🌱 Somatic Interventions and Brainspotting: Healing Trauma Through the Body

When people think about therapy, they often picture talk therapy—sharing stories, reflecting on patterns, and finding new insights. While these approaches are powerful, trauma often lives in the body in ways that words cannot reach. This is why somatic interventions and Brainspotting are gaining attention as effective methods for healing.

The word somatic means body. Somatic interventions are therapies that emphasize the connection between mind and body. Instead of only exploring thoughts, therapists also ask:

• “Where do you feel that emotion in your body?”

• “What physical sensations show up when you talk about this memory?”

This matters because trauma is not just a story stored in the brain—it is also held in the nervous system (van der Kolk, 2014). Somatic therapies help people tune into their body’s signals, release tension, and build regulation skills. Techniques include breathwork, grounding exercises, mindful movement, and guided noticing (Levine, 2010; Ogden & Fisher, 2015).

What Is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting (BSP) is a specialized somatic therapy created by Dr. David Grand in 2003. Its foundation is the idea that “where you look affects how you feel” (Grand, 2013).

In a Brainspotting session, the therapist helps the client:

1. Identify a troubling memory or emotion.

2. Locate a “Brainspot”—an eye position linked to body activation.

3. Maintain that gaze while noticing sensations, thoughts, and emotions.

4. Allow the nervous system to process until relief and regulation emerge (Corrigan, Grand, & Raju, 2015).

Research supports Brainspotting as an effective trauma treatment, showing results comparable to EMDR in reducing PTSD symptoms (Hildebrand, Grand, & Stemmler, 2017).

Brainspotting vs. EMDR

Brainspotting is often compared to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Both use eye positions to access traumatic memory networks, but they differ in approach:

• EMDR involves structured bilateral stimulation through guided eye movements.

• Brainspotting uses fixed eye positions (Brainspots) to allow deeper, self-directed processing.

While EMDR is more protocol-driven, Brainspotting allows for a slower, more organic unfolding of the body’s healing process (Grand, 2013; Corrigan et al., 2015).

Benefits of Somatic Therapy and Brainspotting

Both Brainspotting and somatic interventions help address trauma in ways talk therapy alone may not. Benefits include:

• Reduced physical symptoms of trauma (tension, headaches, digestive issues).

• Lower emotional intensity around traumatic memories.

• Improved self-regulation and stress tolerance.

• Greater sense of presence and connection.

These approaches are especially helpful for clients who feel “stuck” in traditional therapy, as they access healing through the body’s own wisdom (Levine, 2010; van der Kolk, 2014).

Example in Practice

Imagine a client who survived a car accident. Even though their body has healed, they feel anxious driving. During Brainspotting, their gaze naturally pauses on a spot while recalling the accident. They notice tightness in their chest. By holding that gaze with therapist support, the nervous system gradually processes the trauma. Over time, their anxiety decreases, making driving more manageable.

Final Thoughts

Healing trauma isn’t just about talking—it’s also about feeling it through. Somatic interventions and Brainspotting show us that the body carries memory, emotion, and the capacity for repair. By integrating body awareness and precise brain-body techniques, clients often find relief and freedom where words alone fall short.

🌿 When words aren’t enough, the body shows the way.

References

Corrigan, F., Grand, D., & Raju, R. (2015). Brainspotting: Sustained attention, spinothalamic tracts, thalamocortical processing, and the healing of adaptive orientation truncated by traumatic experience. Medical Hypotheses, 84(4), 384–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2015.01.030

Grand, D. (2013). Brainspotting: The revolutionary new therapy for rapid and effective change. Sounds True.

Hildebrand, A., Grand, D., & Stemmler, M. (2017). Brainspotting – The efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in comparison to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.6092/2282-1619/2017.5.1473

Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books.

Ogden, P., & Fisher, J. (2015). Sensorimotor psychotherapy: Interventions for trauma and attachment. W. W. Norton & Company.

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.