What Is Brainspotting? A Clear Guide
Key Points
- Brainspotting is a cousin to EMDR that uses eye position, focused attention, and what you notice in your body and mind.
- Where you look can affect what you notice. Different eye positions can create different reactions to the same issue.
- You do not have to know exactly where a reaction came from, and you do not have to tell me every detail.
- EMDR is considered the gold standard for PTSD. Brainspotting just might be the platinum standard because it can often accomplish the same kind of processing in about half the time.
- Brainspotting is powerful for business, but it can be used for so much more.
Brainspotting can sound a little strange the first time someone hears the name. Are we spotting brains? Drawing polka dots? Staring at something until a problem disappears?
No.
Brainspotting is a cousin to EMDR. It uses eye position, focused attention, and what you notice in your body and mind to help complete the processing of something that is still getting a reaction.
One of the first things I tell clients is that you cannot do Brainspotting wrong. Every session is different. Some people talk a lot. Some barely talk at all. Some notice very clear body sensations, memories, emotions, images, or thoughts. Other people notice something much subtler. You do not need the perfect explanation before we begin. We can start with what you notice now.
How Brainspotting Works
Picture a cauliflower cut in half. You have the florets on the outside, the thicker stems underneath that nobody ever quite knows what to do with, and the core running through the middle.
For our purposes, the florets are the thinking part of the brain, the part that processes things and puts them into long-term memory. Those awkward stems underneath are the lizard brain, the limbic system. That is the reactive part of the brain: fight, flight, fawn. It is making very fast decisions about whether something is safe or dangerous. The core represents the connection to the body.
Something happens in life. Good, bad, ugly, whatever. You see it, hear it, feel it, and maybe smell it or taste it. Your body is taking in information about what is happening, and that information reaches the reactive part of the brain.
That part of the brain has a decision to make: Is this too much to process right now? Or is this something I need to hold on to because if I do not remember it, I could be in danger later?
If the answer to either question is yes, instead of completing the processing and putting that experience into long-term memory, the brain holds on to it. I call that a little time capsule.
The brain is trying to keep you alive. It is essentially saying, We are not dealing with all of this right now. We are going to hold on to it and process it later when it is safe.
The problem is that the time capsule leaks. Something happens later that is similar enough to the original experience, and the old reaction starts showing up in the current situation. Your thinking brain may be saying, This should not bother me this much, while another part of your brain is saying, Nope. We remember this. This could be dangerous.
That can show up in everyday life in ways that seem completely out of proportion to what is happening. Your husband says something fairly minor and suddenly you are furious. Someone questions your price and you immediately want to lower it. You sit down to send an email you have already written and your entire body is telling you not to hit send.
The current situation may not actually be the problem. It may simply have opened the time capsule.
Brainspotting lets us open that time capsule, process what is still sitting there, complete the memory, and put it into long-term storage where it becomes about as emotionally important as the shirt you wore last Thursday.
Why Eye Position Matters
The simplest answer is that where you look affects what you feel.
You can connect with the same issue and look in one direction without much reaction. Move your eyes somewhere else and suddenly you may notice more tension, stronger emotion, a body sensation, a memory, an image, or simply a stronger connection to the issue.
With something like imposter syndrome, fear of failure, or fear of being seen, we may find the spot that creates the most unease or tension in the body and work from there. With something that creates a much stronger reaction, we have other options. We can find a spot that gives us less intensity so you can still process it, or we can use an expansion brainspot, where we connect with what things could look or feel like if the issue were no longer there.
Once we find the spot, your eyes do not have to stay frozen there every second. The brainspot is an anchor. You can move away from it and come back. We use it to reconnect with the issue when your brain tries to pull away from something uncomfortable.
You are not trying to think your way into the right answer. You are paying attention to what is already happening.
A thought may come up. A memory may surface. A sensation may move. Something may become more intense and then settle. You may suddenly connect two things you had never connected before. You may cry, laugh, or sit there thinking, I have absolutely no idea what is happening right now.
All of that is fine. You cannot do it wrong.
What Happens During a Brainspotting Session?
There really is no typical Brainspotting session.
Brainspotting has a concept called follow the tail of the comet. That means we follow what is happening rather than forcing every session through the same script.
Some people need more interaction from me. They may need reassurance, questions, redirection, or reminders that they cannot do it wrong. Other people find the brainspot, get started, and barely need me to say anything for a while. Both are normal.
You may talk throughout part of the session or spend long periods quietly noticing what happens. A completely unexpected memory may show up. A sensation may move somewhere else in your body. Something may connect to an experience you had not even been thinking about when we started.
We follow it. That is the tail of the comet.
What Am I Doing While You Are Brainspotting?
Picture a toddler learning how to walk. They are toddling across the room and fall on their butt. What is one of the first things they do?
