Brainspotting Therapy for Trauma Recovery
in Orange County CA
A body-mind approach to accelerated healing
What can I do if talk therapy isn't working?
Are you seeking an alternative trauma therapy to traditional counseling? As a qualified brainspotting therapist, Kerry Martinelli, LMFT specializes in helping clients process
complex trauma through this powerful brain-body approach.
Maybe you’re new to therapy and the idea of having to find the words for what you have lived through seems too daunting. Maybe you’ve spent years doing talk therapy and can’t seem to break through certain challenges.
Talk therapy is transformative but we don’t exist only in the part of our mind that is language based. Our lower brain only speaks in experience and feelings and that is where our more primal survival functions are housed. This is where our fight/flight/freeze reflexes activate before we can even think about them.
How can we heal what is trapped there if language doesn’t reach? This is where brainspotting comes in. Many clients come to me specifically looking for treatment for stored trauma in the body - trauma that talk therapy hasn't been able to reach. Brainspotting offers a unique approach to accessing and healing these deeply embedded traumatic experiences.
“Where we look affects how we feel." - Dr. David Grand
Why Choose Brainspotting for Complex Trauma Recovery?
Complex trauma involves repeated, prolonged exposure to distressing experiences. This can include emotional neglect, ongoing abuse, or living in an unsafe environment. Unlike one-time traumatic events, complex trauma becomes woven into how we see ourselves and the world, affecting our ability to regulate emotions and feel safe in our own bodies.
Traditional talk therapy can sometimes feel insufficient for complex trauma recovery because these experiences are often stored below the level of conscious memory and language. Brainspotting offers a powerful alternative by accessing the subcortical "survival" brain where these experiences are imprinted. The survival brain is tied to the body (senses, basic life sustaining functions, and our fight/flight/freeze reflex) and our somatic experiences. The survival brain is separate from our language centers so it doesn't use words to communicate to us. Through this gentle, body-based approach, we are able to reconnect to our sense of bodily safety without getting lost in translation. Clients can begin to untangle years of stored pain and reclaim their sense of safety and wholeness.
Brainspotting is particularly effective for complex trauma recovery because it:
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Accesses subcortical brain regions where trauma is stored
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Works with the body's natural healing capacity
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Doesn't require verbal processing of traumatic memories
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Allows for client-led, organic healing processes
This makes it an excellent choice for clients who haven't found relief through traditional talk therapy approaches.
Have you ever noticed that your eyes focus on a random spot while remembering or talking about something emotional?
This is something we all do instinctively. There is a connection between where we look and what we feel and remember in our mind and bodies. Brainspotting recognizes this inherent ability for the mind and body to guide us in our search for healing ourselves from within. Who knows you better than you?
That is why, in brainpotting, I follow where you lead.
The answers you need lie in your subconscious, perhaps buried underneath negative self-talk, insecurities, or fears. Brainspotting helps you work through these layers to get to the root of what’s going on underneath. This client led approach is empowering, especially if you are healing from experiences where your power was taken from you.
How does Brainspotting work?
Brainspotting untangles the pain to reweave peace...
Our minds are amazing in their capacity to protect us. They are efficient and effective at recording, recalling and reacting to anything that feels overwhelming or unsafe, sometimes resulting in tangled knot of stored trauma. The same way they are able to encapsulate our fears and trauma, they are equally capable of untangling the knot to release and heal those psychic wounds.
Brainspotting is a form of therapy that uses eye position to identify and release traumatic experiences from your nervous system that is intuitive, effective and powerful. We use eye positions to scan the external visual field for the internal location of tangled knots of emotional distress and negative thoughts.
Brainspotting is very different from traditional talk therapy. I have seen people make shifts in old patterns and long held limiting beliefs in just a few sessions. This is because brainspotting gives us access to the part of the brain that is nonverbal. There is no wrong way to do it, but the subcortical (lower) brain moves faster than the mouth and so it is often done with little or no talking. Nonetheless, it leads to profound insight, understanding and clarity.
It is a wonderful complement to parts work (IFS) as both are bottom-up approaches that seek to create more integration between the conscious and unconscious mind, as well as harmonize the mind and body into a safer, calmer state.
