A new crop of therapeutic techniques is trying to prove that the mind and body are more connected than previously known. That includes Brainspotting, a 20-year-old eye movement–based therapeutic technique. It has helped some patients access deep-seated emotional blockages. “We store information we’ve experienced as memories, but also in our bodies,” says Vicki Steine, an LCSW and board-certified holistic nutritionist based in Cobb County who has practiced the therapy in her private practice for a decade. “Brainspotting is a way to get down into some of the deep-level stuff where you need to address how the body responds to whatever is going on. Where you look affects how you feel.” Brainspotting was created by eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapist Dr. David Grand. EMDR has been around almost 40 years and has become a popular way for patients to reprocess trauma. EDMR has therapists move their hands back and forth across a patient’s eyes, a process called bi-lateral stimulation, as a way to reorganize and store memories. Brainspotting has similar goals, but instead, the therapist keeps the hand in one place. Therapists are trained to read signs that a patient has reached something of note that they can explore, such as a physical tell. “The giveaway, from a therapist’s perspective, is some sort of physical reaction, such as an eyelid twitch, a clenched jaw, or a sigh, something they might not even be physically aware of,” Steine says. Once a therapist has found a pathway, they can explore a memory more deeply with a client by asking questions, hopefully gaining access to stuck emotions or unprocessed grief and trauma. Scientifically, the focus on something in your visual field could access the subcortical, or deeper, part of your brain. Steine has used Brainspotting on patients with anxiety and depression, ADHD, and those who are simply working on personal growth. Steine moonlights as a singer and gives a personal example of wanting to get over stage fright. “When I first started singing, I was terrified, but it was my lifelong dream,” she says. “I found a rock-and-roll part of me through Brainspotting. Every time I get nervous, I find that place with my eyes and go back to that rock-and-roll girl I had found, and I can get on stage with her.” She recommends finding a certified professional because Brainspotting can be an intense process, especially if accessing traumatic memories. Patients can feel slightly disoriented afterward, akin to a post-massage feeling, so Steine says it’s best to have someone there to guide you back to center. To find a therapist trained in Brainspotting, Steine recommends visiting the Southeastern Brainspotting Institute. The post Brainspotting, an eye-focusing therapy, might help with processing trauma, grief, and other emotions appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less