They look at the adults.
They are basically asking, How am I supposed to react to this?
If Mom gasps, jumps up, and looks terrified, the toddler may start screaming. If Mom stays calm and says, “You’re okay,” the toddler may decide that apparently this was not a disaster, stand back up, and keep going.
That child is borrowing someone else’s regulation. That is external regulation.
When we are born, we rely on other people for that. As we get older, we learn to do more of it ourselves. But when one of those old time capsules is telling your brain, Nope. This is dangerous, it can be difficult to stay with the process long enough to complete it.
That is part of my role. I provide calm reassurance and external regulation while you do the actual processing. I am helping you stay with it long enough for that process to happen, and sometimes I am guiding you along the way.
Your brain and body are doing the work.
Do I Have to Tell You Everything?
No, and this is one of the things many people really like about Brainspotting.
You can tell me exactly what happened. You can give me the Cliff Notes version. Or you can say, “There is something I do not want to talk about, but when I think about it I feel it right here.”
We can work with that.
You do not even have to know exactly what the original memory is. You may know exactly where the reaction came from, or you may have no idea. Either way, we can connect with what is happening now and work from there.
Knowing more can sometimes help me guide you, but I do not have to know everything that happened, and you do not have to relive every detail.
Sometimes you already understand the issue. You know what happened. You know why it bothers you. You know logically that the current situation is different.
What has not changed is the reaction.
That is where Brainspotting gives us another way to work with it.
Will Brainspotting Make Me Feel Worse?
One of the biggest fears people have about doing this kind of work is that we are going to open everything up, bring back every painful memory, and then leave them feeling worse than when they started.
That is not how I work.
You do not have to remember everything. You do not have to tell me everything. And we do not have to go straight to the most painful part of an experience in order to work with it.
Sometimes we work directly with the brainspot that creates the strongest reaction. Sometimes that is too much, and we use a spot that gives you enough connection to the issue to process it without becoming overwhelmed. We can also use an expansion brainspot and work from what it would feel like if the issue were no longer there.
We adjust based on what is happening for you.
And I make my clients a promise: I will never leave you worse than when we started the session.
That does not mean every Brainspotting session ends with you bouncing out of the room feeling fantastic. You may feel tired. You may still be thinking about something that came up. Your brain may continue making connections after the session.
But if something difficult opens up, we do not simply stop in the middle of it because the clock says the session is over.
Part of my job is paying attention to where you are throughout the process, providing calm reassurance and external regulation, changing what we are doing when needed, and helping you get to a place where you are not leaving the session worse than when you came in.
You are not being asked to white-knuckle your way through the worst thing that has ever happened to you. We work with what is there, adjust as we go, and use the brainspot that allows you to do the work.
Brainspotting, EMDR, and the Gold vs. Platinum Standard
Brainspotting grew out of EMDR. Psychologist David Grand discovered it in 2003 while using EMDR with a figure skater and noticed that when her eyes stopped in a particular position, something changed in the processing.
EMDR is considered the gold standard for PTSD.
Brainspotting just might be the platinum standard.
Brainspotting is more specific. Instead of continually moving the eyes, we locate the eye position connected with the memory or reaction and stay with it. Studies have shown that Brainspotting can process severe trauma in about half as many sessions as EMDR.
That does not mean Brainspotting is only for severe trauma. We can work with the big things, but we can also work with beliefs and reactions such as:
- I am not good enough.
- People are not going to like me.
- I am afraid they are going to find out who I really am.
- I cannot charge that much.
- What if I fail?
- What if I succeed and everything changes?
The process is still about finding what is getting the reaction and allowing it to complete.
Brainspotting Can Be Used for So Much More
Brainspotting is powerful for business, but it can be used for so much more.
Practitioners use Brainspotting with trauma, PTSD, anxiety, grief, fears and phobias, performance, creativity, confidence, difficult memories, emotional reactions, and many other concerns.
If you mostly know me through my current work, you are probably hearing about Brainspotting in the context of entrepreneurs. You will hear me talk about using it with pricing, visibility, selling, networking, completing projects, confidence, imposter syndrome, and other situations where something keeps getting in the way of action.
Those are simply some of the ways Brainspotting can be used.
How Brainspotting Fits Into My Work Today
As an Execution Block Specialist, I do not start with Brainspotting simply because somebody is stuck. First, I want to know why execution is breaking down.
That is where SCAN comes in.
Strategy: Is this actually the right strategy for the goal?
Clarity: Is it clear enough to execute?
Alignment: Does the way you are trying to do it fit you, the business, the situation, and your constraints?
Now What?: Once those pieces are workable, what happens when you actually try to do the thing?
Sometimes the answer is completely practical. The strategy needs work. The action is not clear enough. The way you are trying to do it does not fit.
Great. We fix that.
