Brainspotting
Brainspotting (BSP) is a form of psychotherapy developed by David Grand, Ph.D, starting in 2003 in which therapists help the people being treated position their eyes in ways that enable them to target sources of trauma and pain. This therapy assumes that the positions of the eyes can affect the way people feel.
It works by identifying a patient’s brainspot which is a spot in the patient’s visual field; when positioning his eyes in that way, it causes him to experience negative feelings associated with a trauma. Once the patient’s eyes are positioned in the brainspot position, he will have a reflexive response, which is most commonly in the form of facial expressions. Once a brainspot is found, the therapist holds his patient’s eye position as he focuses on and discusses the traumatic experience.[1]
History
BSP was first developed by David Grand while he was working with a teenage ice skater who had a mental block about performing[2]. He developed the technique while applying eye movement and desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) with his patients, which he was trained in. He coauthored an article with Frank Corrigan, "Brainspotting: Recruiting the midbrain for accessing and healing sensorimotor memories of traumatic activation", which was published in the journal Medical Hypotheses in May 2013[3].
A recent study has been published in the Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology comparing the efficacy of BSP therapy with EMDR that concludes BSP is a good alternative to EMDR in the treatment of traumas[4].
Delivery
BSP is typically undertaken in a series of sessions with a trained therapist. The number of sessions is variable depending on the progress that is made, and can be coupled with several other therapies including psycho-corporal therapies[5]. A typical BSP therapy session lasts from 60 to 90 minutes[6]. However, it can also be self-administered, which is called "gazespotting."[7]
Medical uses
- Trauma and PTSD
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Phobias
Techniques
The proposed techniques to find a patient's blindspot in BSP therapy are still under investigation and there has not yet been any definitive findings.
- The outside window: the patient moves his eyes back and forth while the therapist observes if there is a reflexive response[8]
- The inside window: the patient self-identifies a spot in his field of vision that triggers negative emotions and the therapist confirms it[2]
- Gazespotting: the patient already fixes a specific spot, mainly unconsciously, while talking about a negative experience[2]
References
- ↑ https://brainspotting.com/about-bsp/what-is-brainspotting/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Grand, D. (2013). Brainspotting: The revolutionary new therapy for rapid and effective change. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.
- ↑ Corrigan, F., & Grand, D. (2013). Brainspotting: Recruiting the midbrain for accessing and healing sensorimotor memories of traumatic activation. Medical Hypotheses, 80, 759-766. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.03.005Ehlers
- ↑ Hildebrand, Anja & Grand, David & Stemmler, Mark. (2017). Brainspotting – the efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in comparison to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.. 5. 1-15. 10.6092/2282-1619/2017.5.1376.
- ↑ https://www.ietsp.com/quest-ce-que-le-brainspotting/
- ↑ https://mounttaborcounseling.com/brainspotting/
- ↑ https://oakmountaincoaching.com/
- ↑ https://brainhealthclinic.org/services/emdr-and-brainspotting/brainspotting/
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