How Brainspotting Can Support Trauma Recovery for Queer Folx

Complex trauma is especially common for our queer, transgender, and gender-expansive folks. Repeated exposure to systemic oppression, overt and covert discrimination, and family non-acceptance can deeply impact our brains. The effect can feel defeating, exhausting, and powerless. 

You might remember our intro to Brainspotting blog which detailed what brainspotting is and how it works from a few months ago. If not, we encourage you to check it out! In this blog, we'll talk more specifically about how Brainspotting can help folks process and heal from trauma - both discrete and complex.

How Trauma Impacts the Brain and Body

When we experience events that are outside of our innate ability to cope, our brains and bodies are significantly impacted (Terpou et al, 2019). Systems in our brains begin to work hard to protect us from anything that may resemble that experience in the future. We may start responding to things in a way that feels disproportionate, avoiding situations that even slightly resemble the original stressor, and in cases of complex trauma, develop chronic symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD, or other mental health conditions. You may hear folks refer to this as being in “survival mode.”  

How Does Brainspotting Help?

The effect of trauma is both psychological and physiological — the body truly does keep the score (Van Der Kolk, 2014). Purely cognitive approaches to healing may not reach the physiological core of trauma. This is where tools like Brainspotting can really make a difference.

Trauma can get “stuck” in our subconscious brain, creating stubborn symptoms that may be hard to heal with talk therapy alone. Brainspotting integrates both psychological and physiological sides of the coin, providing clients with a way to access the subconscious parts of the brain where trauma is stored and allowing for reconsolidation of these memories (Grand, 2013). Brainspotting can ultimately lead to a reduction in the distressing symptoms that come with exposure to trauma.

In practice, clients I’ve worked with using Brainspotting can actually feel a shift and release of tension held in the body as they process. While the brain is processing and healing, the body is following its lead, releasing stored tension. As a Brainspotting therapist, it is truly amazing to get to witness this healing process. This tool has helped many reclaim a sense of power and peace – two things that can be elusive after a history of trauma.

Could Brainspotting be Right for You?

If you have trauma in your history and continue to struggle with the effects, consider giving Brainspotting a try. Make sure to find a provider that you trust and feel comfortable with, and know that you are in complete control of the process. As stated in our previous post, your brain already has exactly what it needs to heal. Brainspotting just helps you to access that healing power.

If you want to learn more, feel free to reach out to a trained Brainspotting therapist. Both myself and Ryan DeVane are trained in Brainspotting if you’re looking for one within Grounded Wellbeing. I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have!

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References 

Corrigan, F., & Grand, D. (2013). Brainspotting: recruiting the midbrain for accessing and healing sensorimotor memories of traumatic activation. Medical Hypotheses, 80(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2013.03.005

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

Terpou, B. A., Harricharan, S., McKinnon, M. C., Frewen, P., Jetly, R., & Lanius, R. A. (2019). The effects of trauma on brain and body: A unifying role for the midbrain periaqueductal gray. Journal of neuroscience research, 97(9), 1110–1140. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.24447

Van Der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. Penguin Books.