Phobias

Within the broad field of psychotherapy, a multitude of approaches and strategies are available to assist people in recovering from traumatic situations. Brainspotting is one such strategy that has become more popular in recent years. However, what precisely is this technique, and how may it support the healing process?

The human brain remains a mystery in many respects. While we've made remarkable strides in understanding its complex structure and functions, the intricacies of how trauma imprints on our brain are still unfolding. Brainspotting emerges at this intersection, offering a profound insight into trauma-informed therapeutic approaches.

What is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting, a relatively recent entrant in the field of psychotherapy, came to prominence in the early 2000s under the guidance of Dr. David Grand. Dr. Grand's groundbreaking discovery revolved around the idea that specific eye positions, or "brainspots," served as windows to areas of unprocessed trauma within an individual's brain. By pinpointing these specific positions, therapists could access and address lingering trauma that may not be readily accessible through traditional therapeutic methods.

The foundational principle of Brainspotting lies in its unique approach to therapy. Rather than merely engaging in talk therapy, Brainspotting delves deep into the emotional and physiological realms of a person's experiences. By focusing on these "brainspots," the therapy aids in tapping into and releasing deeply ingrained emotional and bodily pain. This technique provides an avenue for individuals to confront and process traumas, which might have been suppressed or overlooked in other therapeutic settings.

How Does Brainspotting Work?

The fundamental tenet of Brainspotting is the close relationship between the body and brain, particularly in the context of trauma. When someone experiences trauma, their body has physical marks in addition to psychological wounds.

Brainspotting operates on the premise that the direction in which one looks can affect the way one feels. The therapist identifies a "spot" – an eye position correlated with the activation of a traumatic memory. By focusing on this spot, a client can access and process previously unaddressed trauma.

Moreover, the midbrain – an often overlooked part of our brain involved in processing emotions – plays a pivotal role in Brainspotting. By targeting this area, Brainspotting allows individuals to bypass the conscious, thinking part of their brain and tap directly into the emotional and somatic parts.

Key Benefits of Brainspotting

Accelerated Access to Trauma Sources: Traditional therapies might take time to reach the root of trauma. Brainspotting offers a more direct route.

Promotes Deep Processing: By honing in on specific 'brainspots', the therapy facilitates a deeper, more targeted processing of pain.

Versatility: While Brainspotting originated as a trauma therapy, its applications have expanded. It's now used for anxiety, depression, and even performance enhancement in sports or arts.

Differences Between Brainspotting and EMDR

Brainspotting and EMDR, both innovative therapeutic interventions designed to address trauma, do share similarities, particularly in their recognition of the connection between eye movements and trauma processing. However, the methodologies and primary objectives of each differ significantly. EMDR operates on a structured eight-phase protocol that uses bilateral stimulation, often in the form of guided eye movements, to help clients desensitize and reprocess traumatic memories. The aim is to change the way these traumatic memories are stored in the brain, reducing their emotional charge and making them less distressing to the individual.

In contrast, Brainspotting, while also acknowledging the role of eye movements, places emphasis on locating specific eye positions or "brainspots" that correlate with emotional and physical reactions to trauma. Once these points are identified, the therapy facilitates deep processing to release the emotional pain associated with the trauma. Its approach is seen as more fluid and adaptable, with therapists often tailoring sessions based on a client's unique needs and responses. This individual-centric flexibility distinguishes Brainspotting from the more regimented structure of EMDR, allowing therapists greater latitude in addressing the intricacies of personal trauma.

The Brainspotting Session

For those considering Brainspotting, understanding what a typical session entails can ease potential anxieties:

Preparation: A therapist will guide you into a relaxed state, ensuring you feel safe and comfortable.

Identification: Through various techniques, the therapist will help identify your 'brainspot' related to specific trauma or emotion.

Processing: Once the brainspot is identified, you'll be asked to focus on it. The therapist may use bilateral sounds or music to enhance processing.

Closure: The session will conclude ensuring you feel grounded and stable.

Sessions typically last about an hour, but the duration can vary based on individual needs.

Who Can Benefit from Brainspotting?

While Brainspotting is immensely beneficial for trauma survivors, its range of applicability is wide:

Trauma Survivors: Whether it's a one-time event or prolonged exposure, Brainspotting can help process the trauma.

Mental Health Issues: Those battling anxiety, depression, or phobias have found relief with this therapy.

