Brainspotting in Atlanta

Some things don’t come loose through talking about them. Where you look can help you reach them.

Maybe you’ve told the story of what happened to you many times and it still lands in your body the same way. Maybe you understand your patterns completely and understanding hasn’t changed them. Maybe talk therapy has helped a great deal and something underneath it hasn’t moved. If any of that is familiar, Brainspotting may reach what conversation alone hasn’t.

Brainspotting was developed by David Grand, PhD, from a deceptively simple observation: the direction of your gaze changes what you’re able to reach emotionally. Certain eye positions seem to hold a direct line to material the thinking part of the brain can’t easily get to.

What a brainspot is

Specific eye positions — “brainspots” — are connected to experience stored deep in the subcortical brain. In session, your therapist uses eye position to locate, focus, process, and release emotional and physical symptoms, working with your body’s own capacity to scan and heal itself.¹ By releasing what the body has been holding, Brainspotting can help reset painful memories in both body and brain, easing physical pain and stuck thought patterns and improving sleep and energy.

You may say very little for long stretches. That’s the work, not a sign it isn’t working.

What a session feels like

Deep breathing and bilateral sound help you settle into a mindful state and connect with what you’re feeling in your body. When you’re ready, your therapist guides you to find the brainspot, notice where you feel stuck, and stay with whatever surfaces.² Sessions are usually quieter and slower than talk therapy. If that sounds strange, it tends to make a lot more sense from the inside than it does described.

Brainspotting and EMDR

The two are relatives, and they’re often confused. Both work with the relationship between brain and body rather than through discussion alone, and both are used for trauma. The difference is structure. EMDR follows a defined eight-phase protocol with bilateral stimulation and a clear sequence. Brainspotting is more open-ended and follows where your attention actually goes, which some people find gentler and less prescriptive.

Neither is better in the abstract, and plenty of people do some of each. If the more structured version appeals to you, you can read about EMDR therapy here. If you’re not sure which fits, that’s a good thing to talk through on a consultation call rather than something you need to decide first.

What it can help with

• Trauma and painful memories that stay physically activating
• Chronic pain and persistent physical tension
• Negative thought patterns that haven’t shifted with insight alone
• Sleep and energy affected by unresolved experience
• Performance blocks, in sport, work, or creative practice

Take the next step

A free consultation call is the simplest way to find out whether this is a fit. It costs nothing, commits you to nothing, and gives you a sense of how the work actually feels before you decide. You can also reach our intake coordinator at info@innerbalanceatlanta.com.