How to prepare for a brainspotting session
so, What is brainspotting?
If you haven’t heard of brainspotting, after this post you’ll be glad you did! Brainspotting is a powerful body-based therapy that uses eye position, mindfulness, and the compassionate attunement of a therapist to help you process trauma and heal at the root level. Brainspotting uses a technique to work with the deep, subcortical parts of your brain where trauma is stored, which goes deeper than just talk therapy. It is fast, effective, and safe. You can read more about it here and here.
How to prepare for a brainspotting session
So you’re going to have your first brainspotting session! You might be nervous and unsure of what to expect. This post will set your mind at ease and walk you through what to expect in a session.
If you are doing an in-person session, your therapist will have everything you’ll need. If you’re doing an online session, there are a few things you can have handy.
A water bottle (hydration is rule #1, right!?)
Kleenexes
Your laptop/desktop. It is possible to do brainspotting on a smaller screen like a cell phone, but a large screen can be easier, so if you have access to your computer for the session, use that.
Optional—headphones. Some people find that listening to binaural music while doing a session can be calming and help them enter deeper into the processing. You can play this music on a low volume setting so that you can still hear the therapist. You can play the music from a separate device like your phone, or even from your laptop. Your therapist won’t be able to hear it, just you! Here are some free youtube playlists for binaural music:
The music is just optional though, so if it feels too techy or just doesn't work for you, don’t worry about it.
What to expect in a brainspotting session
So you’ve got your supplies, your laptop, and a private, comfortable location. But what is a session like, you might be wondering?
To begin with, you and your therapist will discuss what issue you want to focus on. It might be a past trauma, a negative core belief, or a behavior you want to change. Or it might be something positive you want to increase in your life, like getting over writer’s block, working out more, feeling more joy, or reconnecting to a part of you from childhood. Brainspotting is very flexible and can be used for all kinds of issues.
Once you identify an issue, your therapist will ask you a few questions to help bring up the emotion for you. They might ask you to notice what emotions you feel and where you feel them in your body related to that issue. And then they will help you find a spot in your visual field where you are the most in touch with that issue. They might use a pointer to help you find it on your screen, or ask questions to help you find it off-screen in your environment.
After that, you are brainspotting! The good news is that you cannot do it wrong. All you have to do is look at that spot and notice whatever thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, body sensations, etc. that come up connected to the issue you are working on. This is the practice of mindfulness, just observing whatever comes up without judgment and following where it takes you. During this process you can vocalize as much of this as you would like with your therapist, or if you prefer to process more internally that is ok, too.
Your therapist is there attuning to you, and going through the process with you. The attuned presence of another caring, calm individual can help us to go deeper into our process. They are there to witness with you, support you, and they can help too if you get stuck. They can help dial things up if things feel flat, or dial it down if it starts to feel too anxiety-provoking.
At the end of the session, your therapist will check in to compare how you are feeling about the issue as compared to where you began.
How to care for yourself after a brainspotting session
After a session, your brain will keep processing for the next 48-72 hours. You may notice feeling tired. This is normal, your brain is working very hard during processing sessions like these and as a result you may feel fatigued and need more rest. If possible, be gentle with yourself after a session and allow yourself more rest. Hydrate, have a snack, and enjoy some gentle movement like walking, which can be calming after a session. Most people find a sense of relief after a session. For some, the changes can be subtle, so it is good to check in a few days after your session. Do you notice a decrease of symptoms? or an increase of a positive behavior you were wanting to encourage? Noting your level of distress about a topic before and after brainspotting can help you see the progress.
As with any therapy, there are also some risks, such as becoming more aware of difficult or painful feelings associated with whatever was worked on. This is the case with any kind of therapy, and is not unusual. If this happens, talk to your therapist about a plan for self-care and additional support.
Just because this happens with brainspotting once does not mean it will always happen for you, so be open to trying it again if you can and talk with your therapist about a plan to work through whatever is coming up.
Finding a brainspotting therapist near me
If you’d like to find a brainspotting therapist and give it a try, feel free to give me a call for a free 15-min phone consultation to see if we’d be a good fit. I’d love to help you get to the root of things and start healing at the deepest level today.