You've tried other approaches.
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And despite all your time and effort, something still hasn't shifted. There's something inside you that other approaches haven't been able to reach. Maybe there's a feeling that lives somewhere in your body that you can sense, but can't put a name to. Brainspotting therapy is built for this exact territory.
Brainspotting works by locating specific points in your visual field that correspond to where trauma is actually held in your body and brain.
I'm Dr. Maria Niitepold, a licensed psychologist at Hayfield Healing. I offer Brainspotting in person at my Gulf Breeze office and online throughout Florida and New York. Brainspotting was developed by Dr. David Grand in 2003 and has become one of the most respected body-based approaches to trauma available.
The method
What Is Brainspotting Therapy?
Brainspotting is a body-based trauma therapy that uses fixed eye positions to access where unprocessed experiences are stored in the brain and body.
The core insight is simple but powerful: where you look affects how you feel. Specific eye positions correspond to specific neural networks where trauma, emotion, and somatic experience are held. By locating and holding a "brainspot," the brain is able to access and process material that talking, insight, or other approaches haven't been able to reach.
Brainspotting was developed by Dr. David Grand, who discovered the technique while working with a client using EMDR. He noticed that when her eyes paused at a particular spot, deep processing occurred spontaneously. From that observation, Brainspotting was born as a distinct modality.
The work is gentle but deep. You do not need to retell your story for Brainspotting to be effective.
Step by step
What Happens in a Brainspotting Session
01
We start with attunement
We identify what you want to work on. It can be a specific memory, a recurring feeling, a body sensation, or a pattern that you would like to shift.
03
You process. I stay attuned.
You hold your gaze there while staying connected to what you notice. Sensations shift. Emotions surface. I track your nervous system the entire time, attuned both to you and to the spot we are working with, what Brainspotting calls dual attunement. You control the pace, and we pause whenever you need.
02
We find your brainspot
Together we find the eye position that connects most strongly to what you are working with. Some clients feel an immediate sense of activation. Others notice a different sensation once their eyes are on the brainspot.
04
We integrate before you leave
Sessions end when you are grounded and settled, never raw or flooded. The processing often continues in the background over the next few days.
Is this for you?
Who Brainspotting Helps Most
Brainspotting is especially effective for trauma and patterns that other approaches have not fully reached. I see strong results with:
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Clients who have done talk therapy and feel something deeper is still unresolved
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Survivors of complex and developmental trauma, including childhood abuse, neglect, and attachment disruption
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Veterans and military families processing service-related trauma, moral injury, and operational stress
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High-achievers carrying body-held anxiety, perfectionism, or chronic activation
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Survivors of narcissistic abuse and relational trauma
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Anyone whose trauma feels stuck in the body: chronic tension, somatic symptoms, a felt sense of something unresolved
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Performance blocks, creative blocks, and athletic blocks where traditional approaches have not worked
If you understand your patterns intellectually but still feel them running in your body, Brainspotting works at that body-held level. Veterans accessing care through VA Community Care can use Brainspotting with no out-of-pocket cost. Learn more about trauma therapy for veterans and military families.
Why this approach
Why People Choose Brainspotting
NOTHING TO REHEARSE
No retelling required
You can process what happened without narrating it in detail. The work happens beneath the level of words, which matters for experiences that feel too big, too early, or too private to talk through.
DEPTH WITHOUT FLOODING
Paced to your nervous system
Brainspotting is fluid and follows what your system is ready for. We build safety first, and you set the pace at every step. Deep does not have to mean overwhelming.
WHERE IT ACTUALLY LIVES
Built for the body
Chronic tension, hypervigilance, and anxiety that sits in your chest or gut respond to work done at the level where they are held. That is exactly where Brainspotting operates.
A common concern
Do I Have to Talk About My Trauma in Detail?
No. Brainspotting works at a body-based level that does not require detailed verbal narration. You can process the stuck energy of a memory or experience without describing what happened in detail.
For clients with preverbal trauma, unspeakable experiences, or memories that feel too
overwhelming to articulate, this matters. The work can happen even when words cannot reach
what is being held.
What we do need is enough information to know what we are working with, which can be as simple as "the feeling that won't go away" or "what comes up when I think about that time." You stay in control of how much you share at every step.
