or put words to your experiences
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Feel “stuck” despite trying other types of therapy
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Prefer a body-based healing approach alongside talk therapy
Begin Your Healing Journey
Healing doesn’t have to feel overwhelming — and you don’t have to do it alone. If you’re curious about Brainspotting or want to see if it’s a good fit for you, I’d love to talk. Reach out today, and let’s take that first step together.
More Background Information
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a type of therapy that helps people process difficult emotions, memories, and trauma by using their eyes. The idea is that where you look can actually affect how you feel.
Our eyes have a strong connection to our brain, and certain eye positions can activate feelings and memories stored deep inside us — especially ones that are hard to put into words.
How Does it Work?
Brainspotting was developed by Dr. David Grand in 2003 while working with people who had experienced major traumas, like Hurricane Katrina survivors, 9/11 first responders, and war veterans.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which often starts by exploring your thoughts and feelings through conversation (a “top-down” approach), Brainspotting takes a “bottom-up” approach. It focuses on calming and healing the deeper parts of the brain where emotions and trauma are stored.
By identifying a specific eye position that connects to those deeper feelings, Brainspotting helps your brain naturally process what’s been stuck — even if you can’t fully explain it with words. This process taps into your body’s natural ability to heal, helping you feel calmer and more grounded over time.
Who Can Benefit from Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is especially helpful for people who:\n- Struggle to talk about their feelings or experiences\n- Feel stuck in anxiety, trauma, or emotional pain\n- Have tried other therapies but still feel overwhelmed
If you’ve ever felt like your emotions are too big to explain, Brainspotting offers a way to process those feelings safely and effectively.
Bottom Up Approach vs. Top Down Approach in Therapy
The bottom-up and top-down approaches are two ways our brains process and respond to experiences, especially when it comes to emotions, trauma, and healing. Here’s a simple breakdown:
Bottom-Up Approach
Think of this as starting with the body and working your way up to the mind. This approach focuses on calming and regulating the nervous system before trying to process thoughts or memories.
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Imagine you’re feeling anxious — your heart is racing, and your muscles are tense. Instead of trying to “think your way out of it,” a bottom-up approach would involve grounding techniques like deep breathing, movement, or Brainspotting to help your body relax. Once your body feels safer, your brain can better process what’s going on emotionally.
Examples: Brainspotting, mindfulness, yoga, breathing exercises, and EMDR.
Top-Down Approach
This approach starts with your thoughts and works its way down to impact your emotions and body responses.
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Imagine you’re overwhelmed by self-doubt. A top-down approach might involve challenging negative thoughts, developing positive self-talk, or learning coping strategies through traditional talk therapy. By shifting your mindset, your body can start to feel calmer and more in control.
Examples: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychoeducation, and talk therapy.
Why Both Matter
Sometimes, when emotions are intense or trauma feels stuck, starting with the body (bottom-up) can be more effective than diving straight into thoughts. Other times, shifting your mindset (top-down) can bring powerful insights that ease anxiety or stress.
A balanced mix of both often leads to the most lasting healing. Brainspotting, for example, is a bottom-up approach that can be incredibly helpful when words just aren’t enough.
What is a "brainspot"?
What is ‘The Brainspot?’
A “Brainspot” is the eye position related to the energetic and emotional activation of the brain that is associated with traumatic material. Each individual may have multiple brain spots that work together as an active network within the brain.
What happens in a Brainspotting session?
- In a Brainspotting session, your therapist will use a small pointer to gently guide your eyes across your field of vision. The goal is to find a specific eye position that seems to “activate” something — this could be a memory, an emotion, or even a physical sensation like a tight chest or racing heart.
- Together, you and your therapist will decide what issue you’d like to focus on during the session. From there, your therapist will help you notice how this topic feels in your body — this is called your ‘felt sense’. It’s your body’s way of giving you clues about what’s going on inside, like tension, warmth, or butterflies in your stomach.
- Once you’ve connected with that feeling, your therapist will help you find the exact spot in your vision (a brainspot) that brings up those sensations the most. Focusing on this spot helps your brain access deeper, stored emotions and memories — the ones that are harder to reach just by talking.
- Your therapist may incorporate calming bilateral sounds (gentle tones alternating between your ears) to support the process.
- Throughout the session, you’re in control. Your therapist will be present, supportive, and will regularly check in with you to help you process what’s coming up. Sometimes your therapist may sit quietly to allow your brain to do its natural healing work, but they’ll always stay connected to your needs.
- There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to experience Brainspotting — whatever you feel is valid. Each session is unique, and your therapist will adapt the process to support your healing journey.
What Comes Next
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation call with the therapist you would like to work with or fill out our potential client form here. From there, you will set up your first session, also known as an intake session. With your chosen therapist, let them know a bit about your concern, your history with past treatment, ask about our fees, and the best days and times to attend therapy sessions.
Fees
Each therapist at Sage Counseling and Wellness has their own fee structure. When you have the initial consultation call with your therapist, you will discuss your fee with them.
Our therapists do not participate in-network with any insurance companies. Clients pay their therapist each time they come to a session and are then emailed an insurance-compatible statement at the end of each month to send to their insurance companies for out-of-network reimbursement called a superbill. Each insurance company varies on what reimbursement they give for psychotherapy out of network. You may want to check with your insurance company to find out what they offer for psychotherapy with a therapist with your therapist’s particular licensure in Georgia.
What Can I Expect at My First Therapy Appointment?
Many people have fears, assumptions, and at times, no idea at all about what therapy will be like the first time they come in for a first session. We would also encourage you to reach out and ask your therapist any questions you have about what therapy will be like with them.
Each therapist has their own way of approaching their work. But here are some things that may happen in your first session here at Sage Counseling and Wellness:
- When you start your first online appointment, you’ll be in the virtual waiting room.
- While you wait for your appointment, take a moment to breathe, look over any thoughts or items you’d like to share in the session, and perhaps take a restroom break beforehand so you can be fully present.
- As sessions are virtual, you can sit however you want to sit comfortably. Some clients prefer to sit at a desk, others in a comfy chair with a laptop or tablet, and some others sit on the floor on a yoga mat to stretch while in session. It’s completely up to you.
- In your first session, your therapist will likely remind you that what you talk about in session is completely confidential with a few legal and ethical exceptions, which will be explained to you (and which are outlined in our consent to treatment document). If you have any questions about those policies, you’re encouraged to ask!
- Your therapist might discuss any other policies they have (cancellation, payment, session length, scheduling, or other ‘frequently asked questions’). This all only takes a few minutes.
- Then, depending on the level of crisis that you’re currently experiencing, your therapist might review their particular style of therapy, discuss your intake form with you, begin a more thorough assessment of your history, or just ask you what brings you in at that particular time. From there on, it’s a conversation and there are no right or wrong things for you to say — the only thing you can do ‘wrong’ at that point is to be dishonest, and in doing so you would only slow down your progress. If there is something about your therapist that seems like it would get in the way of you feeling comfortable being honest, you can say so, and your therapist may be able to help you feel more comfortable. We want you to feel comfortable and confident with your therapist. If at any time you don’t, please let them know or let the director know.
- Your therapist may or may not take notes, depending on their treatment style. These notes are also confidential unless you consent to their release, and they are kept safely in our electronic health record system.
- Therapy is a safe space to show your vulnerability so crying is perfectly acceptable.
- You’ll pay for your session at the end, generally, via your credit card on file.
- You can discuss a regular meeting time with your therapist so that this time becomes your reserved time. This helps in accountability for you to work on your progress as well.