David Grand's Brainspotting is a powerful technique for clearing trauma and strengthening internal resources. It started as an offshoot of EMDR and has become, through the innovations of Grand and Lisa Schwartz, its own effective therapy. Here are two ways I've been using it for resourcing.
1. With fragile, dissociated, stressed, and deeply anxious or depressed clients. I use the Brainspotting "Inside Window" technique to find the "Resource Spot" (this is straight out of the training): I have clients scan their bodies for a place that's grounded, strong, relaxed, connected. We check to see if the place and the feeling are stronger while looking through the right or the left eye; while looking up, down, or straight out; and to the right, left, or straight ahead. When they find their "Spot", I turn on the tappers (Grand and Schwartz use bilateral music) until the feeling is strong. My twist on this technique is to have clients imagine finding the spot when they're stressed or anxious during the week. (Except when driving!). It creates a nice state shift, though not the clearing that is possible with application of the full Brainspotting Protocol.
2. Throughout the years, I've had several clients who report a time in their childhood (often after a move or a divorce or the introduction of a nasty step-parent) when they lost the happy, connected kid, they used to be. I've used several techniques to access the old, happy, state. Yesterday, I used Brainspotting and Ego State work to quickly access and integrate that old state. I asked, "What was that kid like, before the move?" Client: "Playful, loving, adventurous, caring, sweet. Normal." ""When you think of her, what do you feel in your body? Where? Cover your right eye, is that feeling stronger? It's gone. Cover the other eye. There it is! Stronger looking up, down, or straight on? Up. Right, left, or middle? Middle. (Applied continual bilateral theratappers while we strengthened the sense of that kid, connected with some of her favorite things back then, connected with things the kid part would like about the current, modern life (martial arts, kids, and more), and I asked the client if it was time to bring the sense of that child up to now. "So reach back into the past, and when that kid grabs your hand, pull her up to here and now. . . Is she sitting on you or next to you? Put your arm around her. How is she doing? Happy and calm. Great, is it time to hug her inside of you? Yes! When the child was inside, we thought of ways the client could access the playfulness, strong sense of self, and adventurouness during a typical week, and imagined that during continual bilateral stimulation.
If you are interested in Brainspotting, David Grand and Lisa Schwarz have some great trainings coming up. I'll be doing a one-day intro class on January 22, in Seattle. If you want the real deal, with the latest innovations, learn from the masters at http://www.brainspotting.pro/trainings.
Great! I'm signing up for the 22nd!
Posted by: Marielouise Dodson | December 03, 2011 at 07:42 AM