BRAINSPOTTING PHASE 1 - FEBRUARY

Brainspotting Phase One introduces students to the theory, research, and best practices of Brainspotting, how it works to heal trauma and other mental health conditions, education on the importance of reaching the deepest regions of the brain in order to have resolution, and the four techniques or ‘frames’ used to engage clients via a specific eye position, or “Brainspot,” so that they can process their trauma and be relieved of other diagnoses and mental health issues.

After taking part in this course, participants will have greater clinical skills to successfully alleviate the suffering of their clients who are coping with the various trauma responses (Flight, Fight, Freeze, Fawn) from past trauma.

Attendees will learn how to utilize Brainspotting to heal a myriad of mental health conditions effectively, while always following their clients’ lead, as they process, assuring that participants won’t exert undue influence with their own values, beliefs, or identities that may adversely impact the clients’ therapeutic process. They will go back to their practices with greater sophistication in alleviating the symptoms of unresolved traumatic stress such as anxiety, depression, panic, insomnia, rage, hypervigilance, recurring nightmares, dissociation and chronic fatigue. This course will allow them to follow the ethics of staying current with developments in their field through educational activities or clinical experiences.

Participants will grow professionally in their proficiency in appropriately resourcing their clients who may move out of their window of tolerance during the session, or for clients who are especially fragile or poorly resourced in life. This includes increasing their competency in recognizing clients with DID and the goals of treatment for this population. Attendees will be able to assess and appropriately treat those clients experiencing flashback during a session. Participants will move forward with the knowledge that they are working within their scope of practice and competence in treating clients with the goal of reducing their disturbance levels on a scale of 0 to 10 in each session and throughout the therapeutic process.

1. Participants will be staying current in the field of brain science by being able to name the two regions of the brain most involved in regulating a dysregulated nervous system. 
2. Participants will be able to name three symptoms of being “Stuck On” (Overly Sympathetic in the Autonomic Nervous System) and three symptoms of being “Stuck Off” (Overly Parasympathetic in The Autonomic Nervous System).
3. Participants will be able to explain the difference between activated eye positions (“Brainspots”) and resource eye
   positions (“Brainspots”).
4. Participants will be able to recognize the two times during a Brainspotting session that they should numerically assess
   their clients’ subjective units of disturbance (0-10).
5. Participants will be able to avoid exerting undue influence on the process and treatment of their clients by being able
   to recall the two core principles of Brainspotting by allowing “uncertainty” and “staying in the tail of the comet.”
6. Participants will be able to demonstrate the eight steps of the Brainspotting Outside Window technique and apply
   their knowledge in a practicum setting as both the therapist and the client. Assistants are available to help them apply
   the technique more skillfully.
7. Participants will be able to demonstrate the nine steps of the Brainspotting Inside Window technique and apply their knowledge in a practicum setting as both the therapist and the client. Assistants are available to help them apply the technique with more skill.
8. Participants will be able to demonstrate the nine steps of the Brainspotting “Gazespotting” technique and apply their knowledge in a practicum setting as both the therapist and the client. Assistants are available to help them apply the technique with greater skill.
9. Participants will be able to list the four most common types of limbic countertransference that may happen to them
   while being exposed to their client’s traumatic material.
10. Participants will be able to distinguish two differences between a client in a flashback versus one who is outside their
    window of tolerance and apply the “Eye Contact” Brainspot until the flashback has passed.
11. Participants will be able to describe the two symptoms indicating a client is in flashback.
12. Participants will recognize the two things required to stay in their scope of practice and competence in treating clients
    with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
13. Participants will be able to demonstrate the nine steps of the Body Resource technique for fragile or dissociative
    clients with difficult clinical issues and apply their knowledge in a practicum setting as both the therapist and the
    client. Assistants are available to help them apply the technique more skillfully.

DAY 1 - FRIDAY: 

8:30-9:00: First day only, Introductions of trainers, staff, and assistants

9:00-9:15: EDI Statement

The importance of inclusivity, diversity and equity while utilizing Brainspotting with clients and as active participants in the class.

9:15-9:30: “Where You Look Affects How Feel”

Experiential for attendees to experience how different levels of emotional and body disturbance are experienced while looking at three different eye positions.  Students learn that the retina is part of the CNS and that looking in different directions brings an entirely different experience somatically and emotionally when thinking about the problem. It helps attendees understand how to let their clients choose which eye position feels most within their window of tolerance for re-processing disturbing experiences, cognitions, or body sensations.

9:30-10:45: PowerPoint

Introduction to Brainspotting, overview of research studies demonstrating Brainspotting as an  evidence based practice, history of how Brainspotting was discovered, exploration of the Neuroscience behind Brainspotting’s efficacy, overview of the four techniques that will be taught, overview of the symptoms of unresolved trauma, the brain science behind Brainspotting in shifting the Autonomic Nervous System from a dysregulated state to one of regulation and coherence, etc. Therapists remain current with developments in their field through educational activities or clinical experiences.

10:45-11:00: Break

11:00-11:30: PowerPoint

Overview of where trauma is stored in the brain as well as the survival coping mechanisms of Flight, Fight, Freeze, Faint and Fawn, instruction on the Basic 8 Steps of Brainspotting, Explanation of the ethical and clinical importance of letting the client and their sophisticated brain lead the process, discussion of the negative impact on the client’s healing if the therapist takes the lead, tips for the clinician to stay present and mindfully attuned to their client relationally, how to keep the client inside their “window of tolerance” neurobiologically while processing (Dan Seigel), how to resource clients’ more or less as needed, and best practices for working with trauma.