Performance Enhancement: Athletes, musicians, and performers use Brainspotting to break through performance blocks.

Potential Limitations and Considerations

As with any therapeutic approach, Brainspotting may not be suitable for everyone:

Intensity: Some individuals might find the process emotionally intense or overwhelming.

Qualified Professionals: The therapy's effectiveness heavily depends on the therapist's expertise.

Finding a Qualified Brainspotting Therapist

It's paramount to find a therapist trained in Brainspotting:

Certifications: Look for professionals who have undergone Brainspotting training and have certification.

Good Fit: It's essential to find a therapist you resonate with, ensuring trust and comfort during sessions.

Brainspotting is a transformative therapy that has changed countless lives. While it offers a deep dive into the psyche, it's essential to approach it with an open mind and the guidance of a qualified professional.

Part 1 of 2 As parents, our primary concern is to ensure the well-being and happiness of our children. However, when childhood anxiety comes into the picture, it can be a difficult and distressing experience for both the child and the parent. Childhood anxiety is more common than most, affecting millions of children worldwide. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore what childhood anxiety disorder is, its characteristics, how to recognize the symptoms, and most importantly, how parents can play an important role in helping their child navigate in this difficult time.

Understanding Childhood Anxiety Disorder

Childhood anxiety refers to psychological states in which a child experiences fear, anxiety, and panic attacks that limit their daily activities and enjoyment of childhood. It is important to recognize that anxiety is a normal part of life and acts as a catalyst protection of the device. However, when anxiety is severe and persistent, it can significantly affect a child’s emotional, social, and academic performance.

There are several common childhood anxiety disorders, e.g.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Children with GAD may worry excessively about a variety of everyday issues such as schoolwork, health, or safety. They often try to control anxiety and are too perfectionist.

Separation Anxiety: Children with separation anxiety experience intense fear and sadness when separated from their parents or primary caregivers. This fear can lead to severe distress and reluctance to attend school or participate in activities at a distance.

Social Anxiety: Children with social anxiety are very introverted in social situations and fear being embarrassed or unfairly judged by others. They may avoid socializing or experience physical symptoms such as shyness, sweating, and tremors.

Specific phobias: Specific phobias are intense fears and avoidance of specific objects, situations, or animals, such as high places, spiders, or darkness

Identifying childhood anxiety symptoms

Identifying the symptoms of childhood anxiety is important for early intervention and support. Keep in mind that every child is different and symptoms can vary. Some common symptoms of childhood anxiety include:

Excessive worry: Constant worry about everyday situations, even when there is no reason to worry.

Physical Symptoms: Abdominal pain, headache, muscle tension, or other physical symptoms without a medical explanation.

Sleep problems: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or frequent nightmares.

Avoidance Behavior: Avoidance of anxiety-provoking situations or activities such as socializing, school, or extracurricular activities.

Perfectionism: He is troubled by his striving for perfection and his inability to meet high standards imposed on himself.

Anger: Unexplained anger or outbursts of anger, usually associated with overheard emotions.

Supporting Your Child with Anxiety

As a parent, you play an important role in helping to guide your child through his anxiety challenges. Here are some practical ways to help your child with anxiety.

Open Communication: Create a safe and open environment where your child feels comfortable expressing their feelings and concerns. Listen deeply to their feelings and amplify their emotions, reassuring them that it is okay to feel anxious sometimes.

Educate yourself: Learn about childhood anxiety to gain a deeper understanding of what your child is going through. This knowledge can help you respond with empathy and get the right help.

Be patient: Be patient and understand your child’s progress. Recovering from anxiety takes time, and there can be obstacles. Celebrate their small successes and encourage them to keep trying.

Avoid avoidance: While it’s important to respect your child’s boundaries, slowly encourage them to face their fears. Avoiding anxiety-provoking stimuli may provide short-term relief but can reinforce fear in the long run.

Teach coping strategies: Help your child develop coping strategies to deal with anxiety. Relaxation exercises, mindfulness techniques, and positive self-talk can be powerful tools for managing anxiety.

Set reasonable expectations: Avoid putting too much pressure on your child in class or in extracurricular activities. Set reasonable expectations and emphasize effort over perfection.

Seek Professional Help: If your child’s anxiety is critically affecting his or her everyday lifestyles and functioning, recollect looking for expert help from a certified intellectual fitness expert. Treatments which include cognitive behavioral remedy (CBT) may be very powerful in treating youth tension disorder.

