{"id":6895,"date":"2023-08-26T21:44:20","date_gmt":"2023-08-26T14:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6895"},"modified":"2023-08-26T21:44:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-26T14:44:20","slug":"how-to-use-brainspotting-to-stop-a-panic-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6895","title":{"rendered":"How To Use \u2018Brainspotting\u2019 To Stop a Panic Attack"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">W<\/span>hen a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/panic-attack-symptoms\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/panic-attack-symptoms\/\">panic attack is happening<\/a>, all you\u2019re thinking about is likely how exactly to stop it. Breathing exercises and other methods to pull focus away from your panic can help. One method draws on brainspotting, an alternative therapy that utilizes your eye position and its connection to your brain to regulate emotions and physical responses.<\/div>\n<h2>What is brainspotting?<\/h2>\n<p>Brainspotting is a technique rooted in <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/treatments\/22641-emdr-therapy#:~:text=Eye%20movement%20desensitization%20and%20reprocessing%20(EMDR)%20therapy%20is%20a%20mental,or%20other%20distressing%20life%20experiences.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/treatments\/22641-emdr-therapy#:~:text=Eye%20movement%20desensitization%20and%20reprocessing%20(EMDR)%20therapy%20is%20a%20mental,or%20other%20distressing%20life%20experiences.\">eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)<\/a> therapy that was <a href=\"https:\/\/cab.unime.it\/journals\/index.php\/MJCP\/article\/view\/1376\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/cab.unime.it\/journals\/index.php\/MJCP\/article\/view\/1376\">pioneered by psychologist David Grand, PhD<\/a>, to treat trauma.<\/p>\n<p>The theory behind brainspotting is that the body experiences trauma and holds onto it. It uses the <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/18589562\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/18589562\/\">mind-body connection<\/a> to help regulate the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK544297\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK544297\/\">midbrain<\/a>, also known as the mesencephalon, a small but critical part of the brainstem that plays a key role in sensory processing, motor control, and various functions related to vision, hearing, and alertness. When your body is experiencing a traumatic event your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/stress-responses\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/stress-responses\/\">fight or flight mode<\/a> gets activated, so a practice like brainspotting can help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/regulate-your-nervous-system\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/regulate-your-nervous-system\/\">regulate your nervous system<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;The eyes are the only part of our brain that&#8217;s seeing the outside world, and there&#8217;s a lot of connection between what we see with our eyes and what we&#8217;re feeling in our nervous system.&#8221;\u2014trauma therapist Lauren Auer, LCPC<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The eyes are the window for brainspotting because of the emotion and connection they have to the brain. \u201cEMDR is using that full brain activation to really &#8216;turn on&#8217; parts of the brain that experience the trauma, and brainspotting is more specific because it&#8217;s really more like pinpointing the areas of the brain where [the trauma is] being stored,&#8221; says trauma therapist <a href=\"https:\/\/steadfastcounseling.com\/about-me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/steadfastcounseling.com\/about-me\/\">Lauren Auer, LCPC<\/a>, who is trained in EMDR and certified in brainspotting. &#8220;The eyes are the only part of our brain that&#8217;s seeing the outside world, and there&#8217;s a lot of connection between what we see with our eyes and what we&#8217;re feeling in our nervous system.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Compared to other modalities of therapy, brainspotting hasn\u2019t been researched as much, but one study published in 2017 in the <a href=\"https:\/\/cab.unime.it\/journals\/index.php\/MJCP\/index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/cab.unime.it\/journals\/index.php\/MJCP\/index\"><em>Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology<\/em><\/a> found it to be an \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/cab.unime.it\/journals\/index.php\/MJCP\/article\/view\/1376\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/cab.unime.it\/journals\/index.php\/MJCP\/article\/view\/1376\">effective alternative therapeutic approach<\/a>\u201d for participants who had experienced trauma and\/or PTSD. The other modalities studied, EMDR and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/ptsd-guideline\/patients-and-families\/cognitive-behavioral#:~:text=Cognitive%20behavioral%20therapy%20(CBT)%20is,disorders%2C%20and%20severe%20mental%20illness.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/ptsd-guideline\/patients-and-families\/cognitive-behavioral#:~:text=Cognitive%20behavioral%20therapy%20(CBT)%20is,disorders%2C%20and%20severe%20mental%20illness.\">cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)<\/a>, all showed participants&#8217; symptoms coming back after the six month check in\u2014brainspotting didn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>How to use brainspotting to stop a panic attack<\/h2>\n<p>Auer recently posted a viral <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CvP_ydxgXX1\/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CvP_ydxgXX1\/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D\">Instagram Reel<\/a> laying out how brainspotting works:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Focus your gaze on an object in front of you. (This could be a stationary object, or something you hold in your hand like the highlighter Auer holds in the video.)<\/li>\n<li>Shift your gaze beyond that point.<\/li>\n<li>Move your focus back to the object.<\/li>\n<li>Continue to repeat alternating your gaze from near to far.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>What you\u2019re essentially doing here is using your eye position to draw your mind away from whatever thoughts are causing you to panic, so you can focus on something else to bring about a feeling and state of calm. \u201cIt\u2019s really regulating your nervous system to slow down your heart rate, and what you\u2019re doing is activating your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK499832\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK499832\/\">oculocardiac reflex<\/a>,\u201d Auer says. \u201cThis calms down your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-stimulate-vagus-nerve\/#:~:text=%22One%20way%20to%20access%20your,six%20times%2C%22%20says%20Nastasi.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-stimulate-vagus-nerve\/#:~:text=%22One%20way%20to%20access%20your,six%20times%2C%22%20says%20Nastasi.\">vagus nerve<\/a> [which is connected to stress relief] and regulates your breathing.\u201d You don&#8217;t need to have perfect vision to do this, either; she says what matters here is the position of your eye, not the information you&#8217;re taking in through sight.<\/p>\n<p>Brainspotting is beneficial for more than stopping panic attacks. You can also use this practice when you\u2019re simply feeling overstimulated or overwhelmed as a way to shift focus. Plus, doing so can help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-to-do-after-work\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-to-do-after-work\/\">mitigate eye strain<\/a> caused from staring at a screen all day. Auer says her clients have also used this technique as a general soothing mechanism to prevent panic episodes from happening.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/brainspotting-panic-attack\/\" current-title=\"Try \u2018Brainspotting\u2019 To Stop a Panic Attack in Its Tracks\" current-image=\"GettyImagesBrainSpotting-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-02-26\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/brainspotting-panic-attack\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/brainspotting-panic-attack\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/brainspotting-panic-attack\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>For best results, she recommends practicing brainspotting before you\u2019re in crisis so you can call on it easily when you need it most.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a panic attack is happening, all you\u2019re thinking about is likely how exactly to stop it. Breathing exercises and other methods to pull focus away from your panic can help. One method draws on brainspotting, an alternative therapy that utilizes your eye position and its connection to your brain to regulate emotions and physical &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}