Find emotional and physical relief from trauma, anxiety and depression.

Brainspotting Therapy

In Walnut Creek and online across California

What is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting is based on the idea from Dr David Grand that

where you look affects how you feel. 

I know this sounds strange at first…but stay with me here for a minute. Let’s say you begin thinking about a distressing memory. Depending on where in your visual field your eyes look as you think about this memory, you might note some differences in your body. For example, you may feel your heart racing when you look towards the left. But when your eyes move in a different direction you might not feel anything at all. Brainspotting uses your field of vision to locate areas in your brain where you’ve stored a trauma or negative experience. It appears to bypass your logical “thinking” brain to tap in to the “feeling” part of the brain.

In a Brainspotting session, using my own observations and/or listening to yours, I will help locate your “brainspots”-the places in your visual field that correlate with the memory or situation you are thinking about. Finding these spots helps give access to the subcortical part of the brain -where it is hypothesized that trauma often gets “stuck”.  

Brainspotting can be a powerful way of accessing the source of the trauma or worry or sadness or limiting beliefs.

It differs from traditional talk therapy in that there’s actually no talking necessary.

I trust your brain to know exactly what to do to heal. As your therapist I will be right there with you as a warm and attuned presence to guide you through this-without interfering with your brain’s natural healing process. 


Have you tried traditional talk therapy but not seen or felt the change you’ve been searching for?

Maybe you’ve found some temporary relief by talking to a therapist on a regular basis but feel frustrated that you can’t shift patterns or behaviors in a more long-lasting way no matter how hard you try.

Perhaps you’ve been hesitant to try out any type of therapy because you aren’t sure how talking about the issues you are struggling with would help.

Or maybe it feels way too overwhelming to even begin to speak about trauma you’ve experienced.

No matter where you are starting from…Brainspotting can be an incredible tool on your path towards healing.



Brainspotting can help with:

  • Anxiety and panic

  • Depression

  • Grief and Loss

  • Medical trauma

  • Relationship Concerns

  • Difficult memories

  • Restricting beliefs about ourselves or others

Brainspotting clients often comment about feeling an increased sense of both physical and emotional well-being

Sometimes people feel these changes after just one session. For others, it's helpful to continue Brainspotting for several sessions. There is no exact rule or “right” way here. We will explore what your experience is and decide together as we go along. 


  • Brainspotting works by attuning into the brain’s autonomic and limbic systems. These are located within the central nervous system.

    Dr David Grand, who initially discovered Brainspotting in 2003, says this:

    “Brainspotting gives us a tool…to neurobiologically locate, focus, process an release experiences and symptoms that are typically out of reach of the conscious mind and its cognitive and language capacity.”

  • We will begin by identifying something that is bothering you or causing distress. I will then ask you to rate the level of activation you feel when thinking about the issue on a scale of 0-10. We will also determine if you are able to feel this activation in your body. For example, someone might feel a tightening of the chest or pain in the stomach when thinking about a difficult event. Someone else may not be able to identify any feeling at all.

    Next we will locate the eye position, or brain “spot,” associated with this issue. I will guide your eyes to follow a pointer I hold up. Once we locate a spot, I will ask you to focus on where the pointer is for a period of mindfulness/processing. You might notice thoughts, feelings or sensations surfacing. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to do this. One of the beautiful things about Brainspotting is that it’s a new experience every time. Your brain knows what it needs to do to heal.

    When the processing is completed, I will check in and ask what, if anything, you’d like to share about your experience. We will also take note of how the activation now feels on that scale of 0-10, and how the body is feeling.

  • After Brainspotting sessions, clients have shared that they feel less reactive when thinking about difficult memories or situations-as if there is more of a “buffer” available. Some describe a greater sense of calm and well-being. Others are able to discover new insights related to issues that felt “stuck” for a long time despite years talking about them in therapy.

Is brainspotting right for you?

Brainspotting is a good fit for you if you…

  • Have tried talk therapy, understand the “why” behind your anxiety, sadness or patterns of behavior but something still seems “stuck” in terms of feeling better in your day to day life.

  • Can’t find the words or it feels too overwhelming to describe trauma or difficult memories . Brainspotting doesn’t require any talking out loud unless you’d like to.

  • Are interested in the idea of letting your brain do what it needs to do to lead to healing (in mind, body and spirit)

  • Would like to find a way to go beyond the “thinking” brain and access trauma/memories/emotions that are stored in the subcortical “feeling” part of the brain.

What we’ll work on

Brainspotting can help you with…

  • Thinking about painful memories with less distress

  • Feeling less reactive

  • Reducing Anxiety

  • Reducing negative thought patterns

  • Feeling the weight lift off your chest so you have more room to breathe

  • Feeling lighter and more at ease in your body 

  • Feeling less in that “stuck” feeling and gaining insight 

  • Expanding desired emotions-increasing creativity, joy and warmth within yourself

Your story is welcome here.

We can’t change what happened in the past. But that doesn’t mean you need to continue to carry it all. 


Questions?

FAQs

  • Brainspotting can be used in a very flexible way. It can help to think ahead of time of an issue or memory that feels activating or distressing. If the issue you’d like to work on feels too big or overwhelming, I can help you identify a smaller piece of it to start with.

    Some people find that listening to a specialized playlist of a type of music called BioLateral music on headphones (at a low volume) helps them go deeper into the processing. This is not a requirement however and Brainspotting works with or without the addition of the music.

  • There is no exact number required or recommended. Some people feel immediate results after only one session. Others find benefit after several sessions.

  • You can absolutely come in for sessions of Brainspotting and continue working with your other therapist. It can be used on its own or in addition to other types of therapy.

  • Brainspotting is effective both in person and virtually.

  • I know Brainspotting can sound a bit strange when you first hear about it. However, it’s a method that has helped many, many clients find relief and healing. Please reach out if you’d like to learn more or are interested in trying it out.

  • Here is one list to take a look at (compiled by the Rocky Mountain Brainspotting Institute):

    https://rockymountainbrainspottinginstitute.com/resources/