11:30-12:15: Demonstration of “Outside Window”

This technique is designed for clients who demonstrate dissociation while discussing difficult material they desire to work on. This technique teaches the therapist how to find the relevant eye position outside of the client’s conscious awareness by finding the most pronounced client reflexes while thinking about the disturbing issue. This technique is necessary for clients who are dissociating while processing or are working on experiences where they lost consciousness.

12:15-12:45: Debrief of Outside Window Demonstration

To further the understanding of utilizing the technique for Dissociation.

12:45-1:45: Lunch

1:45-2:00: Powerpoint

Review of Outside Window for steps in preparation for practicum.

2:00-3:30 Outside Window Practicum

Clinicians will be paired together with another attendee with both being the “client” and receiving the Outside Window technique and then switching to the “therapist” role to practice giving an Outside Window session.

3:30-4:00 Debrief of Outside Window Practicum

This allows time to ask questions and share experiences in order to fully embody and feel comfortable using this technique when the attendees go back to their clients.

4:00-4:15: Break

4:15-5:00: Demonstration of Inside Window

This technique is for clients without dissociation. These clients can feel inside of themselves where the disturbance feels most intense and where it feels the most calm. Participants are taught to always have the client choose the level of intensity they prefer to work from. The 9 steps of Inside Window are taught.

5:00-5:30: Debrief of Inside Window Demonstration

To further understanding of using the “Inside Window” technique by answering any remaining questions.

 

DAY 2 - SATURDAY

9:00-9:15: Check in, review of previous day 

Time to integrate the learning from day one and to check in on the volunteers from the demonstrations. Time is given for questions and answers.

9:15-9:30: Review Powerpoint 

Quick review of the nine steps of Inside Window

9:30-11:00: Inside Window Practicum

Clinicians will be paired together with one attendee being the “client” and receiving the “Inside Window” technique and then switching to the therapist role to practice giving an “Inside Window” session.

11:00-11:15: Debrief of Inside Window Practicum

This allows time for integration of the “Inside Window” technique.

11:15-11:30: Break

11:30-12:15: Demonstration of Gazespotting

This demonstration shows that clients often will look off in a specific direction when discussing the distressing issue they have chosen to work on. Students will learn to harness this naturally occurring phenomenon by pointing out to the “client” where they are unconsciously gazing and asking how intense the disturbance is feeling 0 to 10. We then ask the client if that eye position feels intuitively like the right eye position to process the issue from.

12:15-12:45: Debrief of Gazespotting Demonstration 

To further understand the Gazespotting technique.

12:45-1:45: Lunch

1:45-2:00: Review Powerpoint

This time is used to answer any remaining questions about Gazespotting prior to practicum.

2:00-3:30: Gazespotting Practicum

Clinicians will be paired together with one attendee being the “client” and receiving the “Gazespotting” technique and then switching to the therapist role to practice giving a “Gazespotting” session.

3:30-4:00 Debrief of Gazespotting Practicum

This allows time for integration of the Gazespotting technique and to assure everyone in the course is inside their window of tolerance.

4:00 to 4:15: Break

4:15 -5:00: Small Group Q&A Breakouts 

Participants are divided into small groups to ask questions about all of the course content, the specific techniques already taught, and how to utilize Brainspotting with various populations such as children, couples, and families. Participants can also ask about treating various mental health and medical conditions with Brainspotting such as anxiety, panic, OCD, grief, TBIs, medical trauma, addiction, chronic pain, suicide survivors, etc.

5:00-5:30: Large Group Q&A

Participants come back into the larger group to address and clarify any theory, techniques, or specific utilizations of Brainspotting.

 

DAY 3 - SUNDAY

9:00-9:15: Check in, review of previous day 

Solidifying comprehension from the previous day's teaching.

9:15-10:45: PowerPoint

Teach the Brainspotting Resource Model, from being exposed to their clients’ difficult material, learning how to recognize the need for participants to do their own trauma work if they find themselves in fight, flight, freeze or fawn responses.

10:45-11:00: Break

11:00-11:30 PowerPoint

Teach Brainspotting as a Resource Model for fragile clients, learning the six goals of treatment for those with Dissociative Identity Disorder while emphasizing the importance of being competent in DID as well as Brainspotting in order to stay within their scope of practice and scope of competence.

11:30-12:15 Demonstration of the Body Resource Model

Help participants comprehend how to best resource their fragile clients with this technique.

12:15-12:45 Debrief of Body Resource Model

To further understand the Body Resource technique.

12:45-1:45: Lunch

1:45-2:00: Review Powerpoint

Review of the nine steps of the Body Resource Model

2:00-3:30: Body Resource Practicum

Clinicians will be paired together with one attendee being the “client” and receiving the ‘Body Resource” technique and then switching to the therapist role to practice giving a “Body Resource” session. The main point is to give attendees an embodied and kinesthetic experience with this method in order to increase retention of the material.

3:30-4:00: Debrief of Body Resource Practicum 

This allows time for integration of the Body Resource technique.

4:00-4:15 Break

4:15-5:00 Small Group Q&A/Using BSP with various populations

Participants are divided into small groups to ask questions about all of the course content, the four specific techniques taught, and how to utilize Brainspotting with various populations such as children, couples, and families. Participants can also ask about treating various conditions with Brainspotting such as anxiety, panic, OCD, grief, TBI’s, chronic pain, suicide survivors, etc.

5:00-5:30 Final Q&A, Closing

This is the final Q and A until the two free consultations included in the course two and four weeks after the course ends. The main point is to give time to answer anything that would stand in the way of participants feeling competent in utilizing this model with their clients.