Hey there B'well community! I am so excited to share with you all how Brainspotting therapy can be used at home as a regulation tool. A regulation tool is a coping skill or activity that enables us to attune to and balance our thoughts and emotions. Regulation tools and techniques allow one to stay within their window of tolerance without becoming flooded or overwhelmed by intense feelings.
A regulation tool is a coping skill or activity that enables us to attune to and balance our thoughts and emotions
Brainspotting therapy is an incredibly revolutionary modality in a multitude of ways. One way is that you can brainspot yourself at home. Yes that's right! You can do this yourself from the comfort of your home.
Resource Spotting is a specific model in Brainspotting where your eyes are used to allow for relaxation and inner peace through the mind + body. To engage in Self-Resource Spotting for regulation, first find an inanimate object to use as a pointer. It could be a pen, a bubble wand, a candle, literally anything! The pointer will be used to locate the "brainspot," aka a place along your visual field where your body feels most connected to your thoughts and feelings...if it sounds confusing, fear not! There is an instructional video at the bottom of this post.
*phew*
Next, play biolateral music through headphones. David Grand's Biolateral Sound Healing album is available for free here. The music is also available on Spotify, Apple Music + iTunes, and Amazon Music. Once you select a song, make sure it's set to repeat- in an ideal world, the same song would play continuously during spotting. It's also important to remember that the music does not need to be blasting. Have the volume low enough so that you notice the sound and can still hear yourself talk out loud. If you are unable to access the music or do not have headphones, rest assured the music is not totally necessary.
Now it's time to find a comfortable, confidential area to brainspot. I would suggest finding a place where you can sit comfortably with your feet on the ground, as well as a space that is calming and not overly stimulating (perhaps a sunroom or minimally decorated space, not the kid's play room).
Once you're seated and comfortable, and the music is playing ever so slightly, take a moment to notice your body. Notice places that feel intense and busy, notice other places that feel more grounded, calm, and relaxed. Once you've identified the most grounded part in or around your body, it's time to locate your brainspot.
Simply hold the pointer at about eye level. Hold the pointer all the way to the left, then micro-slowly move the pointer the center. Pause, see how you feel. Are you noticing feeling more calm in the middle? More calm on the left? Let's check out the right side now. Is it feeling more calm or more activating? Once you've located the general area where your body feels the most calm and anchoring, guide your pointer to fine-tune the exact place of the relaxing, resourcing brainspot.
Need an example? Let's say you're feeling calm in center and towards the right side.
Hold the pointer in the middle and slowly guide it to the right.
Stop when you notice feeling the most relaxed and peaceful.
Resource Spotting is one of my favorite grounding tools and treatment approaches. With Resource Spotting, the body and brain become reconnected once again in a gentle, kind, and refreshing way. You're able to create new neural networks within the brain around stress, anxiety, fear, or angry provoking situations or events. By calming yourself after being swept into dysregulating thoughts and feelings, your mind will begin associating previously overwhelming stimuli with feelings of calm and inner peace.
If you're curious to see how this works in action, check out the video below!
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My therapist tried this on me but she had me on the uncomfortable/stressful side. What is the difference in taking someone and keeping them on the stressful side vs. finding their calm side and keeping them there???