Brainspotting

What is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting (BSP) is a brain-body therapy approach that helps identify specific eye positions, or "brainspots," that may be connected to unprocessed trauma and emotional experiences stored in deeper, subcortical regions of the brain. Developed in 2003 by David Grand, Brainspotting is based on the principle that "where you look affects how you feel."

The goal of Brainspotting is to help clients access, process, and release the underlying neurophysiological sources of emotional distress, trauma, dissociation, and physical discomfort. By using focused attention on a brainspot while remaining attuned to internal experiences, clients can work through material that may be difficult to reach through traditional talk therapy alone. In this way, Brainspotting serves as both an assessment tool and a therapeutic intervention.

A central component of Brainspotting is the therapeutic relationship itself. The process relies on a safe, attuned, and supportive connection between therapist and client. When clients feel understood, accepted, and emotionally secure, they are often better able to access and process deeply held experiences. As therapist Ross Cohen notes, Brainspotting combines both technical and relational elements, creating a flexible framework that therapists can integrate with their existing clinical approaches.

“Brainspotting gives us a tool, within this clinical relationship, to neurobiologically locate, focus, process, and release experiences and symptoms that are typically out of reach of the conscious mind and its cognitive and language capacity.”
— David Grand, Ph.D.