Brainspotting therapy in Northern Virginia to support trauma.
Support for trauma
Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing or experience that impacts how people feel in their body, interact in relationships, and show up in the world. Many of the people who seek therapy don’t have classic PTSD symptoms, although some do. Many of our clients struggle with trust, have difficulty with relationships, deal with perfectionism, experience intense feelings or disconnection from their body. Trauma can manifest as anxiety, depression, workaholism, difficulty maintaining relationships, perfectionism, and escapism among other things.
Trauma can be disguised as many other things, which can prevent people from seeking support. Trauma can make you feel out of control and disconnected from yourself. It can rob you of our voice and story. We work with clients to process, understand, and integrate their experiences, so that they can take back their story and feel like they are thriving instead of surviving.
What to expect
Brainspotting is a somatic, bottom up approach to trauma processing. most of our therapists use it in conjunction with art therapy and other methods for processing or engaging with your body. The goal of brainspotting is to help you tap into your body and sensations and messages it is sending you without getting distracted by cognitions and talking. Your therapist will help guide you through steps to help you focus on sensations in your body that are connected to certain emotions and events. Then they will help guide you through noticing your body and what it is communicating to you.
Brainspotting is beneficial for..
people who have experienced trauma that can’t always remember what happened
people who want to process trauma without having talk about it all the time
people who feel “stuck” in their body or overwhelmed by sensations in their body
people who have a hard time connecting to their body
Common Questions
How do I know if I am doing it right?
There is no right or wrong way to engage in brainspotting. Let your therapist know how you are feeling. They will work with you to support integrating brainspotting into therapy.
Will you make my client talk about trauma?
Not until they are ready. We work with each child and family to hep our clients feel grounded and that they are able to use coping skills to keep themselves calm when discussing hard things. At some point, we will create a trauma narrative, but we will never push your child before they are ready.
How long does TF-CBT take?
The structured program is support to be done is 12 sessions to 6 months. However, we integrate TF-CBT into our practice, so often it takes longer. We find our clients need more time to settle into therapy and process what they have experienced.