Some experiences are too overwhelming for words. Trauma can live in the body, showing up as tension, panic, numbness, or an overall sense of disconnection. When talk therapy alone isn’t enough to access or release those feelings, Brainspotting offers another way in.

At Tripeak Behavioral Health, we use Brainspotting to help clients process trauma at a deeper level, accessing the parts of the brain where pain may be stored, and inviting the nervous system to finally let go.

What Is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting is a body-based therapy developed by Dr. David Grand. It’s based on the idea that where you look affects how you feel. During a Brainspotting session, your therapist helps you find a specific point in your visual field, called a “brainspot,” that corresponds with the emotional or physical experience you’re trying to process.

As you hold your gaze and focus on what you’re feeling, your brain begins to do the work of processing. It’s not about analyzing or talking through the experience, it’s about giving your brain and body space to release what’s been held inside.

How Trauma Is Stored in the Body

Trauma isn’t just a memory: it’s a full-body experience. When something overwhelming happens, your nervous system may go into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode. If there’s no time or space to fully process the event, the body holds onto the distress.

This can lead to symptoms like:

• Chronic anxiety or panic

• Muscle tension, pain, or gastrointestinal issues

• Emotional numbness or shutdown

• Flashbacks or sudden emotional floods

• Avoidance of people, places, or memories

Brainspotting targets these unresolved patterns and helps the brain do what it was designed to do: heal.

What a Brainspotting Session Looks Like

You and your therapist will begin by identifying an issue or sensation you want to work on. Using a pointer, your therapist will guide your eyes to different positions until you find the brainspot—often felt as a change in sensation, emotion, or awareness.

Then, you simply notice. You might feel emotions arise, memories surface, or body sensations shift. Your therapist is there to support the process—not to direct or interrupt it, but to create a safe, attuned environment for healing to unfold.

Why We Use Brainspotting at Tripeak

For many clients, trauma can’t be accessed purely through logic. Brainspotting bypasses the thinking brain and taps into the deeper emotional and somatic systems where trauma is held.

It can be especially helpful for:

• Complex PTSD

• Childhood trauma

• Medical or birth trauma

• Dissociation or emotional numbness

• Trauma that feels “stuck” despite prior therapy

We often combine Brainspotting with other therapies like CBT or mindfulness to support clients holistically.

Take the Next Step

If you’ve tried talk therapy and still feel stuck, or if you’re looking for a deeper way to process trauma, Brainspotting might be a good fit.

Reach out to Tripeak Behavioral Health in Albuquerque to learn more or schedule a session.