Myths and Truths About Brainspotting
With Brainspotting being a newer technique, there’s a lot of questions about it. I thought I would take this time to discuss some myths and truths about it.
Myths
There are lots of myths about brainspotting out there. Here are a few I'd like to dispel.
#1 It can’t be helpful because you aren’t talking.
❌ False. Many people prefer to process without saying a word. In fact, one of the benefits of Brainspotting is that you don’t have to even have the words to discuss your experience. Your brain can do all the work it needs to do without saying a single word. Of course, if you tend to need to process verbally, that’s totally fine too!
#2 I don't need a therapist to do Brainspotting.
❌False. The presence of an attuned therapist gives your brain the sense of safety to do the work you need to do. It's also incredibly helpful to have a trained professional present if you start to feel overwhelmed. While there is such a thing as self-spotting, it is best to discuss this with a professional first. Think of it like the difference between going to therapy and just reading a self-help book. There’s so much more that can be done with the help of a counselor.
#4 I'll have a sudden epiphany and everything will be magically better.
❌Unfortunately, false. While your brain does fast work to make connections, you don't always realize it during the session. You also may make connections that you don't consciously realize. Some folks do experience the sudden “aha!” moment, but many more don’t. That doesn’t make it any less effective.
#5 I can't brainspot if I'm ADHD, autistic, or have trouble concentrating.
❌False! There are about as many ways to Brainspot as there are types of brains. Your therapist will work with you to find the set-ups that work best for you. Many autistic people like using Brainspotting, as it doesn’t require verbal communication, and you are able to let your brain go where it wants. And for all my ADHDers out there, you aren’t trying to get your mind to focus on one thing and one thing only. Rather, you let what comes up, come up. And while some people prefer to stay still while Brainspotting, many also like to move around. It’s truly about what works best for you.
There’s the myths, but what about the truths?
Truths about Brainspotting
#1 Brainspotting can address past traumas and experiences that you don’t have the words for.
✅While talk therapy requires you to have conscious awareness of what has happened, Brainspotting doesn’t need that. Whether you have medical trauma, early childhood trauma, or even just don’t have the words for what you’re experiencing, Brainspotting can help break through that and get you the healing you want without needing to put words on it.
#2 Brainspotting is client-led
✅One of my favorite things about Brainspotting is that you get to go where you need to go. You don’t need to continue to bring your attention back to your breath, like in mindfulness, or try to clear your mind. If things come up, you just let them come up. Your brain will go where it needs to go.
#3 Brainspotting can be used to build on positive experiences as well as addressing negatives.
✅ While Brainspotting can be incredibly helpful in addressing those things we want to get rid of (like anxiety, depression, shame, guilt, trauma, etc.), it can also help building things you want more of. Creativity is a big one for a lot of folks, but even things like motivation, or calm, or confidence. We call this expansion, and it can be a transformative way to make significant changes.
#4 Brainspotting can produce many different bodily sensations, and this is all normal.
✅Some people have different thoughts and emotions while Brainspotting, but others may have a more somatic experience. You might feel different temperatures, or tenseness in some muscles, tingling, or swaying. All normal. Or you may feel compelled to move in certain ways, like rocking, or dancing, or punching at the air. Also all normal. You know what else is normal? Not having any of those at all, as we will see in number 5.
#5 As a client, there is no wrong way for you to brainspot.
✅ Yup. Lots of folks worry about “not doing it right” when they first start, but my absolute favorite thing about Brainspotting, is that there is no wrong way for you to do it. Your brain knows how to heal itself, we are just acting as guides. My favorite analogy is a broken arm. While we need to have a cast to hold your arm in the correct position to heal, ultimately your arm is healing itself. Think of Brainspotting and the therapist like the cast. They’re there to help guide your brain toward healing, but it is doing the work itself. That may look different from session to session, but it knows what it’s doing.
If you’d like to learn more about if Brainspotting is for you, click here to schedule a free consult so we can talk more.
