WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A BRAINSPOTTING SESSION

Interested in booking a session and want to know what to prepare, or have you completed a session, and are wondering if your reactions are normal? We hope the following will help clarify the process, but if you have specific questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

To begin your Brainspotting session I will ask you to disclose if you have had any of these circumstances/”Trigger Events” at ANY point in YOUR Sports Career:

Poor performance, or perceived “poor” performance by the athlete?
Conflicts with coaches or teammates?
A debilitating injury or illness, resulting in a loss of playing time or surgery?
Concussions-Traumatic Brain Injury?
Significant Changes in Game Schedules or Practice Schedules, Travel or are Currently having to Move?
Lack of playing time?
Family and or relationship issues?
Changes in importance of sport, expectations by self, role of sport in life?

Violence — being assaulted, a victim of domestic violence, automobile accidents, or merely witnessing a personal injury or assault on a family member, friend or teammate?
Challenges with Adapting to a professional athlete lifestyle?
Death of a loved one or close friend?
Alcohol or drug abuse?
Significant dieting or weight loss?
History of physical or sexual abuse?
Gambling issues?
Challenges with making the decision to retire from a professional sports career?

Now I have my “Laundry List” of YOUR past Sports and Life circumstances which may be potentially unconsciously holding YOU back from performing at YOUR best in Sports and in Life.

be on point with neuro and neurology training

NEXT STEPS:

1. EXPLAIN

You will be asked to briefly explain to the therapist the past bad scenario/experience/event and or bad scenarios/experiences/events which have led up to this sports trauma, stress, pain, hurt, worry, fear, issue and or belief/thought.

2. THINK

You will be asked to think about this to the fullest to the point of feeling upset, bad, uncomfortable, unsettled with complete anxiety as if you were just to begin the race, competition, game or as if you were to experience the bad scenario/experience/event which led to the sports trauma, stress, pain, hurt, worry, fear, issue again.

3. IDENTIFY

You will be asked to identify where within your body you feel this upset/bad/uncomfortable/unsettling/completely anxious feeling when you think about it or talk about (examples but not limited to; chest, stomach, neck, jaw, head, hips or limbs)..

4. MAINTAIN

You will be asked to maintain this upset, bad, uncomfortable, unsettling feeling and anxious feeling and will be asked to overanalyze it. While you think about it, you are to say whatever thoughts come to mind – these thoughts DO NOT have to make sense or tell a story to the therapist. These thoughts are thoughts which are stored within the deep brain and must be expelled! They are the NEGATIVE performance inhibiting thoughts attached to the past sports traumas, stress, pain, hurt, worry, fear, issue, upset, bad, uncomfortable, unsettling and completely anxious feeling endured and retained from the bad scenario/experience/event.

5. LISTEN

You will be asked to listen to bilateral sound/music through headphones.

6. FOLLOW

You will be asked to follow the end of a pointer with your eyes, or one eye, depending if you are asked to wear one eye covering goggles while constantly thinking, rethinking about the sports trauma, stress, pain, hurt, worry, fear, issue and or bad scenario/experience/event.

“90% of sports performance is mental”

-Kay Porter PhD

My GOAL is to make YOU as upset as humanly possible about YOUR past Sports Trauma/experiences so YOUR Brain and Body will process, release and heal from the Experience so YOU never feel upset or anticipate the past trauma/experience AGAIN! The physical symptoms of YOUR past Sports-Life Traumas-Negative Experiences Leaving YOUR Brain and Body are:

Eye(s) Watering
Blinking
Face Twitching
Eye(s) Twitching
Body Shift(s)
Crying
Hyperventilating
Body Twitching
Leg(s) Shaking

Foot/Feet Jerk(s)
Jaw Tightening
Yawning
Body Jerks
Entire Body Shaking
Hand(s) Shaking
Twitching in Areas of Past Sports Injuries

AFTER THE SESSION

Everyone’s Brain and Body is Different so YOUR reflexes will release how YOUR Brain and Body knows how. Following the Brainspotting-Neurophysiology session expect to feel a tired sensation your body . You will be asked to let your body rest and relax, or ‘give in’ to this tired feeling. I will ask you to take off the headphones in order to decompress/debrief and address the thoughts which came up. Immediately following YOUR brainspotting-neurophysiology session(s) YOU may/will feel/experience:

Mentally: mildly tired to extremely exhausted
Mental Fog or “out of it”
Speech: may be delayed or you may have trouble formulating speech
Light headed
Emotional: mildly to extremely

Crying or uncontrollable tears
Angry: slight agitation to VERY angry
Physically: mildly tired to extremely exhausted
Uncontrollable yawning

The brain-body will be taxed, relieved and mourning the release of the trauma the brain needs oxygen to process out the trauma.

Your mind will begin to realize as the trauma is released these negative thoughts are not accurate, and not only mourn holding on to these thoughts but you will be upset/angry you allowed yourself to hold these inaccurate thoughts for so long, because as you will realize, there was no benefit to holding or thinking about these past thoughts.

Your brain/body will continue to process and bring up the unprocessed feelings which were associated with the sports trauma, and of course ANY other trauma(s) physiological or psychological you have endured throughout your lifetime for hours, or even up to 2 days following your session. Allow and welcome the undesirable feelings. Since the entire purpose of the brainspotting process is to bring up the stored sports trauma(s)/trauma(s) so it is processed and released, you MUST surrender to and allow yourself to feel this way so the thoughts will be gone forever.