Brainspotting Therapy: Gentle Trauma Healing Through Mind-Body Connection
Have you ever noticed how your body holds onto experiences that your mind has tried to move past? Brainspotting is a powerful therapeutic approach that helps you access and heal trauma, emotional pain, and stuck patterns by working directly with the deep brain-body connection—without requiring you to relive every detail of your story.
What Is Brainspotting Therapy?
Brainspotting helps you work through stuck emotions and old patterns that your body is still holding onto, even when your mind has tried to move past them. We start by noticing where you feel something in your body. Maybe it’s tightness in your chest, a knot in your stomach, tension in your shoulders, or even a sense of numbness or heaviness. You don’t need to explain what happened or tell the whole story. Your body already knows.
Research is catching up to what many clients already experience. Studies have shown that Brainspotting can reduce PTSD symptoms and appears to change how the brain processes traumatic memories. In one study, brain scans showed actual changes in brain activity after Brainspotting sessions. Other research has found that people report feeling less distressed after Brainspotting, with results similar to other proven trauma therapies.
In The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explains something many of us intuitively know: trauma lives in the body, not just the mind. Sometimes you can talk about something for years and still feel it physically. That’s because traumatic memories get stored in deeper parts of the brain, below where language and conscious thought happen. Brainspotting works directly with these deeper brain areas, which is why it can reach things that talk therapy alone sometimes can’t.
How Does Brainspotting Work?
Brainspotting helps you work through stuck emotions and old patterns that your body is still holding onto, even when your mind has tried to move past them. We start by noticing where you feel something in your body. Maybe it’s tightness in your chest, a knot in your stomach, tension in your shoulders, or even a sense of numbness or heaviness. You don’t need to explain what happened or tell the whole story. Your body already knows.
The Science Behind Brainspotting
Research is catching up to what many clients already experience. Studies have shown that Brainspotting can reduce PTSD symptoms and appears to change how the brain processes traumatic memories. In one study, brain scans showed actual changes in brain activity after Brainspotting sessions. Other research has found that people report feeling less distressed after Brainspotting, with results similar to other proven trauma therapies.
In The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explains something many of us intuitively know: trauma lives in the body, not just the mind. Sometimes you can talk about something for years and still feel it physically. That’s because traumatic memories get stored in deeper parts of the brain, below where language and conscious thought happen. Brainspotting works directly with these deeper brain areas, which is why it can reach things that talk therapy alone sometimes can’t.
What to Expect in a Brainspotting Session
Brainspotting sessions are typically 60 minutes and can be offered both in person at my Roseville office or remotely throughout California.
During our sessions, I’ll help you identify an issue or feeling you’d like to work on. Rather than needing to talk extensively about what happened, we’ll focus on where you feel it in your body. Together, we’ll find the eye position (brainspot) that corresponds with that feeling, and you’ll simply hold your gaze there while staying present with whatever arises.
The Process Is Client-Paced
One of the aspects I value most about Brainspotting is that it is entirely client paced. You remain in control throughout the session. There’s no pressure to speak, to remember specific details, or to process faster than feels comfortable. Your brain and body guide the healing process at the pace that’s right for you.
Brainspotting Can Help With
- Trauma & PTSD
- Anxiety or Panic
- Depression
- Relationship Patterns
- Grief and Loss
- Dissociation and Freeze Responses
- Physical Pain with Emotional Components
- Performance & Creative Blocks
My Personal Experience with Brainspotting
I experienced Brainspotting as a client during my training, and it left a lasting impression. I began feeling frustrated and irritated by a friend’s behavior and quickly became overwhelmed with sensations of loss, sadness, and loneliness related to their recent absence from my life. The session lasted over an hour, and I was struck by how many layers existed beneath the surface.
I moved through cycles of intense emotion that caused me to cry and experience strong sensations in my body, followed by periods of calm and thoughts such as, “That was probably all of it,” or “Maybe we should be wrapping up soon.”
What surprised me most was discovering additional layers of grief and loss that traced back to the sudden death of a close friend in 2011. I had been certain that I had already processed that loss completely and could remember him without sadness. To find that focusing on one spot in my visual field had uncovered this was unexpected, but the connection also made sense. The situations we experience in life affect us whether they are in our conscious awareness or not.
After that experience, I became incredibly motivated to continue this work with my clients and provide a different type of processing than I was able to do with talk therapy alone.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How is Brainspotting different from EMDR?
While both Brainspotting and EMDR work with eye positioning to process trauma, Brainspotting uses a single, fixed eye position rather than moving the eyes back and forth. This allows for deeper, more client paced processing. I chose Brainspotting because it feels gentler and less structured, giving clients more control over the pace and depth of their healing journey.
Do I need to talk about my trauma in detail?
No. One of the benefits of Brainspotting is that you don’t need to verbally recount traumatic events. We focus on where you feel activation in your body, and your brain processes what needs to be processed without requiring detailed storytelling.
How long does Brainspotting take to work?
This varies greatly depending on what you’re working through. Some clients notice shifts after just one session, while others benefit from ongoing work over several months. We’ll work at the pace that feels right for you.
Can Brainspotting be done online?
Yes! Brainspotting is highly effective via telehealth. I offer remote sessions throughout California for clients who prefer the convenience and comfort of meeting from home.
Do you accept insurance?
I am an out of network provider, which means I don’t bill insurance directly. However, many insurance plans offer reimbursement for out of network mental health services. I provide a superbill (detailed receipt) that you can submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement. I encourage you to contact your insurance provider to ask about your out of network mental health benefits and what percentage they may reimburse.
How much do sessions cost?
I offer a free 15 minute consultation where we can discuss your needs, determine if Brainspotting is a good fit, and go over session fees and insurance reimbursement options. This gives us a chance to connect before making any financial commitment.
Is Brainspotting safe?
Yes. Brainspotting is considered a safe, evidence informed therapy. Because it is client paced, you maintain control throughout the process. We work within your window of tolerance, ensuring you never feel overwhelmed or pushed beyond what feels manageable.
What should I expect to feel after a Brainspotting session?
Many clients report feeling tired after a session, as the brain and body have done significant processing work. Some feel lighter or more settled, while others may continue processing emotions for a day or two afterward. This is all normal and part of the healing process.
Do you offer in person Brainspotting sessions in Roseville?
Yes, I offer limited in person sessions at my Roseville, CA office, as well as remote sessions throughout California via secure telehealth. I serve clients in Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis, Folsom, Auburn, Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Carmichael, Rancho Cordova, and surrounding Placer County and Sacramento County areas.