Your therapist
Work With Dr. Maria Niitepold
Licensed Psychologist in Florida & New York
Choosing a trauma therapist is a deeply personal decision. You need someone trained in the modality, attuned to your nervous system, and able to hold what comes up without flinching.
I am a doctoral-level psychologist specializing in the treatment of trauma. I am trained in Brainspotting, EMDR, and the Comprehensive Resource Model, and I tailor the work to your specific nervous system rather than applying a single method to every client.
I am also a Marine Corps veteran. That context shapes how I work, especially with other veterans and military families.
My approach is direct, evidence-based, and focused on real change. We identify what is driving the pattern, and we work on it at the level where change is actually possible.
Hayfield Healing is based at 3000 Gulf Breeze Parkway in Gulf Breeze, Florida. I see clients in person locally and virtually throughout Florida and New York. Through PsyPact authorization, I also provide virtual private-pay care in 44+ participating states.
Frequently Asked Questions
ABOUT BRAINSPOTTING THERAPY
Questions
How long does Brainspotting take to work?
Timelines vary based on what you are working with. Some clients experience significant shifts within a few sessions for specific, contained issues. Complex and developmental trauma takes longer. The fit consultation is the place to discuss realistic expectations for your situation.
How long is a Brainspotting session?
Standard sessions are 60 minutes. For deeper work, some clients choose 90-minute extended sessions or full-day therapy intensives that allow more time for processing.
What does Brainspotting help with?
Trauma, anxiety that lives in the body, chronic tension and hypervigilance, patterns left by difficult relationships, performance and creative blocks, and experiences that predate words. If it is held in your nervous system, Brainspotting can usually reach it.
What does finding a brainspot feel like?
Different for everyone. Some clients feel a clear activation when their eyes land on the spot, a wave of emotion or sensation. Others simply notice a place that feels significant without knowing why. There is no wrong way to experience it, and part of my job is helping you find it.
Is Brainspotting evidence-based?
Brainspotting has a growing research base demonstrating effectiveness for trauma and a range of related conditions. It has been studied particularly for performance enhancement, complex trauma, and situations where standard approaches plateau, and clinical outcomes continue to support its effectiveness.
Can Brainspotting be done online?
Yes. Brainspotting translates well to telehealth. Eye positions can be located and held effectively through secure video, and many of my clients do Brainspotting virtually with strong results.
Can I do Brainspotting if I'm already seeing another therapist?
Yes. Brainspotting can be used as adjunctive therapy. Dr. Niitepold often works with clients who maintain a relationship with a regular talk therapist and come to her specifically for trauma processing. Coordination with your other provider is typical and can be arranged with your consent.
Is Brainspotting safe for dissociation and complex trauma?
Yes, when done by a trained therapist who paces the work appropriately and builds resources first. I am trained in both Brainspotting and the Comprehensive Resource Model, which gives me additional tools for clients with complex or developmental trauma. The two approaches integrate well.
What if I have already tried other trauma therapies?
This is one of the most common reasons people come to Brainspotting. Modalities like EMDR are powerful, but some material lives in places that bilateral stimulation does not fully access. Brainspotting's fixed eye positions can reach into those deeper layers. If you are weighing the two approaches, I have written a full comparison of Brainspotting and EMDR.
Can I do Brainspotting alongside another therapist?
Yes. Brainspotting can be used as adjunctive therapy. I often work with clients who keep a relationship with a regular talk therapist and come to me specifically for trauma processing. Coordination with your other provider is typical and can be arranged with your consent.
Is Brainspotting covered by insurance?
Brainspotting sessions are billed the same as any other therapy session. Eligible veterans can access this work through VA Community Care with no out-of-pocket cost, and I provide superbills for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Current insurance details are on my fees page.
Can Brainspotting help me recover from narcissistic abuse?
Yes. Narcissistic abuse creates relational trauma that lives in the nervous system as chronic hypervigilance, identity confusion, self-doubt, and an eroded sense of self. Brainspotting can access where those patterns are held in the body, allowing the nervous system to release what it has been carrying. For some clients, Brainspotting integrates well with CRM, which provides additional resourcing for the deep identity rebuilding that recovery requires.