“By keeping the gaze focused on a specific external spot, we maintain the brain’s focus on the specific internal spot where trauma is stored, in order to promote the deep processing that leads to trauma’s release and resolution.”
- Dr. David Grand, founder of brainspotting
What does Brainspotting help with?
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Fears
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Anxieties
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Insecurities
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Painful experiences and memories
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Persistent negative and limiting beliefs
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Recurrent nightmares
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Physical pains
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General feeling of being “stuck”
What does a Brainspotting session look like?
Activate
We set the target issue for the session and rate how strongly your emotions and physical sensations are around it on a 0 to 10 scale. We note what you're feeling and where in your body you notice that feeling.
Locate the Brainspot
I will guide you through a process of scanning your visual field to find an eye position that targets the issue we have identified for your session. There are different methods depending on
what we are targeting.
Process
Processing looks a little different for everyone and may even vary from session to session. There is no wrong way to do it. You can talk as much
or as little as helps you.
Discuss
I check in with you during the last few minutes of processing to reengage the upper part of your brain. You may find it helpful and grounding to discuss your experience and insights, so we will leave time for that accordingly at the end of your session.
Facilitate and Support
I facilitate your process and stay attuned to support you, even though I will talk very little so I don't interrupt your process. While I am observing your process from the outside, I am with you the whole time. You can ask questions or for guidance at any time.
Frequency
Some people like to have talk sessions between brainspotting sessions in order to integrate and make sense of their insights. Sometimes you might land on a spot while talking and we will follow that. It is very much up to you and what feels best.
Things to Keep in Mind As You Brainspot
I offer brainspotting sessions as an adjunct service for people who are working with a talk therapist weekly.
Contact me to discuss if this is a good option for you.
For more information about brainspotting, watch this video from founder Dr. David Grand or
call me today for a FREE consultation.
You are the key to unlock your healing.
Does Brainspotting work?
Yes! I have experienced Brainspotting myself during my training and felt the change in myself. I have seen so many people achieve results that they never believed were possible through brainspotting.
It can be surprising how impactful and quick the results are. We will track the progress on your goals as part of the process.
Can I do Brainspotting virtually?
Yes, I work with lots of people to do virtual brainspotting. In fact, I initially learned to do brainspotting in a virtual training and it was very powerful.
You can find your eye position in your environment. I will email you a preparation guide so you are able to set yourself up for a successful session at home.
What is the difference between EMDR and Brainspotting? EMDR vs. Brainspotting Comparison
Many clients ask about the differences between these two trauma therapies.
EMDR Therapy:
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Clinician-led and more structured
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Uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, sounds)
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More interruptions during processing
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Cognitive (upper brain) based approach
May experience emotions more intensely
Brainspotting Therapy:
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Client-led and organic
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Uses fixed eye positions to target trauma
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Uninterrupted processing flow
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Subcortical (lower brain) based
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Gentler, more regulated processing
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Can access pre-verbal trauma
Both are effective for trauma recovery, but brainspotting often feels more natural and less overwhelming for clients dealing with complex trauma.
What if I am interested in IFS and Brainspotting?
Great news! Brainpsotting is a great complimentary modality for IFS work. We can actually use Brainspotting to help parts to shift out of over-activation that results from being retraumatized.
How do I know if brainspotting is right for my trauma recovery?
Brainspotting is particularly helpful if you've tried talk therapy but still feel "stuck," if you have body-based trauma symptoms, or if you struggle to put your experiences into words.
Is brainspotting better than traditional counseling for trauma?
Brainspotting isn't necessarily "better" but offers an alternative trauma therapy approach that can be more effective for certain types of trauma, especially when combined with traditional therapeutic methods.
What makes Kerry Martinelli, LMFT a qualified brainspotting therapist?
I am trained in brainspotting and other complementary trauma treatments like IFS and somatic experiencing, with specialized experience in complex trauma recovery and treatment for stored trauma in the body
Take the first step towards healing.
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Initial Discussion
I will contact you to discuss your goals for therapy and get a sense of how we would work together.
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Begin to heal
We will meet weekly to get established and then determine what frequency will best serve your needs.