But sometimes Strategy, Clarity, and Alignment all hold up, and something still happens when it is time to execute. The email is already written, but you cannot send it. The offer makes sense, but every time you start selling it you back away. The price is appropriate, but when someone questions it you immediately want to drop it. You know visibility is the right strategy, but you keep finding perfectly reasonable reasons not to publish.
That is when I start looking for an Underlying Block.
Rapid Block Resolution Comes Before the Tool
If there is an Underlying Block, I use Rapid Block Resolution.
Rapid Block Resolution is the process of working directly with whatever is interfering with execution. At that point, we are not looking for another marketing strategy or adding another productivity system. We already know what you are trying to do, why it makes sense, and that the practical pieces are workable.
Now we work with what is still getting in the way.
The tool depends on what shows up. Brainspotting is one of the tools I may use. It is not the entire method, and Rapid Block Resolution does not automatically mean Brainspotting.
It means we address the block itself rather than continuing to pile more strategy, planning, accountability, or advice on top of it.
How Do We Know Whether It Worked?
We go back to the thing you were not doing.
If you could not send the email, can you send it now? If you kept avoiding the sales conversation, can you have it? If you kept changing your price every time somebody hesitated, can you hold the price you already determined makes sense? If you kept avoiding publishing, can you publish?
I care how you feel, but I also care what you are able to do afterward.
Did execution change?
Because that is the point.
The goal is not to have an interesting Brainspotting session and then go right back to the exact same stalled action. We work with what is getting in the way, return to the action, and see what changed.
Brainspotting Is Not Energy Work
Brainspotting is not energy work. It is not mystical, occult, or a spiritual technique. It works with eye position, focused attention, and what you notice in your brain and body while processing an issue.
My Christian faith is part of who I am, and faith or prayer can absolutely be part of our work when that is appropriate and the person I am working with wants it included.
But you do not have to share my beliefs to use Brainspotting or to work with me.
The Bottom Line
Brainspotting works with something that is still getting a reaction because it has not been fully processed and stored as a long-term memory.
We connect with the issue, notice what is happening in your body and mind, and find the eye position connected with the reaction. Then instead of immediately analyzing it, explaining it, correcting it, or trying to talk yourself out of it, we allow the brain and body to process what is there.
You cannot do it wrong. You do not have to know where the reaction came from. You do not have to tell me everything. And the result does not have to look dramatic.
Sometimes the biggest sign that the work is done is much simpler. You encounter the thing again and realize:
Oh. That's not an issue anymore.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brainspotting in simple terms?
Brainspotting uses eye position, focused attention, and what you notice in your body and mind to help complete the processing of an issue, memory, or reaction. We identify an eye position connected with what you are working on and use it as an anchor while your brain and body process what is there.
How does Brainspotting work?
Something may be too much to process in the moment, or the brain may decide it needs to hold on to the experience because remembering it could help keep you safe later. Instead of completing the memory and putting it into long-term storage, it stays reactive. Brainspotting helps complete that processing so the memory can move into long-term storage without continuing to create the same reaction.
Can I do Brainspotting wrong?
No. Every session is different. Some people talk throughout the process, some sit quietly, some notice strong physical or emotional changes, and some notice subtle shifts. We follow what happens.
Do I need to know exactly where my issue came from?
No. You may know the exact memory, have a general idea, or have no idea why something is creating such a strong reaction. We can begin with what is happening now.
Do I have to tell you everything that happened?
No. You can share as much or as little detail as you want. Knowing more can help me guide the process, but I do not need the entire story for you to Brainspot.
Will Brainspotting make me feel worse by bringing up painful memories?
You do not have to remember everything, describe every painful experience, or work with the most intense brainspot. We can adjust the brainspot and the way we work based on what you can process. I also promise my clients that I will never leave them worse than when we started the session. If something difficult comes up, we work with it rather than simply stopping in the middle of it.
Is Brainspotting only used for trauma?
No. Brainspotting can be used with trauma and PTSD, but it is also used for fears and phobias, anxiety, grief, performance, creativity, confidence, recurring emotional reactions, and many other issues.
How is Brainspotting different from EMDR?
EMDR uses bilateral eye movement while processing an issue. Brainspotting grew out of EMDR and focuses on a specific position in the visual field connected with the issue. EMDR is considered the gold standard for PTSD. Brainspotting just might be the platinum standard because it can accomplish similar processing in roughly half the time.
Is Brainspotting the same thing as Rapid Block Resolution?
No. Rapid Block Resolution is the process I use when an Underlying Block is interfering with execution. Brainspotting is one of the tools I may use within that process.
Does every Execution Block need Brainspotting?
No. Many Execution Blocks come from Strategy, Clarity, or Alignment. Brainspotting becomes relevant when those practical pieces are workable and an Underlying Block is still interfering with execution.