Taking care of yourself

Suppor

Peace of mind is my biggest challenge because stress, depression, fears and phobias are my best friends and all my problems seem unsolvable and incurable. The body says everything is fine, and the mind thinks otherwise. It panics and creates fatal scenarios. It dominates me, not I him.

I bonded with a stalker and bully who whispered to me for years that she would come, until she finally came ... and dragged me down, even though I was already pretty down.

The spirit wants more than the body can do. Physical activity depends on health, but health also depends on physical activity. Lack of coordination, balance, agility, and regret over lost activity. Limitations and changes in perspective. Lowering expectations and increasing success factors. Functionality becomes a training goal and determines future and current exercises.

It ruined my life and put me on a losing position, deprived me of the chance to achieve my life goals, forced me to change them and focus on intellectual activities. And I helped her, too. I gave up what I was doing. For fear of losing something in the future, I lost it now. I could not go back and continue because even if the opportunities are smaller, the dreams and desires are the same. I wanted to, and I could not, but I did not know what to want either. Everything alternately and completely randomly, without any stabilization.

I am afraid for my present and future health, my finances, my attractiveness, my loneliness, my immobility, my dependence on others and for the mess my husband is in. And I must admit that the question often goes through my mind, what to do in this life for the future...

Accept the present. Yes, acceptance and surrender is a difficult thing because it means accepting the worst, fighting to the death and knowing that it may not do any good because no one knows what is happening in our lives and why. Acceptance and nothing else, because I will always be full of regrets and never forgive her, I only dream of not breaking down when the scales of victory tip to her side…

All my stories are on the blog.

#MentalHealth #RareDisease #ChronicIllness #Disability

I've struggled with my mental health for the longest. I'm currently 18 and probably have dealt with it since the age of 10. Most of it started off as anxiety but it grew as I got older. As a child, I definitely had a bit anxiety but a lot of kids do, especially since I was attached to my parents and hated going to school. I consider myself a complex case. I'm sure some of my relatives think the same. I struggle with generalized anxiety and panic disorder, OCD, phobias (which I will delve more into), persistent depressive disorder, PMDD, and ADHD. I've been diagnosed by a professional, so this isn't just a list I made up.

With my anxiety, I have many triggers. Some are open spaces, some are areas with tall ceilings, some are crowded places, sometimes it's just the public scene, etc.. Anxiety can be complex because sometimes I'll experience anxiety for no reason or it'll be triggered by a sensation. My symptoms vary, too. Sometimes I'll experience a stomach upset, clamminess, fidgetiness, pins and needle feelings, hot flashes, derealization, dry mouth, burping, crying spells, overwhelmed (usually sensory overload), throat feels like it'll close up (the sensations that i hate), and so much more. It can be hard to build the courage to push out of my comfort zone because these symptoms are scary. Sometimes my heart will race or other times, I may feel some lightheadedness or just an impending doom of dread. It's scary and hard to deal with.

With my OCD, I have a variety of subtypes. There's the Harm OCD, Sexual OCD, Somatic OCD, Existential OCD, Memory OCD, and more. I'm often embarassed by some aspects of my OCD because the obsessive thoughts are hard, espeically when they're intrusive. My harm OCD has intrusive thoughts, my sexual OCD has intrusive thoughts, my somatic OCD focuses on my body sensations/feelings, my existential OCD focuses on my fear of time passing and going through identity crisises and questioning my own self and if i'm being me. Then, my memory OCD focuses on my fear of losing memories and wanting to remember every little thing. I also do have health anxiety lol.

My phobias are also very complex. I have agoraphobia, altocelarophobia (ties in my agoraphobia), batophobia (sort of ties into agoraphobia), emetophobia, and social phobia. Agoraphobia is basically a fear of no exit and being outside of your comfort zone and some triggers (which mine are) crowded areas, public spaces, open areas, and more. Altocelarophobia is a fear of high ceilings, which can really tie into agoraphobia. Batophobia is a fear of tall buildings because I feel so small compared to the building and of course,, I'm standing next to something that makes me feel off and strange. I like to feel comfort and safe, I do not like to feel like I'm exposed or ungrounded or unsafe. Emetophobia is a fear of vomiting, so yknow that. My social phobia isn't severe but it ties into my anxiety and oepning up to talk to people

#phobias #fears #Books #hypnosid #resourced