Learning to Trust Yourself with Brainspotting: Tips From a Trauma Therapist
As a trauma therapist, one of the most common beliefs I hear communicated by my clients is that they are broken. Many of my clients have come to believe that there’s something wrong with them. They believe that they are broken, that their bodies are broken.
When someone has been impacted by a traumatic experience, they may begin to experience emotions, thoughts, physical sensations, and reactions that were not typical for them prior to the traumatic event. As a result, people begin to believe that there is something wrong with them. This is where I like to remind people that they are having normal responses to an unusual circumstance.
While this statement aims to normalize the responses people have after experiencing a traumatic event, I find that people still struggle with the new ways that their bodies are responding and ultimately continue believing that there is something wrong with them or their body for responding this way. It can be difficult to appreciate our body and its efforts to keep us safe when those responses are uncomfortable. I have found Brainspotting to be an experiential approach that helps people learn to trust their bodies and appreciate the way it works.
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a brain and body based treatment modality that makes use of a location in one’s visual field to help process information that’s stored deeply in the brain. It’s widely known for treating trauma, but can be used to help people work through a wide-range of difficult experiences and emotions. It helps us access our body’s inner wisdom.
During the process of Brainspotting, individuals are asked to notice the thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations that show up for them. As a result of this process, I have found that people become much more aware of their bodies as they become accustomed to noticing what is happening. This increased body awareness can give us a lot of great information about how we are feeling and how we are responding to the world around us.
As we continue the process of Brainspotting, I find that people also come to appreciate their bodies, their body’s resilience, and the strategies their bodies have employed (even if a little confusing) to keep them safe. As a result of this process, I find that people learn that they can trust themselves and that they can trust their bodies. People come to appreciate their bodies and discover that they and their body are allies working on the same team. People realize that they can stop fighting with their body and learn to listen to it and its wisdom instead.
Steps to Help You Trust Yourself With Brainspotting
If you’ve had difficulty trusting yourself, and you’re ready to make a change, consider taking the following steps:
Trust that you and your body are allies on the same team. So many times we judge our bodies or fight with it, and neither of these approaches is helpful. When we believe that we and our body are allies, we can trust that we are on the same page and want the same good things. We can work together with our body, rather than against it.
Begin listening to your body. Rather than judge what your body is doing, be curious about it and recognize that your body is giving you valuable information about how it’s doing. From there, respond kindly, and in accordance with what your body needs.
Treat yourself and your body with kindness and compassion. When we respond to our body’s needs with kindness, we demonstrate that we are being responsive and attentive. This is an important message to be sending ourselves time and again.
Repeat.
Of course, if you are now interested in Brainspotting, I encourage you to try that too! If anyone deserves to have your trust, it’s you!
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Interested in Brainspotting Therapy for Trauma, PTSD, Depression, or Anxiety?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Brainspotting for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression aren’t the only services offered at our Maryland office
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written by: Melissa Wesner, LCPC
Melissa is the Founder of LifeSpring Counseling Services in Maryland, and she is a Certified Brainspotter and Brainspotting Consultant who specializes in treating depression, anxiety, trauma, and sex therapy.
Photo Credit: Karolina Grabowska
Date of download: 9/22/2022
