Discover Healing Beyond Pain with Brainspotting Therapy
Brainspotting is a powerful, focused treatment to release pain and achieve clarity using the natural healing of your brain-body.
Do you want to move beyond traditional talk therapy?
Release deep-held physical and mental stress.
Break free from trauma using eye positions linked to distress.
Build trust in your wisdom through brain-body connection.
Find relief from pain deeply held in past experiences.
Achieve lasting transformation by addressing the root of your pain.
Brainspotting therapy might be for you if:
✅ You're seeking a way to heal from deep stress that feels unhealed from traditional talk therapy.
✅ You're longing to release stuck emotions or painful memories without having to endlessly recount your story.
✅ You feel disconnection between your mind and body and are looking for a therapy that can bridge that gap.
✅ You're curious about the power of your own brain and body and innovative, alternative approaches.
✅ You're ready to experience breakthroughs and lasting change by tapping into the core sources of your challenges.
✅ You're looking for a therapy empowers your nervous system to naturally find its way back to balance.
Brainspotting therapy might not be a good fit for you if…
🚫 Focusing on body sensations is intensely overwhelming and painful.
🚫 You don’t want to use eye positions as part of therapy.
🚫 You’re seeking therapy that is purely talk, cognitive, and logic-based.
🚫 You need a highly directive, therapist-led approach.
🚫 You can’t tolerate shifts in gaze or you experience strong visual processing sensitivities.
🚫 You have current and uncontrolled epilepsy or migraine that is triggered by eye movement or visual cue.
Hi, I’m Carly ☼
Your dedicated Brainspotting therapist.
Brainspotting is really personal to me. I was in my first Brainspotting training when I learned of my dad’s suicide. That was obviously awful, and it showed me firsthand the power of Brainspotting with raw trauma and grief.
I’m passionate about helping you move beyond the limitations of pain and trauma with Brainspotting.
Whether you choose online therapy or prefer to meet in person, I’m here to guide you on your Brainspotting journey.
faqs
Brainspotting Therapy
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Brainspotting Therapy (BSP) is a powerful and focused brain-body therapy that helps you identify, process, and release the underlying causes of emotional pain, trauma, and a wide range of other challenging symptoms.
It works by connecting specific points in your visual field ("Brainspots") with the emotional and physical experiences stored in your brain.
By focusing on these spots while being present with your internal experience, your brain can naturally access and heal these deeper issues.
Citations:
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Brainspotting is a versatile therapy that can address a variety of challenges.
Here's a list of issues it can often help with:
Trauma (including complex trauma and PTSD)
Anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety)
Depression
Phobias
Grief and loss
Performance enhancement (in areas like sports and creative arts)
Chronic pain
Attachment issues
Relationship difficulties
Dissociation
Addictions
Compulsive behaviors
Sleep disturbances
Stress management
Emotional regulation difficulties
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A brainspot is a point in your visual field that activates a memory or emotion that you are working on. Once the brainspot is located, you’ll focus on it while processing the memory or emotion.
A brainspot can also hold joy, connection, and hope, which allows us to work from a spot that feels supportive, too.
A “trauma capsule” is the material that Brainspotting targets. It holds the sensory memory of experiences. The smells, sounds, sights, feelings etc. from an especially traumatic or overwhelming memory.
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Brainspotting is based on the idea that the brain stores traumatic memories in both the cognitive and emotional parts.
When we try to process these memories through traditional talk therapy like CBT therapy, we may only be able to access the cognitive part of the memory. This can make it difficult to fully process and heal from the trauma.
Brainspotting accesses trauma in the subcortical brain, the area of the brain responsible for motion, consciousness, emotions, and learning.
Brainspotting relies on the relationship between client and therapist in order to identify eye placements (brainspot) that hold trauma and pain.
Bilateral music is used in combination with the brainspot to release the trauma and heal through to confidence and security.
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One key difference is that Brainspotting directly focuses on identifying and processing specific neurophysiological activity in the brain that is correlated with emotional and physical experiences.
While talk therapy often focuses on cognitive understanding and verbal processing of issues, Brainspotting utilizes specific eye positions ("Brainspots") to access deeper, often non-verbal, parts of the brain where trauma and unresolved experiences can be held.
This allows for a more direct and often faster route to releasing these experiences.
Unlike some other somatic therapies, Brainspotting is often less about specific techniques and more about sustained focus on the identified Brainspot, allowing the brain's natural self-healing process to unfold.
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Yes, Brainspotting therapy can absolutely be done online and many find it to be very effective.
Online Brainspotting benefits:
Convenience and Accessibility: Virtual sessions allow you to participate in therapy from the comfort and privacy of your own home, eliminating the need for travel.
