Hi everyone!

I know that this thread hasn't been touched in months, but I also noticed that no one ever answered Rose's question about how brainspotting is performed.

I am prone to panic attacks and recently realized that some experiences from my childhood were sexual abuse. My therapist is trained in brainspotting and explained the process to me very clearly before we ever began. I've since had a handful of sessions and luckily, I am person for whom this treatment does wonders.

We dim the lights in the room and then I put on headphones to listen to soft relaxing sounds (babbling brook, ocean waves, that kind of stuff) quietly enough so that i can still hear my therapist's voice. Then a general session can start a few ways...

1. If I have been experiencing anxiety leading up to a session or am feeling anxious at that point my therapist invites me to scan my body and figure out where I am feeling that anxiety (in my stomach, my throat, tense shoulders, feet, etc) and then she invites me to focus on that feeling. At that point she gets out a pointer (maybe 2 feet long with a red tip) and begins to slowly move it back and forth across my field of vision. I follow the tip with my eyes back and forth. She changes the height of the pointer so sometimes we eyes have to look up, sometimes they look down. At this point all I do is continue to think about where i feel the anxiety in my body and follow the pointer.

A brainspotting therapist is trained to recognize reactions (twitch, double blink, pupil changing, etc.) When i do something like that my therapist stops the pointer there. Sometimes she says something, sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes I talk, sometimes I don't. If she does say anything it's often something like "what is there" but she is asking rhetorically. Then i sort of focus in on that spot. Generally I continue to stare at the pointer until I realize what is there and then I close my eyes. Sometimes its a memory that comes to mind, sometimes its a new realization, sometimes it's a fluke and there isn't anything there after all. I can either talk about what is happening in my brain, or just let it happen in my head. A completely silent brainspotting session is not weird at all. My therapist and I debrief afterward and then i talk about what i was seeing or thinking.

2. the second way we start is if i'm not feeling any anxiety or tension in my body at all. When that happens we just begin with scanning to see what's going on. Sometimes i'll notice that while scanning in a different area i feel afraid or tension sets in. My therapist recognizes those spots based on my physical reaction and asks if i want to explore that area or if i want to pass it and come back another time.

3. Sometimes we start with a question or a goal, in which case I am invited to ponder on that while scanning.

4. I was very grateful for my first ever session. My therapist invited me to think of good things, and feeling safe. Then, while focusing on that we scanned and I found a spot that was just this amazing peaceful safe area. She and I call that my God spot. If I ever get overwhelmed in a session or start to freak out we can leave the spot i'm at and go toward my God spot. I've found that I can turn to this spot at any time... even when i'm not brainspotting. If i start to feel overwhelmed i can look to the right slightly and look up just a bit till i feel at peace.

This therapy has really helped me cope with ****** times in my life. I stumbled on to inner-child work once while doing this. I was at a memory of a time i was being sexually abused and i imagined myself as I am now opening the door, going into the room and picking up myself as a child. I hugged her and told her she was safe and then i took her to room filled with toys and stuffed animals and told her that it was over now and that she could stay here and play. I laid her down in a big comfy bed with all the animals and told her to go to sleep and then I prayed over her and imagined angels standing around her to keep her safe.

That was a really intense session and when my therapist gently brought me back out by softly saying my name I realized that I was crying and she was wiping tears from her eyes as well.

Ending a brainspotting session is a delicate process. Generally I can sort of feel when it's done and my therapist notices that. she invites me to close my eyes and then we pray (we're both people of faith and I chose to bring that into the relationship) after that we breath together and then I open my eyes again.

Then we debrief about the session. She asks how I am feeling... which is generally very calm and peaceful. This is an amazing tool and i'm glad that my therapist uses it so well. She does not force me to explore places till i am ready and does not pry into what is happening. She has told me that generally she is watching me to make sure i'm okay and praying.

I am so thankful for this therapy. Although i've only done it a handful of times it has helped me immeasurably.