go beyond traditional talk therapy.
Brainspotting: Healing that words can’t reach
When your mind knows what to do, but your body won’t let you do it.
Brainspotting is a brain‑based, body‑informed therapy that locates and processes where emotional and physical pain is “held” in your nervous system.
Instead of only talking through issues, we gently track eye position, body sensations, or emotional cues to connect with the core of what you’re experiencing.
Think of it as a way to work directly with your inner world when your head already knows what to do—but your nervous system is still stuck.
If these sound familiar...
You swore you’d never yell like your parents, but you snap or detach instinctually
Intimacy feels like a performance or you shut down when you want to be close
You spend all day holding space for others and know your nervous system is burnt out
Brainspotting can help you release years of stored pain and overwhelm.
It’s a gentle, evidence-based approach that helps your brain and body process experiences that may still feel “stuck.”
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Brainspotting uses your natural eye position to find where stress and trauma are held in the brain and body. By focusing on these “brainspots,” your brain can begin to process and release what hasn’t fully resolved—without needing to talk through every detail.
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Sessions are calm, focused, and guided at your pace. You’ll stay in control the entire time while your therapist supports you in noticing what comes up. In my office, many clients experience a sense of release, clarity, or relief, even without having to put everything into words.
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Brainspotting can support you with anxiety, trauma, feeling stuck, emotional overwhelm, and performance stress. It’s especially helpful when you’ve tried talking things through but still feel like something hasn’t shifted.
Brainspotting brings powerful shifts for people working with:
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For cycle‑breakers, perinatal parents, and parents launching kids, Brainspotting helps release old family patterns, birth‑related trauma, and the complex identity shifts & beliefs that are held deep in the body.
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For long‑term partners wanting to reawaken intimacy, individuals healing sexual trauma, or anyone exploring desire, Brainspotting helps access the somatic memories and blocks that talk therapy alone can’t fully reach.
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For therapists who give so much attunement to others, Brainspotting offers a quiet, safe space where you can finally receive deep, non‑judgmental witnessing for your own wounds, fatigue, and relational patterns.
Why I love this method:
Brainspotting blends seamlessly with parts work (IFS) and somatic therapy. Together, these methods help you attune to your own internal world. As this occurs, you gain the skills to continue this processing outside of our sessions, leading to true, lasting change.
Whether we’re working in a 90-minute session, a 3-hour depth dive, or a multi-day intensive, Brainspotting often becomes the powerful centerpiece of our work.
You might experience:
Subtle body sensations (tightness, warmth, tingling, or release).
Waves of emotion that gently come and go, rather than feeling constantly overwhelming.
Flashes of memory, images, or new insights that weren’t available through talk therapy.
My Approach
A Brainspotting session is usually calm, contained, and paced by your nervous system.
“I stay with you, holding the space, and we move only at a speed that feels manageable. Many clients describe feeling 'more like myself' after a session, even if we barely spoke.”
-Cristine Steele, LMFT
At the end of the day, I want you to know:
Whatever it is that you’re struggling with, relief is possible.
Is Brainspotting right for you?
Brainspotting is a good fit for you if you…
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You’ve worked on and understand your story, but anxiety, numbness, or flashbacks keep showing up. Brainspotting helps your nervous system process what the mind already knows, freeing the body from held emotions.
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You want more intimacy, clarity, or safety in sex and relationships, but conversation alone doesn’t shift the underlying charge. Brainspotting can access the body memories that keep you repeating old dynamics.
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You long for a space where you can be seen, held, and allowed to feel your own pain without fixing anything. Brainspotting offers a profound, embodied experience of being on the receiving end of deep care.
The Process
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Connect and orient
We start with a brief conversation to name your focus for the session and orient you to how Brainspotting works. There is no pressure to “do it right.”
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Locate and track
We’ll find a “spot” in your visual field that connects with the issue you’re working with. You’ll notice body sensations, emotions, or images as we stay with whatever arises, at a pace that feels safe.
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Release & Integrate
As your nervous system processes the material, you may feel shifts in sensation, emotion, or perspective. We’ll gently bring it back to your mind and body so you can integrate what emerged and notice what’s different.
Questions? I’ve got answers.
Frequently asked questions —
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Brainspotting happens at a pace your nervous system can tolerate. I stay with you the whole time, and we can pause or slow down whenever you need.
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Not at all. Some people talk, some stay quiet, some release tears, and some feel very calm. Brainspotting meets you exactly where you are, both verbally and non‑verbally. If you have only experienced talk therapy, this is a completely different approach. By talking less, you stay in your emotional brain instead of your thinking brain, which leads to more processing and lasting change.
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No—you can start right where you are. Brainspotting can be experienced in a single 90‑minute session. If at a later time, you want to explore something more in-depth, we can build our work into a multi‑day intensive.