Brainspotting

Your body and brain remember everything you experience. Unpleasant memories end up in our subconscious to protect us. This prevents us from processing them properly.

However, we do notice certain symptoms that indicate something is bothering us. These include nervousness, anxiety, the need to be in control, a busy mind, sleep problems, gloominess, excessive stress or burnout, and unexplained physical symptoms. Even if we try to change this or talk about it, it doesn’t really go away.

Brainspotting is one of the newest ways to treat trauma and blockages without focusing on thinking or talking. Through an eye position, you gain access to the subconscious and can process difficult experiences at lightning speed.

What complaints does it work for?

Excessive insecurity, negative self-image, fear of failure
(Chronic) pain complaints
(Unexplained) fears
Being preoccupied with your thoughts
Wanting to be in control
Difficulty saying “no”
Post-traumatic stress
Burnout
Difficulty putting your feelings into words
Emotions whose origin you do not know
Addiction
Compulsive behaviour
Mood swings

Brainspotting is suitable for all ages!

How does it work?

When something is bothering you, it often causes a feeling or tension in your body. That is what we will work with. We will look at where you focus your eyes when you feel that tension. That is the “brainspot” we will work with. I will ask you to look at a pointer (a stick with a ball on the end) and at the same time feel what is happening in your body. Contact with me as your therapist is important in this process.

Traumas often arise because we felt alone during a difficult event. I will support you in staying with the feeling. Your body will now automatically release the stress that is stuck in that place in your brain. This will change the way you experience things. The stress load will be reduced and you will experience more gentleness and peace.

A brainspotting session can also be done online.

Client experiences:

‘I was always afraid of needles, and someone suggested I try brain spotting. I wasn’t really convinced, but I decided to give it a try anyway. After three sessions, I noticed a huge difference when I had to have two injections in my mouth at the dentist. I wouldn’t have been able to do that before. My fear was much less. It just worked.’ Liam

I am quite a thinker, and I was surprised that my mind became calmer during Brainspotting. I felt my heart and, strangely enough, I suddenly felt enveloped by a kind of parental security. A feeling of safety that I could trace back to my parents. A basic sense of security that gave me the feeling: you are allowed to be here, it’s okay, you don’t have to prove anything. What surprised me most was that I always think about my parents in complicated terms, but now I only feel peace. Nico

Where does Brainspotting come from?

Psychotherapist David Grand is the founder of Brainspotting. He developed it from the more well-known EMDR. He then added valuable insights from body-oriented trauma treatment, such as Somatic Experiencing.

Brainspotting has been named the most effective treatment method in a number of studies. It is also my experience that it leads to very good results.