Brainspotting: therapists countertransference

Countertransference refers to therapists emotional reaction during the session – to what the client is saying or experiencing. When the client is describing their past trauma, the therapist ends up being exposed to various feelings, images, or senses that are … Read more

Brainspotting: adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and addiction

This article describes addiction as a “ritualized compulsive comfort-seeking”, a normal response to adverse childhood experiences as measured by ACEs Study. “ACEs comes from the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE Study), groundbreaking research that looked at how 10 types of childhood … Read more

Brainspotting: unspeakable trauma

“A major challenge to treatment is that victims of severe complex trauma have trouble disclosing their abuse in verbal form. Current neuroscience helps us appreciate that it is not only cultural taboo about rape and justifiable fears of retribution that … Read more

Brainspotting: brain-body communication

This article describes brain body communication patterns and how what we feel alters what we see and hear. The three states of the “polyvagal ladder” that we discuss in sessions – top of the ladder (calm and connected), middle of … Read more

Brainspotting: stress shrinks the brain

“Cortisol is one of the body’s key stress hormones, best known for its role in our ‘flight or fight’ instincts. When we are stressed and on high alert, the adrenal glands produce more cortisol. The hormone then goes to work … Read more

Brainspotting: understanding natural trauma response

Understanding a person’s natural trauma response helps reframe our narrative and our therapeutic approach. The article below describes a set of questions one can ask that acknowledge that people experiencing trauma, especially developmental or early childhood trauma, did their best … Read more