Brainspotting Therapy in Spokane, Washington
Brainspotting can help you access and process layers of emotional and bodily memory that may not be reachable through talk alone.
What Is Brainspotting Therapy?
Brainspotting is a therapeutic approach built on a simple but powerful observation:
where you look affects how you feel. By finding specific eye positions — called “brainspots” — that are linked to internal activation.
Brainspotting was developed by Dr. David Grand in 2003 and is now practiced worldwide. It is important to note that Brainspotting is not hypnosis. During a session, you remain fully in control and aware. The process creates a mindful, attuned space where your brain and nervous system can naturally move toward resolution — while your therapist supports and witnesses what unfolds.
At Spokane Counseling Hub in Spokane Valley, Washington, Tracey Sutton, LCSW, LICSW offers Brainspotting to help adults heal from trauma, anxiety, and chronic overwhelm. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which primarily engages the thinking brain, Brainspotting works directly with the deeper brain structures involved in emotional regulation and the body’s stress response — reaching places that words alone often cannot.
The Neuroscience Behind Brainspotting
- Trauma research shows that overwhelming experiences are encoded not just as narrative memories but as patterns of nervous system activation stored in subcortical brain structures.
- These structures are largely outside voluntary control — which is why trauma survivors often struggle to “think their way out” of symptoms.
- Brainspotting creates a direct pathway to these deep brain areas, supporting natural neurobiological processing and restoration of regulation.
How Does Brainspotting Work? A Session Overview
Brainspotting sessions are conducted in a calm, supportive environment
Your therapist works collaboratively with both your nervous system and your conscious awareness. Sessions often feel deeply meditative and body-centered.
You do not have to talk through every detail for the work to be effective — your brain does the processing.
Step 1: Identifying a Target Issue
You and Tracey identify a target issue — such as a disturbing memory, a persistent anxiety pattern, or a performance block.
Through gentle exploration, you locate where you feel this in your body — a “felt sense” that will serve as your compass throughout the session.
Step 2: Finding the Brainspot
Tracey slowly moves a pointer across your visual field while you hold the issue in awareness.
When your eyes land on a position that resonates with your felt sense — a subtle change in breathing, a blink, or a shift in activation — that is your brainspot. You choose what to share out loud.
Step 3: Sustained Processing
Tracey holds the pointer at the brainspot while you keep your gaze there. Often accompanied by Bilateral sound — music that alternates between the ears — you simply remain connected to your inner experience and allow processing to unfold. You do not need to analyze or explain what arises.
Step 4: Mindful, Attuned Presence
Tracey maintains “mindful dual attunement” — tracking both your external physiological cues and your verbal report while remaining a steady, attuned presence.
She understands that the work can feel overwhelming at times, and will never push you to process more than your nervous system can handle.
Step 5: Grounding & Integration
Sessions close with grounding and integration so you can leave feeling more settled. Many clients notice an immediate shift in the intensity of the issue, a sense of spaciousness in the body, or new perspectives emerging without having had to verbally “work through” every detail.
The Three Frames of Brainspotting
- Inside Window
The client is guided to notice their internal experience and identify the eye position that corresponds most directly to their somatic activation. This frame prioritizes the client’s felt sense. - Outside Window
The therapist observes visible physiological responses — blinking, swallowing, shifts in breathing or facial expression — to identify the relevant brainspot. Useful when the client has limited interoceptive awareness. - Gazespotting
The client naturally gazes to a comfortable resting spot while processing. The therapist simply holds the space. This frame is often used with highly sensitive clients or in later stages of therapy.
Who Can Benefit from Brainspotting in Spokane?
You do not have to know exactly “what happened” for Brainspotting to be beneficial.
Many people simply notice that something in their body feels tight or stuck — and they want a way to address it that goes beyond talking about it. Brainspotting may be a good fit if you have tried traditional talk therapy and still feel overwhelmed, prefer not to go into extensive detail about intense emotional experiences, or notice that your body reacts strongly even when you “know” you are safe.
Tracey integrates Brainspotting with grounding strategies and parts-informed work or EMDR when appropriate.
Because it does not require a lot of verbal exchange,
Brainspotting is especially well-suited for those who find talk therapy limiting, or who are not yet ready to speak about their experiences directly.
Brainspotting is also widely used by athletes, musicians, and performing artists to overcome performance anxiety, remove creative blocks, or access peak performance states — making it useful well beyond traditional clinical settings.
Begin Brainspotting Therapy in Spokane, Washington
Tracey Sutton
If you live in Spokane, Spokane Valley, or the surrounding Eastern Washington communities and are ready to explore a deeper level of healing, Brainspotting may offer the focused support you’ve been looking for. Contact Spokane Counseling Hub to schedule a consultation with Tracey Sutton today.
Tracey Sutton, LCSW, LICSW
Brainspotting Can Help With…
- Single-incident or complex trauma (accidents, assault, abuse, neglect)
- PTSD and acute stress responses
- Anxiety, panic, and chronic worry
- Emotional numbing, or feeling “on edge” all the time
- Grief and complicated loss
- Performance anxiety in work, academics, sports, or the arts
- Creative blocks and professional performance issues
- Chronic pain and persistent somatic symptoms
- Depression and low mood
- Attachment wounds and relationship difficulties
- Shame and self-worth concerns
- Anger and emotional dysregulation
Begin Brainspotting Therapy in Spokane, Washington
Individual therapy can help address common adult issues that we face today. Through the proven techniques and processes of this treatment, our therapist helps you understand what you’re going through with compassion, offering a supportive space to understand yourself more deeply.
What you have gone through and what you have done, you have done so to cope to the best of your ability. Let us support you with healthier, proven, and more constructive coping alternatives. Together, let’s guide you to healthier lifestyle changes where you can flourish and grow.