Brainspotting is a rapid, effective therapy that works with trauma as well as performance and sports enhancement. It is quite different than talk therapy as it helps people come to a physical and psychological homeostasis.
The Brainspotting motto is "Where you look affects how you feel." So if you are bothered by something and look to the right you will feel different about it then when you look to the left or center. This is because we actually look with our brains and in our brain is a part that helps us orient to our environment which is both connected to what we see and how we feel. In working with a Brainspotting therapist one would discuss the issue, and over the course of the discussion find something specific to work on. They would then find a Brainspot by connecting the issue with a body sensation and then identifying, with the help of the Brainspotting therapist, a spot in their visual field to focus on. By using focused mindfulness, and sometimes bilateral sound one's brain and body begin to naturally release the internal material that brought about the disturbance. The person working may talk or be silent and report once in a while to their therapist what they are experiencing. Each person process different and the therapist is trained to follow the rhythm and reflexes of the client.
History
Brainspotting was started by David Grand, Ph.D.,
while working with a figure skater who was having trouble with her
triple loop jump. He had worked with her for a year and a half in 90
minute sessions combining Somatic Experience, Eye Movement
Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and other mind/body therapies.
While going across her field of vision he noticed her eyes wobbling.
Instead of moving across her field of vision he stayed on the spot and a
torment of material that had not come out before came out. He got
curious and over time noticed this was not just for one patient but by
tracking the reflexes of patients and waiting for their natural process
to unfold rapid healing happened. He brought his observations to his
colleagues and noticed discovered the process of healing from focusing
on a spot, aligned with an issue and the body is a phenomena of human
nature. Brainspotting has expanded to train over 10,000 therapists in
over 30 countries and continues to expand.