Brainspotting: A Tool That Has Transformed My Practice
As a practitioner who has been in the field of mental health since 2011, I’ve utilized many different approaches to helping people. In my practice, I utilize a blend of a psychodynamic approach, cognitive-behavioral strategies, Motivational Interviewing, and principles and ideas from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I believed, after being in the field this long, that my toolkit of techniques was helpful with most of the problems and issues that would come up in therapy, and yet I yearned for something more experiential to give my clients. Something that helps internal shifts to happen beyond the rational mind, beyond the logical “thinking brain.” Then I learned about Brainspotting.
Last year, I was introduced to Brainspotting (also known as “BSP”) through a colleague who uses this approach in her own practice. I noted it on my list of trainings to eventually consider (trainings for therapists can be prohibitively expensive btw). However, in early 2025, I saw a post about a training that was being held in-person near where I live, and something about the description of the training called to me. The advertisement was for the Phase One training (there are two total), which was enough to utilize in my practice as a Brainspotting Practitioner. Equally as interesting was the opportunity to receive my own Brainspotting through the training as part of the practicum portion of the training; partners and/or trainers practice with you, essentially making the training equal parts learning and experiencing it for myself as a “client.” I decided to take it.
The three days of my Phase One Brainspotting was one of the most transformative I’ve ever had. I witnessed my own realizations and emotional shifts happen alongside those of my peers in that cohort, as well as my partner, who remained with me through that three-day journey. I learned that not only is Brainspotting a healing approach, it also blended naturally with my temperament and skills as a psychotherapist. I naturally leaned into this modality and felt even more empowered to help my own clients achieve transformation through it as well.
Brainspotting is a modality that was developed by David Grand Ph.D., a psychotherapist himself who happened to upon this approach during his own work with clients (www.brainspotting.com is a great resource in case you are curious about the history and evidence behind this modality). I invite you to learn more about this approach, as I feel that anyone can benefit from it. Since my Phase One training, I’ve worked with women on nurturing their angry inner child using this approach, as we are so often disconnected from our feelings and needs due to the conditioning we received as children. Brainspotting has allowed me to help my clients process grief, longing, anger, sadness, and even identify subconscious desires and dreams they themselves had never voiced out loud. Brainspotting is also amazing for co-regulation, as it requires me to attune with each person in front of me, as I too experience and sense their own journey through their emotions and subconscious state. As a psychotherapist in private practice, I look forward to continuing to use this tool with my clients to help them on their journey to transformation, self-discovery, and growth.