Brainspotting & Trauma Language
When people call a therapist for the first time, they rarely lead with diagnostic language. They describe what it actually feels like. Lisa Larson collects these phrases beautifully, and they're worth reading slowly to see if any of them sound like you.
Anxiety & Overwhelm (Hyperarousal often rooted in unresolved trauma and nervous system dysregulation)
Wired-and-can’t stop
"I can't shut my brain off."
"I'm anxious all the time."
"I'm exhausted but I can't sleep."
"My nervous system feels fried."
Depression & Shutdown (Hypo- arousal often rooted in unresolved trauma and chronic overwhelm)
The shut-down
"I don't feel like myself anymore."
"I can barely get out of bed."
"I feel numb."
"Nothing makes me happy anymore."
The trauma-imprint kind:
"Something from my past keeps affecting me."
"I get triggered so easily."
"I feel unsafe even when nothing's wrong."
"I dissociate or check out."
Physical Symptoms with Emotional Roots or Contributions
“Body Keeps the Score”
Many people seek help for physical symptoms long before they recognize that unresolved trauma or nervous system dysregulation may be contributing. It's not "all in your head," and you're not crazy or faking it. The symptoms are real. But we do a disservice when we don't offer the option of working with the trauma piece that may be underneath.
What this can look like:
Insomnia
Chronic fatigue
Digestive distress
Chronic pain
Panic symptoms
Stress-related inflammation
Headaches
Autoimmune flare-ups that track with stress
Body tension that doesn’t release
POTS, MCAS, fibromyalgia
Many of these patterns may be linked to nervous system dysregulation - the body still running stress-response programs that were once protective and have outlasted their usefulness. (This is a working frame, not a diagnosis. Plenty of these symptoms have other drivers worth ruling out medically. Consider treating trauma contribution after sufficient workup, or in parallel to save time.)
You might find yourself asking:
“Why am I always exhausted and anxious?”
“Why can’t I calm down?”
“Why do I feel numb?”
“Why do I react so strongly?”
“How do I heal trauma stored in the body?”
“Why do I feel unsafe even when nothing is wrong?”
What Brainspotting Is
Brainspotting is a body-based therapy that uses eye position to access where distress is held in the brain and nervous system. The therapist helps you find a "brainspot" (a specific eye position that connects to what you're processing) and then mostly stays out of the way while your system does its own work.
It tends to be quieter than what people expect from therapy. Less talking, more noticing. Sensations, images, memories may surface and shift on their own.
What It May Help With
People often report changes in:
Reactivity that used to fire off automatically
Sleep and the quality of rest
Hypervigilance and the always-on feeling
Numbness, shutdown, the gone-flat states
The psychological load of chronic illness (not the illness itself, but how heavy it feels to carry)
A note on evidence: the research base for Brainspotting is smaller and younger than for modalities like EMDR or CBT. The studies that exist are mostly pilot work and case series. The clinical signal is encouraging but I want you to know what we have and don't have, so you can make an informed choice.
Who It Tends to Fit
Worth considering if:
Talk therapy has been useful but you feel stuck at a certain layer
Your symptoms feel more bodily than thought-based
You've done cognitive work and the body hasn't caught up
You don't have a clear narrative for what you're carrying (you don't need one for Brainspotting)
Probably not the right starting point if you're looking primarily for skills, structure, or insight-based work. Those are different tools and we can talk about which to try first.
The "what people actually say when they call" framing is adapted from Lisa Larson, LMFT, Brainspotting Trainer, whose handout inspired this version. Modified for fit with the practice's voice and evidence standards.