What Happens During A Brainspotting Session?

If you've been considering Brainspotting, you may be wondering what actually happens during a session. Many people have heard that Brainspotting can help with trauma, anxiety, and other emotional struggles, but they aren't quite sure what the process looks like.

While Brainspotting can involve talking, it is different from traditional talk therapy. Rather than focusing solely on analyzing thoughts or retelling your story, Brainspotting helps access the deeper parts of the brain and nervous system where emotional experiences can become stored.

Many clients find Brainspotting to be a powerful addition to other modalities, especially when they feel stuck despite understanding their experiences logically.

First: Safety

Before we begin Brainspotting, we spend time building a strong therapeutic relationship and making sure you feel comfortable in our work together. I want you to feel supported, understood, and emotionally prepared before we begin processing.

Throughout our work together, you remain in control of the process. We move at a pace that feels manageable for your nervous system. I work to create a calm, supportive space where you can slow down and focus inward without judgment or pressure.

Identifying What You Want to Work On

At the beginning of a Brainspotting session, we start by identifying an issue, emotion, memory, belief, or experience that feels important to address.

For example, you might notice:

• Constant worry about a specific event

• A traumatic experience

• Feelings of overwhelm

• Grief after loss

• A difficult childhood memory

• A relationship struggle

• A feeling of being "stuck"

• A strong emotional reaction that doesn't seem to make sense

You may come in knowing exactly what you want to process. Or you may simply know that something feels heavy or unresolved. Both approaches are completely okay.

Second: Activation within Body

Once we've identified a focus area, I will invite you to notice what happens inside your body when you think about that experience.

This might include:

• Tightness in your chest

• A knot in your stomach

• Tension in your shoulders

• A lump in your throat

• Racing thoughts

• Tingling in hands

• Twitching muscles

Rather than trying to make these sensations go away, we become curious about them. We often spend so much time pushing uncomfortable feelings aside that we rarely have an opportunity to simply notice what our bodies are trying to tell us.

Third: Finding the Brainspot

Using a pointer, I help identify a specific eye position that appears connected to the issue you're working on. This eye position is called a "brainspot." Brainspotting is based on the idea that where you look can influence access to certain emotional and physiological experiences. As we slowly move through your visual field, I may ask you to notice whether certain positions increase emotional intensity, body sensations, memories, or awareness. When we find a spot that seems connected to the experience, we pause there.

This process is gentle and collaborative. There are no right or wrong answers, and there is no pressure to perform or do it perfectly.

Fourth: Processing What Emerges

Once we find the brainspot, the majority of the session involves noticing what unfolds naturally.

You may experience:

• Thoughts

• Emotions

• Physical sensations

• Memories

• Images

• Insights

• New connections

Sometimes clients talk quite a bit during this phase. Other times there may be long periods of silence. Again, there is no right or wrong. In our everyday lives, we often feel pressure to explain, analyze, or immediately solve problems. Brainspotting creates space to simply observe and process.

I remain present and attuned throughout the process. I am not leaving you alone with difficult emotions. Instead, I am helping create a safe environment where your brain and body can do the work they were designed to do.

What Does a Session Feel Like?

Every person's experience is different.

Some clients describe feeling emotional relief during the session. Others notice physical sensations such as warmth, tingling, yawning, deep breaths, or muscle relaxation. Some experience powerful insights. Others notice changes gradually over days or weeks after a session. Many people report feeling lighter, calmer, more grounded, or less reactive to situations that previously felt overwhelming. Because Brainspotting works with the brain and nervous system, changes often occur beneath conscious awareness before they become obvious in daily life.

You Don't Have to Have the Perfect Words

One of the things clients often appreciate most about Brainspotting is that it does not require you to explain everything perfectly. Sometimes the hardest experiences to describe are the ones that affect us most deeply.

You may know that you're anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted, or carrying something heavy, but struggle to put it into words.

That's okay. Brainspotting allows us to work with experiences that may exist beyond language alone.

Ready to Learn More?

If you're curious about Brainspotting and wondering whether it may be a good fit for you, I'd be happy to talk with you about your goals and answer any questions you have.

You do not have to carry it all alone. Click here to connect.