When we experience a traumatic event, our brain takes all of the memories, sights, sounds, physical sensations, and emotions that occur during that event and stuffs them into all sorts of hiding spaces in our minds and bodies. As a result, we are constantly at risk of a random sight, sound, or memory triggering devastating emotional and physical responses in our daily lives. To heal from our trauma, we need the means to access the hidden memories and sensations associated with them. Brainspotting can help.
What Is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is the guided act of using the focus of our eyes to access memories and reframe them in a way that allows us to heal. Memories are associated with the direction our eyes were looking when the trauma occurred. Finding that direction and focusing on it for a period of time allows us to access the memories of the trauma, address them, and begin to heal from them. While this may seem too simple to work, brainspotting is effective when practiced under the guidance of a trained mental healthcare professional.
It starts with the therapist moving a pointer across the patient’s vision. The patient indicates when they are looking in the direction that creates the most tension. Oftentimes the therapist will notice physical cues in the patient when their eyes are locked on the “spot” that gives them the most access to their memories of trauma. From there, the therapist will guide them into processing and reframing their response to emotional distress in a positive way that encourages growth.
Processing trauma can be a taxing process. Brainspotting is a technique that allows healing to begin quickly. Accessing the feelings and sensations associated with memories will enable us to process them and reframe them in a way that is no longer harmful to our growth.
How Does Brainspotting Help?
Being tied to a traumatic event holds us back in our ability to grow, feel joy, or even love. Brainspotting empowers us to move forward in life. One of the greatest gifts that brainspotting provides is the ability to forgive.
Holding grudges ties us to our past pain. Wishing ill to those people who harmed us only intertwines our lives further with painful past events. Forgiving and moving on allow us to extract ourselves from that past event and move forward with our lives.
Brainspotting also allows us to feel freedom and joy again. Knowing that we have taken control of our future by reframing our past is liberating. With liberation comes the joy of a life unencumbered by the constant fear of triggers waiting around every corner.
Healing from trauma seems impossible at times. It feels like something that is far beyond our reach and even further beyond our power. But with help from the right mental health professional, in the right setting, recovery from trauma lies within our scope.
Trauma is something that happens to us, but it’s not something we have to recover from alone. We’re not just stuck with it. We do not have to carry it with us everywhere we go, waiting for the next trigger to send us spiraling into a whirlwind of anxiety, depression, and pain. There are therapeutic methods that can help. The right mental health facility can provide more help than you ever thought possible. If you or someone you care about struggles with trauma-related mental health disorders, please call The Guest House at (855) 483-7800 to start healing today.