Brain-Based Therapy
Understanding Brain-Based Therapy
Brain-based therapy is particularly helpful for trauma-related issues, as it can often avoid the need for the client to have to talk about the trauma story itself. It can also be useful for treating anxiety, depression, attachment issues, and PTSD.
Brain-based therapy incorporates knowledge from neuroscience research and combines this knowledge with well-known aspects of attachment theory to help clients rewire their brains to improve their moods and effectively change their behaviors.
The brain-based perspective recognizes that the brain has ‘plasticity’ (often termed “neuroplasticity’). Neuroplasticity refers to the amazing ability of our brains to change in response to the environment. When we learn new information and master new skills, we are adapting and changing our brains.
Hypnotherapy
Clinical hypnosis is NOT like the stage performances you might see in magic shows where someone uses a medallion to get sleepy. Clinical hypnotherapy and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) are empirically based modalities that have been effectively used and clinically researched for decades. As individuals, we transition between conscious and subconscious states around 80% of our day (e.g., highway trance). Hypnotherapy and NLP seek to tap into the subconscious while clients are in a relaxed and focused state of mind. This process bypasses influencing negative false beliefs of the mind and attempts to develop emotional and cognitive congruence.
It is important to note that a couple of sessions beyond the initial session are generally needed in this process.
Brainspotting
“All emotions, even those that are suppressed and unexpressed, have physical effects. Unexpressed emotions tend to stay in the body like small ticking time bombs—they are illnesses in incubation.”
—Marilyn Van M. Derbur
Brain-based therapy is the fastest growing area in the field of psychological health because it has proven that it can immediately address issues that talk therapy can take years to heal. Brainspotting (BSP) allows the counselor access to both brain and body processes to bypass the conscious, neocortical thinking to unlock the deeper subcortical and body-based parts of the brain. BSP is an effective form of treatment for a variety of mental health concerns and works well with children, teenagers, and adults.
Brain Working Recursive Therapy (BWRT)
Brain Working Recursive Therapy uses natural psychological processes to recondition neural pathways in the brain that lead to unwanted behavior. BWRT is a protocol between the therapist and client and involves a talking process to stop and reroute the brain’s natural response to anything traumatic or not properly understood. It can prevent outward symptoms of conditions relating to low moods, excessive worry, phobias, and big, overwhelming events.
Somatic Processing
What Is Somatic Processing?
Somatic processing is a brain-body centered approach that connects the mind to the body when in a state of stress, emotional dysregulation, or trauma.
How Does Somatic Processing Work?
Our bodies hold on to trauma and stress. Through somatic processing, our body is able to become aware of the trauma and stress, recognize what it feels like, and finally release this tension. Exercises such as grounding techniques, breath work, posture awareness, and guided imagery/visualization are ways to incorporate somatic experiences.
If someone has experienced a traumatic event, they might unconsciously tense their shoulders or hold their breath. In somatic therapy, they’d work on noticing those sensations, exploring them gently, and releasing them, through subtle movements, breath, or awareness.
When Should Somatic Processing Be Incorporated?
Our brains are incredibly skilled at factoring away painful memories and trauma that we are not quite ready to handle yet, but our bodies continue to store these experiences. Dissociation, PTSD, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, chronic stress, and depression are examples of situations where somatic processing may be incorporated into the therapeutic plan.
Who Would Benefit from Somatic Processing?
Have you experienced a traumatic event? Do you have chronic stress, anxiety, or depression? Do you have physical pain and struggle to find a medical answer? Do you have difficulty trusting people or forming attachments? Have you found that talk therapy hasn’t worked or helped you in the past? Do you feel numb or disconnected from your body?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, somatic processing may be a helpful next step in your therapeutic journey!
Why Does Somatic Processing Work?
Somatic processing allows your body and your mind to become connected. Somatic processing works because it discovers and addresses the body’s physiological response to trauma and stress. When the body’s nervous system gets dysregulated due to trauma, somatic processing can help shift from flight or fight to rest and digest. This shift becomes central to the lasting change somatic processing offers.
Roswell Brain-Based Therapy Treatment
Our dedicated team of professionals is committed to providing personalized brain-based therapy solutions tailored to your specific needs. Whether you're seeking relief from anxiety, or trauma, or simply looking for the best therapist in Roswell, our brain-based therapy services offer a path to healing and growth. We combine cutting-edge neuroscience with compassionate care to help you achieve lasting positive change. Don't let mental health struggles hold you back any longer. Reach out to Rise Therapy Center today and take the first step towards a brighter, more balanced future with our innovative brain-based therapy approaches.
Our Brain-Based Therapists:
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Cristine Seidell
BSEd, MA, LPC, CCH
Practice Owner
Clinical Director
Hypnotherapy and BWRT -
Madison Reed
APC, NCC
Brainspotting -
Mariana Bohn
MS
Somatic Processing