Comfort and Familiarity: Being in your own environment can sometimes enhance feelings of safety and control, which can be beneficial for processing deeper emotions.
Effectiveness: Brainspotting has been successfully adapted for online delivery and can be just as powerful and transformative as in-person sessions for many individuals.
Many therapists, including myself, have found online Brainspotting to be a valuable way to connect with clients and facilitate deep healing.
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Yes, Brainspotting is an evidence-based therapy. While research is still growing, several studies and a substantial amount of clinical experience support its effectiveness, particularly for trauma.
For example, research published in the Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology in the study titled "Brainspotting – the efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in comparison to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing" 1 found Brainspotting to be an effective alternative therapeutic approach for individuals who experienced a traumatic event and/or with PTSD. You can find this study here: Brainspotting – the efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in comparison to Eye Movement 2 - Traumatherapie.de
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We’ll start by making sure you’re in a comfortable spot, and use mindfulness, breathing, and bilateral music to help you relax.
Once you’re feeling settled, I’ll ask you to identify a place in your body where you feel the most distress. This may be a physical sensation, such as a tightness in your chest or a knot in your stomach, or it may be an emotional sensation, such as sadness or anger. Once you have identified this area, you’ll rate your distress on a scale of one to ten.
Next, I’ll help you to locate a brainspot. This is a point in your visual field that activates the neural network associated with the distress that you have identified. I’ll use my pointer to guide your eyes.
As you focus on your brainspot, you may begin to experience a range of emotions. It's important to stay present with whatever comes up, even if it’s uncomfortable. I’ll help you to process whatever arises.
After a period of time, we’ll explore the feelings that have come up. Hopefully, you’ll notice new insights into your experiences and develop new coping mechanisms.
At the end of the session, you will again rate your distress level. Typically, it will be lower than it was when you started.
Some people report feeling a sense of release, either mentally or physically. It is also normal to feel exhausted or more emotional than usual after a Brainspotting session.
We will have a plan in place for handling difficult feelings after a session. During the next session, we will check in on the issue and continue processing if needed.
Trauma therapy can be uncomfortable, but should never leave you feeling more overwhelmed than you began.
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Here are some of the key benefits of Brainspotting therapy:
Can help release deep-seated trauma and stress that may be difficult to access with traditional talk therapy.
Offers a powerful way to process and heal from difficult emotions and painful memories without needing to repeatedly recount the details.
Taps into the brain and body's natural ability to heal and restore balance.
Can lead to significant breakthroughs and insights, often in a more efficient timeframe compared to other therapies.
May provide relief from a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, phobias, chronic pain, and more.
Can enhance self-awareness and emotional regulation skills.
Offers a focused and client-led approach that respects your own pace of healing.
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Not necessarily. While there may be some initial discussion to understand what you'd like to work on, Brainspotting often involves less talking than traditional talk therapy.
The focus is more on your internal experience while focusing on specific eye positions.
You may choose to verbalize what you're noticing, but it's also perfectly okay to process silently. The process is guided by your internal responses rather than the need to constantly describe your thoughts and feelings verbally.
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While Brainspotting can bring up intense emotions as you process difficult experiences, it is not intended to be intentionally painful or retraumatizing.
In fact, a key principle of Brainspotting is to proceed at a pace that feels manageable for you, and you are always in control.
As your therapist, I will help create a safe and supportive environment to navigate any challenging emotions that may arise.
The goal is to help you process and release trauma in a way that is empowering and leads to healing, rather than overwhelming you. We will also focus on building resources to help you manage any difficult feelings both during and after sessions.
It's normal to experience some emotional intensity, but the process is designed to help you move through it towards greater relief.
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Brainspotting sessions are typically either 55 or 85 minutes long, depending on your personalized treatment plan and what feels most supportive for you.
As for the number of sessions needed, that varies greatly from person to person and depends on the complexity of the issues being addressed, the intensity of the experiences, and your individual progress. Some individuals may experience significant shifts within a few sessions, while others may benefit from longer-term therapy.
We will discuss your specific goals and tailor a treatment plan to meet your unique needs, regularly checking in on your progress together.
Brainspotting can take relatively few sessions to process trauma compared to talk therapy.
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My fees for Brainspotting therapy are:
$300 - Intake session (75 min)
$200 - Weekly or biweekly session (55 min)
$325 - Weekly or biweekly session (85 min)
I do not accept insurance for payment.
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The easiest way to schedule a Brainspotting therapy session with me is to Schedule a Free Consultation.
This will take you to my online scheduling system where you can select a time for a brief consultation call. During this call, we can discuss your needs and determine if Brainspotting therapy is a good fit for you.
