Brainspotting is a somatic therapy that helps access and process emotional material stored in the body and nervous system. At Inara Center, it is used to support healing by working with eye position and focused attention to reach experiences that may be difficult to access through talk therapy alone.
Brainspotting is a somatic, neurobiologically informed therapy that helps access and process deeply held experiences stored not only in cognition, but also in the body as tension, constriction, or other forms of somatic distress.
Rather than beginning with a detailed narrative, it uses eye gaze positions linked to areas of nervous system activation. By tracking subtle shifts in attention and sensation, your therapist helps identify and work with “brainspots”—points in the visual field associated with stored emotional material.
This bottom-up approach allows the body’s innate processing systems to guide the work, often reaching experiences that are difficult to access through talk therapy alone. While its simplicity can invite skepticism, many clients experience Brainspotting as surprisingly deep and immersive.
At Inara Center, Brainspotting may be used as a primary treatment or thoughtfully integrated into ongoing therapy, depending on your goals and needs.
Brainspotting offers a body-based approach to processing trauma, stress and unresolved experiences that may be difficult to reach through talk therapy alone.
Brainspotting is a somatic therapy approach that uses specific eye positions to help access and process emotional pain, trauma, or body-based distress that may be held beneath conscious awareness.
Brainspotting is based on the idea that where you look can connect to feelings and stored memory. A therapist helps you find an eye position, or “brainspot,” connected to a distressing memory, emotion, or body sensation and supports you as your system processes it in a body based way.
Brainspotting may help with trauma, anxiety, grief, emotional overwhelm, performance blocks, relationship wounds, chronic pain and stress, body tension and experiences that feel difficult to process through talk therapy alone.
Brainspotting and EMDR are both brain-body approaches that can help process distressing experiences. They are different methods, but both may support healing beyond traditional talk therapy.
Not always. Some people speak throughout the process, while others process more internally. Your therapist will follow your pace and help you stay connected to what feels manageable.
Yes. Brainspotting often focuses on the connection between emotions, memories and physical sensations. It may help clients process experiences that show up as tension, shutdown, pain, or other body-based responses.
Your therapist may help you identify an issue, notice where it appears in your body, find an eye position connected to that activation and then support you as your brain and body process the experience.
Brainspotting can bring up emotions or sensations, but it should be paced with care. Your therapist will support grounding, regulation and choice throughout the session.
The number of sessions depends on your goals, symptoms, history and how your system responds. Some people use Brainspotting for a specific issue, while others integrate it into ongoing therapy.
A consultation can help determine whether Brainspotting fits your needs. It may be especially helpful if you feel stuck in patterns that talking alone has not fully resolved.