6 years ago my counselor recommended that I try BrainSpotting to treat some anxiety I was experiencing. I was skeptical at first, but decided to give it a try. I was absolutely shocked at how well BrainSpotting worked for me and how quickly I was able to see results. I have used Brainspotting regularly in my treatments ever since.
A few years ago I also started having some difficulty with back pain. I was shocked when my counselor mentioned that BrainSpotting can actually be helpful for orthopedic conditions as well. As a PT I was fascinated, though if I’m being honest, I was again quite skeptical...but my back was hurting pretty badly, so I decided to give it a try. To my amazement, I felt significant improvement immediately!
I was so impressed, that I decided to join the community of Physical Therapists who have been utilizing BrainSpotting for treatment of pain since 2016. BrainSpotting is based on 2 principles, “Where you look affects how you feel,” and “the brain and the body are integrally connected.”
Where you look affects how you feel
BrainSpotting harnesses the natural tendency of our eyes to look in different directions to process a specific situation. For example, when people are lying, they often look up to the left and when they are remembering something they often look up to the right. A BrainSpotting clinician can help you find 1 or more spots to look that will help you process your experiences.
The brain and the body are integrally connected...
...and thus pain in the body affects the brain and distress in the brain affects the body.
We have known this for quite some time in healthcare, but we haven’t really known what to do about it. BrainSpotting is one of the treatment options we can use to address the brain-body connection
It’s important to remember that this does NOT mean that your symptoms are “all in your head.” Your symptoms are real and you are not making this up! However, it is possible that your brain is affecting how your symptoms are being experienced and it is possible that your brain is storing distress in your fascia and other body areas.
How does it work?
Frankly, we aren’t certain. More research needs to be conducted to answer this question fully. Just like how we use Tylenol even though we don’t know how it works, “We don’t have to know how it works to know that it works” -David Grand
Our hypothesis is that BrainSpotting works with the smooth muscle cells embedded within fascia, processing trauma to relieve hypervigilance and kinesiophobia, and interrupting the negative feedback loop which is associated with pain. This processing can be done silently or in combination with verbal processing as well.
What does BrainSpotting feel like?
Everyone is different, but some common things people describe include:
-Thoughts, images, and/or sensations coming in waves
-Waves of tension or pain that gradually reduce
-Noticing your brain making connections between what is bothering you and what may be associated
-Noticing being more tired afterwards
Who is BrainSpotting good for?
People with
-injuries that occurred suddenly or traumatically
-surgeries
-injuries/tension that are exacerbated by stress
-pain that feels “stuck” or hasn’t improved with other treatments
-movements that feel “blocked” or fear is preventing them from returning to those movements
-many more...