Therapy for Trauma with Brainspotting

In-person and Online Therapy in Minnesota
&
Online Therapy in Vermont

Your trauma does not define you.

Trauma can come from large events that have happened to us, or around us, but it can also be from smaller and/or continued events.

Living with the impacts of your trauma, you may feel as if you're carrying an invisible burden. You struggle with intrusive memories, emotional numbness, or heightened anxiety, often triggered by seemingly mundane events or events that should make you feel safe and connected. You feel you are living in a bubble of isolation, disconnection from loved ones, and have a loss of trust in your own instincts and desires (if you can even identify what you want). This constant state of alertness and the feeling of reliving past traumas is taking a toll on your relationships, work, and overall well-being, leaving you yearning for a sense of safety and normalcy.


Maybe you’re noticing in your day-to-day:

  • You feel you’re always on edge: A constant state of alertness makes it hard for you to relax, concentrate, or get a good night's sleep.

  • You avoid certain situations: Whether it's people, places, or activities, you steer clear of anything that could bring back painful memories.

  • Your emotions feel unpredictable: Sudden anger, sadness, or other strong emotions can hit you without warning, making it hard to keep relationships steady.

  • You relive the trauma: Intrusive thoughts or flashbacks interrupt your daily life, making it difficult to focus on tasks or enjoy the moment.

  • Your body feels off: You might get headaches, stomach aches, or other physical symptoms without a clear medical reason, likely because of ongoing stress.

Impacts on Sexuality and Intimacy:

  • Your interest in sex has dropped: You feel you’ve had a dampening in your desire for sexual intimacy due to fear, discomfort, or feeling emotionally shut down.

  • You struggle with physical contact: Touch makes you uncomfortable or anxious, leading to distance in your intimate relationships, where you want closeness.

  • You keep people at arm's length: You keep yourself emotionally distant, affecting your ability to connect deeply with others.

  • You find it hard to trust: You question people's intentions, which impact your relationships and sexual intimacy.

  • You dissociate during intimacy: Sometimes, you may feel detached or disconnected during intimate moments, leaving your feeling disconnected, lonely, and dissatisfied.

Your past no longer needs to hold you back from your present and future.

What you've been through is something that most people can’t even begin to imagine. Your trauma has left its mark, changing the way you feel, think, and navigate the world. It's no wonder that you might find it hard to trust others, to form deep connections, truly enjoy sexual and romantic intimacy, or even to just feel at ease in your own skin. The pain, the anxiety, the isolation—you've been living with these for too long, and it's not fair. But I want you to know that you are not defined by what happened to you.

You are more resilient, capable, and stronger than you know.

Even though it may seem impossible now, there is a path forward, a way to rebuild your life with compassion, peace, intimacy, and trust. You have the ability to create something better, to find joy in the little things, to rediscover what it means to truly connect with others — and yourself. It won't always be easy, but you don't have to do it alone. Together, we can work towards a future where the shadows of trauma no longer hold you back, where you can live with a sense of safety and open yourself to the beauty and love that you deserve.

Brainspotting is a powerful therapeutic approach that can help you heal from trauma by allowing you to access and process deep-seated emotions and memories from the parts of the brain where these are stored. When you experience trauma, your brain stores those painful events in a way that can continue to affect you, even if you're not fully aware of it. Brainspotting uses specific eye positions to help you find the "spots" that connect to these stored traumas. By gently focusing your gaze and awareness on these points, you can start to allow your brain to process and release the emotions and tension linked to your trauma.

It's a simple yet profound method that can help you work through what feels stuck or overwhelming, guiding you toward a sense of relief and inner calm. With Brainspotting, you're not just talking (you can talk as little or as much as you want) about your trauma—you're actually working through it at a deeper level, creating space for healing and growth. As you explore these eye positions with Jess, you'll discover that you have the capacity to heal and move forward, step by step.

While Brainspotting has given amazing results to countless clients, Sex Therapist Jess (nor any therapist or therapy modality, really) can promise to take away every grain of pain or discomfort and individual results do vary, depending on so many factors, known and unknown. Jess would never use Brainspotting on a client without their full consent and the client will always have the right to stop a treatment at any time, on their own volition.

Here is a great place to check out to find out more about Brainspotting and how it works: About Brainspotting

Brainspotting in Individual Therapy

Brainspotting Therapy for trauma and problematic sexual behavior can help you:

  • Broaden your understanding of what is causing some of the pain and struggle due to your experiences;

  • Help you to feel less “stuck” or “triggered” by those experiences that happened to you;

  • Allow yourself to begin to understand how to possibly open up being vulnerable and present to yourself and your relationship(s);

  • Understand more fully the issues you’re trying to solve with the problematic sexual behavior;

  • Increase your overall feelings of control over your behavior and engage in experiences that no longer cause shame and guilt or harm to you or your relationship(s);

  • Begin to focus on, and experience, pleasure with yourself and/or your partner(s);

  • Redefine how to be sexual with yourself and/or your partner(s).

You can find your way back to a life of joy, connection, and emotional balance.

I’m here to help you transform your pain into a source of strength.

FAQs

  • Brainspotting is a therapeutic approach discovered by David Grand, PhD. It involves identifying specific eye positions (“brainspots”) that are linked to emotional or traumatic experiences. By focusing on these spots, individuals can process and resolve emotional and psychological issues.

  • Unlike traditional talk therapy, Brainspotting works by more directly allowing access to the memory and emotional parts of the brain. It's able to reach underlying trauma and emotional distress without extensive verbal processing.

  • Brainspotting can be used to treat various issues, including trauma, anxiety, depression, stress, performance anxiety, and relationship difficulties. It is also used for personal growth and enhancing creativity.

  • The duration of treatment varies depending on the individual and the complexity of the issues. Some people experience significant results within a few sessions, while others may require ongoing therapy.

  • Trauma is an emotional response to a distressing or disturbing event. It can result from a single incident or ongoing exposure to stress or violence. Trauma can have lasting effects on mental and physical health.

    Symptoms of trauma vary but can include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, depression, emotional numbness, irritability, and difficulty concentrating or sleeping. Trauma can also affect physical health, leading to headaches, stomach issues, or other stress-related ailments.