Brainspotting
Nervous system work for trauma, anxiety, chronic pain, and stuck patterns
There are things you can understand completely and still feel completely caught in.
You might know why you react the way you do. You might have done a lot of work on it.
And something still fires the same way it always has, usually at the worst possible moment.
That's not a failure of insight.
Insight lives in a different part of the brain than the reactions you're trying to change.
Brainspotting works with the part of your brain that actually stores those patterns.
The part that doesn't care what you know.
It helps your nervous system process what talking alone can't quite reach.
How It Works
Brainspotting uses eye position to find where emotional or traumatic material is held in the nervous system. When we locate a "brainspot," your system starts to process.
What that looks like is different for everyone. Sometimes it's emotion moving. Sometimes physical sensations shift. Sometimes it's pretty quiet. Your brain may keep processing after a session ends, which is normal and actually part of how the work happens. We close carefully every time so you're grounded before you leave.
It's not talk therapy, though we use words when they're useful. It's not scripted. And it goes places that insight and planning usually don't.
What Actually Changes
What I hear most from clients after Brainspotting is usually something like:
"That thing that always triggers me happened again, but I didn't get triggered.
It was still hard, but I can handle something that’s hard if I’m not triggered.”
The stressor may still exist.
The conversation might still be uncomfortable.
But when the nervous system reactivity softens, you have more room to work with. More ability to deal with something hard without spiraling or shutting down.
And when your reactions start to change, so do the experiences you’re able to have. Things that felt closed off or impossible start to look different.
What I Use It For
Trauma & Nervous System Overload
Traumatic events that are still present in your body
Grief that hasn’t fully moved through
Phobias that feel irrational but powerful
Difficulty with sexuality or intimacy after trauma
First responder work and the cumulative weight it carries
Therapists and helpers carrying the weight of others' trauma
Car accidents or injuries that led to chronic pain
Birth Trauma
Relational & Attachment Patterns
Self-limiting beliefs and the stories you keep telling yourself about what’s possible
Negative self-talk and shame that won’t quit
Compulsive behaviors you understand but can’t seem to stop
People-pleasing that keeps overriding your own needs
Hearing your parent's voice come out of your mouth with your kid
Attachment patterns that keep replaying in your relationships
Polyamorous relationship struggles where your feelings and your values don't quite align
Identity, Belonging & Self-Trust
Chronic anxiety that lives in your body
Internal conflict around identity
A persistent sense of being out of sync with yourself
Moving from gender dysphoria toward gender euphoria
Performance & Creative Blocks
Athletic performance goals
Creative blocks
Stage fright or fears around being visible
A sense that something is holding you back but you can't name it
A lot of people come in saying "I don't know if this is big enough to be trauma."
If it's still living in your nervous system, it's big enough.
What a Session Is Like
Some sessions have a lot of words. Some have very few. We track what's happening in your body and let what's ready move.
We always close with grounding before you leave. Not because healing wraps up neatly, but because we want you to be able to go on with your day.
Weekly Sessions or an Intensive?
Some people do really well with weekly Brainspotting.
Others find that the 50-minute container keeps stopping them right when something wants to open.
I offer both, and if you're not sure which makes more sense for where you are, that's a good thing to figure out together.
Book a free consultation and we'll figure out what fits.