Brainspotting (BSP) is a noninvasive treatment technique derived from EMDR. Brainspotting is based on the idea that eye positions correlate with specific brain activity related to unprocessed trauma or emotions.

BSP bypasses the conscious mind and goes straight to the deeper, emotional, and survival-based parts of the brain where trauma is often "stuck." Brainspotting uses eye movement and/or hyperfocus paired with binaural sound. This process allows the client to work within their window of tolerance, keeping the nervous system activated enough to process trauma but not overwhelmed.

BSP is also helpful to those who are hesitant about “talk therapy” and would like to process events or emotions internally but still have the support and guidance of a therapist.

Trauma often disconnects us from our bodies (dissociation or numbness). Somatic therapy helps the body complete the stress response through shaking, breathing, movement, and grounding techniques.

This restores the brain’s ability to track and regulate physical sensations, reducing anxiety and emotional overwhelm. As a result, the brain forms new neural pathways that associate bodily sensations with safety instead of fear.

Somatic therapy facilitates the rebuilding of brain-body awareness, allowing stored emotions to surface and integrate through interventions that include but aren’t limited to breathwork, titration and pendulation, body scans (sequencing), tremoring, and grounding.

EMDR is a process that uses bilateral stimulation—usually eye movements, tapping, or sounds—to help the brain access and reprocess stuck memories.

As you focus on the traumatic memory while engaging in eye movements, your brain integrates the memory properly, moving it from the fear-based survival system to the logical processing areas of the brain.

This allows the memory to be stored as a neutral past event with reduced emotional charge, rather than something that continues to trigger distress. This rewiring process is a form of neuroplasticity, meaning the brain is physically changing how it responds to the memory, leading to long-term relief.

EMDR is also helpful for clients who would like to experience clarity and emotional relief without much dialogue.

During hypnosis, the brain transitions from the usual beta waves (active thinking) into alpha and theta waves, which are associated with deep relaxation, creativity, memory processing, and emotional integration. This state is ideal for rewiring traumatic memories or reinforcing positive beliefs.

Hypnosis induces a calm, parasympathetic state, lowering the amygdala’s activity and reducing the emotional charge of traumatic memories. This is why hypnosis is often used for PTSD, anxiety, and phobias.