SOMATIC THERAPY

Somatic therapy prioritizes what the body is experiencing in any given moment (as opposed to talk therapy, prioritizing thoughts and thinking). Brainspotting is a specific and profoundly deep somatic exploration that allows processing to “drop down” into deeper parts of the brain- the limbic system and brainstem, aka “the land of no words”. Using various eye movements and gazing spots, folx are able to access distressing sensations in the body, sit with that discomfort and watch it dissipate. During this process, folx often have insights that they forgot about or didn’t know, in Brainspotting we call this “processing”. Mild triggers can be processed as quickly as one or two sessions, whereas more long-term issues usually take more sessions to process completely. The main premise of Brainspotting therapy is that we trust your brain’s capacity to heal itself (neuroplasticity) and we keep that at the forefront, so what this looks like in practice is going with what is coming up for you, if you’re inclined to look in a particular direction, and honoring your brain and body’s wisdom. There are some Brainspotting approaches that may be led slightly more by the therapist, and would be discussed in the beginning if you are having a harder time trusting yourself.

Brainspotting Psychotherapy (BSP)

Brainspotting is a powerful, focused somatic or brain-based therapy that was developed by David Grand, PhD. He formulated this approach after training in EMDR and realizing that people had ‘brainspots’ in their vision that correlated with where the guided their vision. This approach works by identifying, processing, and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms. Brainspotting is a simultaneous form of diagnosis and treatment, enhanced with BioLateral sound, which is deep, direct, and powerful yet focused and containing.

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. Brainspotting is accordingly a physiological tool/treatment which has profound psychological, emotional, and physical effects.

More information can be found directly on the brainspotting website here.

SOMATIC BREATHWORK

Breathwork sessions are a self-led intuitive process of getting in touch with your own body and breath as well as your current needs or wants, as a means to release physical, mental, emotional or energetic limitations that you don’t need anymore.