"Brainspotting is a powerful, focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing, and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation, and a variety of other challenging symptoms. Brainspotting is a simultaneous form of diagnosis and treatment.
Brainspotting functions as a neurobiological tool to support the clinical healing relationship. There is no replacement for a mature, nurturing therapeutic presence and the ability to engage another suffering human in a safe and trusting relationship where they feel heard, accepted, and understood.
Brainspotting gives us a tool, within this clinical relationship, to neurobiologically locate, focus, process, and release experiences and symptoms that are typically out of reach of the conscious mind and its cognitive and language capacity.
Brainspotting works with the deep brain and the body through its direct access to the autonomic and limbic systems within the body’s central nervous system. Brainspotting is a physiological tool/treatment that has profound psychological, emotional, and physical consequences." - Brainspotting.com
In simple words, Brainspotting is a brain-based, somatic therapy that allows us to access the area of the brain (the limbic system) where traumatized energy becomes trapped or left unprocessed. This pent-up energy can leave us with feelings of chronic stress, anxiety, pain, disordered eating, addictions, anger, and more. Together, we will process this energy by finding a location in your line of vision that you feel drawn to gaze at while you allow yourself to feel activated within your body over a particular experience, stress, anxiety, or trauma.
Most people need at least 3-6+ sessions to process a particular issue entirely, but - many times, there is relief after just one session.
We know this sounds a little different than your typical therapy, which is why most people like it. We offer a free 20-minute discovery call to answer all your questions and explain the technical stuff in a way you can easily understand. So please feel free to book yours now. We are here to help.
Read more here! Brainspotting & David Grand are featured in Psychotherapy Networker - Jan/Feb 2024!
If you are ready to explore Brainspotting as part of your healing journey, contact Pine Laurel Wellness today to schedule a consultation — and take the first step toward lasting, root-cause relief.
David Grand, Ph.D - Founder of Brainspotting
Jennifer Herman, FNTP, BSP, MPBD, PMH-C is a certified Brainspotting Therapist with specialized training in Perinatal Mental Health, Loss and Grief, and Trauma.
Brainspotting is based on the profound attunement of the therapist with the patient, finding a somatic cue and extinguishing it by down-regulating the amygdala. It isn’t just PNS (Parasympathetic Nervous System) activation that is facilitated, it is homeostasis.
-- Robert Scaer, MD, “The Trauma Spectrum"
Brainspotting locates points in the client’s visual field that help to access unprocessed trauma in the subcortical brain. Brainspotting (BSP) was discovered in 2003 by David Grand, Ph.D. Over 13,001 therapists have been trained in BSP (52 internationally), in the United States, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Africa. Dr. Grand discovered that "Where you look affects how you feel." It is the brain activity, especially in the subcortical brain that organizes itself around that eye position. - Brainspotting.com
Turning the Spotlight on Brainspotting
Did an Unexpected Discovery Reveal a Quicker Path to Healing?
By: Chris Lyford
Published: January/February 2024
By: Aileen Weintraub
Published: Feb 06, 2026
In this episode of the Healing Trauma Podcast, guest host Dr. Mark McNear interviews Dr. David Grand, the developer of Brain Spotting, a psychotherapy technique particularly effective for trauma. They discuss the principles of Brain Spotting, its discovery, and how it differs from other therapeutic approaches.
Premiered May 15, 2025
Healing TREE presents: A Conversation with Dr. David Grand About Trauma Therapy & The Brain Join Healing TREE Founder and CEO, Marissa Ghavami, as she speaks with Dr. David Grand.
Premiered Feb 25, 2017
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*Pine Laurel Wellness™, LLC, Jennifer Herman, PLW collective practitioners or guest instructors do not diagnose or treat disease. We follow the foundations of a healthy body and mind to support you back into a state of balance.