Brainspotting in the Treatment of Eating Disorders
Written by ‘Ai Pono Hawaii Staff Writer
Every person has their own story, history and struggles that motivates or inspires them to seek the support of a therapist or treatment. Therapy is a safe place to address and overcome problematic behaviors, beliefs, feelings, relationship issues and heal from trauma. Receiving individualized therapy and treatment is incredibly important to ensure you are getting the right support to heal and recover. Support is not one size fits all, and your unique needs matter.
Whether it is your first time in therapy or treatment, or you are currently receiving support, doing research on different treatment modalities can be a helpful way to advocate for yourself and address your specific concerns and needs.
Brainspotting in the Treatment of Eating Disorders
What Brainspotting therapy is
The benefits of Brainspotting as a treatment modality
The difference between EMDR and Brainspotting
How effective Brainspotting can be in healing trauma
The connection between eating disorders & trauma
How to find a treatment program or therapist that specializes in Brainspotting
What is Brainspotting?
Brainspotting is a relatively new type of therapy that helps those suffering from trauma access, process and overcome negative emotions and pain. Brainspotting was developed through a therapist named Dr. David Grand. Dr. David Grand’s work with survivors of trauma, and many mental health professionals utilizing the approach, have found Brainspotting to be an effective form of treatment for a variety of mental health concerns.
Dr. David Grand explains “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, enhanced with Biolateral sound, which is deep, direct, and powerful yet focused and containing.”
How does brainspotting work?
Brainspotting is based on the idea that the direction in which people look or gaze can affect the way they feel. During Brainspotting, therapists help clients position their eyes to enable them to target specific negative emotions or feelings. While using a pointer, a therapist trained in Brainspotting slowly guides the client through moving their eyes across their field of vision to find “brainspots.” These brainspots are positions that activate a traumatic memory or painful emotion.
The Brainspotting theory was developed by Dr. Grand while providing trauma treatment to 9/11 survivors. His experience as a mental health therapist with somatic experiencing and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) helped him navigate treating trauma through this revolutionary way.
Evidence finds that trauma is “stored” in the body and can have a significant impact on how the brain works. This can affect the way emotions are processed and felt, memories, and physical health. Brainspotting helps activate the body’s own innate ability to heal itself from trauma.
What are the benefits of Brainspotting?
A traumatic experience is any life event(s) that causes significant physical and/or emotional injury and distress, causing feelings of overwhelm, helplessness, or entrapment.
Experiencing trauma can impact someone's mental health in many ways. Common symptoms people struggle with include flashbacks, panic attacks, dissociation, hyperarousal, sleeping issues and/or low self-esteem. Often, people feel that they need to numb feelings and sensations in the body, leading to maladaptive, or harmful, actions such as self-harm, taking drugs, and engaging in eating disorder behaviors.
In healing from trauma it is important to process these events and retrain emotional responses. Brainspotting allows therapists to help guide clients in a safe and supportive environment to access emotions on a deeper level and target the physical effects of trauma.
Brain-based therapy techniques can help clients make progress in their healing and treatment goals, especially if traditional talk therapy is not providing the relief sought after.
There is some evidence that brainspotting works primarily on the limbic system, a collection of brain structures that play a role in emotion, long-term memory, cognition, motivation, impulse control, and several other psychological factors that can affect well-being.
EMDR vs Brainspotting
Brainspotting and EMDR share some similarities focusing on eye movement and the use of bilateral stimulation. Both methods are proven to be effective in treating trauma. Some providers prefer Brainspotting over EMDR methods as there is less rigidity around the process, allowing therapists to find the right approach for their clients needs. It is also less likely to overstimulate a client which can be distressing and overwhelming. Brainspotting also allows a provider to meet the client where they are as there is not a need for extensive dialogue during sessions.
What to expect in a Brainspotting therapy session
With your therapist, you will identify what you want to work on and how it is affecting you. This can be a fear or specific memory, or if you are uncertain about what you’d like to work on, you can simply talk with your provider to identify a topic.
You will wear headphones that will play bilateral sound. Bilateral sound is a form of bilateral stimulation, which can be a powerful tool in healing by creating a greater connection between the body and mind. This auditory form of bilateral sound will move from ear to ear, this helps to create a change in brain wiring related to the memory.
Your therapist will guide you through eye movements and bilateral stimulation. Your role in the session will be to notice any sensations, emotions or memories that arise in your body.
The connection between trauma and eating disorders
Several studies have been done to explore the co-occurrence of trauma (specifically post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD) and eating disorders. As there are varied definitions and criteria for traumas, these studies have produced varied results.
Around 20% of eating disorders sufferers had experienced at least one traumatic event, much higher than the general population. 25% of patients in this group reported experiencing more than one. The more severe the traumatic event, the more intense eating disorder symptoms were. 33% of traumatic events happened in childhood, 29% in teenagers, and 38% in adulthood.
It is believed that sufferers of bulimia and binge eating disorder have a higher likelihood of having experienced trauma. This is probably because trauma victims usually want to numb or distract from traumatic events. They use acute behaviors, such as binge eating and/or purging, to do that.
A trauma-informed treatment plan could be beneficial for patients who are struggling with both trauma and eating disorders.
It is essential that eating disorder behaviors are managed in treatment to be able to properly process thoughts and emotions that arise.
But is eating disorder recovery possible without trauma recovery? At ‘Ai Pono, focus is given to both eating disorder recovery and co-occurring issues, including trauma. Behavior management is tackled, along with other issues. Programming is designed with the understanding that eating disorders are not necessarily about food.
Finding a therapist or treatment center that specializes in Brainspotting
It is important to find a provider or treatment team that you feel comfortable with. Processing and healing from trauma of any kind is an incredibly difficult process and having the right support is crucial. If you are struggling with something specific such as an eating disorder, it is also important that your provider has experience treating that specific condition to ensure you are receiving the best support possible. Having a strong relationship between you and your provider(s) will be beneficial to your healing process.
If you are ready to heal from trauma and disordered eating, our team at ‘Ai Pono would be honored to be a part of your recovery journey. Healing your relationship with yourself, your body and food is possible and you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more about our holistic programs by reaching out to us today.