Brainspotting Therapy Online – When Other Approaches Haven’t Been Enough

What is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting (BSP) is an advanced, body-based therapy developed by Dr David Grand in 2003. It’s built on a simple but profound principle: where you look affects how you feel.

Using specific eye positions – called “brainspots” – the therapy accesses areas of the brain where trauma, anxiety and emotional pain are stored. Unlike talking therapies, Brainspotting bypasses the conscious, analytical mind and works directly with the deeper brain and nervous system where these experiences actually live.

The result is that deeply held emotional pain can be processed and released – often without needing to talk about it in detail, and sometimes faster than any other approach you may have tried.

What Can Brainspotting Help With?

Brainspotting is particularly effective for experiences and conditions where the emotional charge feels stuck, persistent, or out of proportion to what’s happening in your life now.

It is well suited to:

• Trauma and PTSD – including complex, developmental or childhood trauma
• Anxiety and panic attacks – especially where the anxiety feels physical and overwhelming
• Depression and grief – particularly where there’s a sense of being unable to move forward
• Performance anxiety – for athletes, performers, creatives and professionals who feel blocked or held back
• Emetophobia and specific phobias – fears that feel irrational but deeply entrenched
• Chronic stress and burnout – where the body holds tension that won’t shift
• Physical symptoms with an emotional root – such as migraines, fatigue or chronic pain
• Creative blocks and self-limiting beliefs – patterns that undermine confidence and potential

If you’ve been told your difficulties are “just anxiety” or “something you have to learn to manage,” Brainspotting may offer something different – genuine processing and release, not just coping strategies.

Who Is Brainspotting For?

Brainspotting is particularly valuable for people who:

• Have tried CBT, counselling or other talking therapies without lasting results
• Find it hard to talk about their experiences – or feel that talking doesn’t seem to shift things
• Feel their emotional responses are stored in their body rather than their thoughts
• Want a therapy that doesn’t require them to relive or retell painful events in detail
• Are high-achieving but feel held back by inner blocks they can’t quite explain

You don’t need to have a diagnosis. You don’t need to know “why” you feel the way you do. Brainspotting works with where you are right now.

How Does a Brainspotting Session Work?

Sessions take place online via video call and typically last 60–90 minutes. Here’s what the process looks like:

1. We explore what you’d like to work on – this might be a specific memory, a feeling, a pattern of behaviour, or a physical sensation
2. We locate a brainspot – using a pointer or your own gaze, we find the eye position that connects most strongly to what you’re carrying
3. You hold your gaze on that spot – while I support you and the brain begins its natural processing
4. Your brain does the work – releasing stored emotional material at its own pace, in its own way
5. We integrate what’s emerged – reflecting together on what shifted and what comes next

Optional bilateral sound (played through headphones) can deepen the process – many clients find this helps them drop into a more receptive state.

You don’t need to narrate or analyse what’s happening. Your brain knows what to do – Brainspotting simply gives it the right conditions to do it.

Brainspotting as Part of an Integrative Approach

In my practice, Brainspotting and BWRT often work powerfully together.

BWRT is excellent for targeting specific, identifiable patterns — particular triggers, phobias, or automatic responses that you want to change quickly and precisely.

Brainspotting works more broadly, processing the deeper emotional and somatic material that underlies those patterns — the stored trauma, the nervous system dysregulation, the wordless grief or fear.

Used together, they address both the surface response and the root. Many of my clients find that integrating both approaches accelerates their progress and produces more lasting results than either alone.

If you’re unsure which is right for you — or whether a combination makes sense — we can explore that together in your free consultation.

Why Online Brainspotting Works

Brainspotting is just as effective online as in person — and for some clients, more so. Being in your own environment can help you feel safer and more relaxed, which actually supports the processing work.

All you need is:

• A device with a camera and microphone (phone, tablet or laptop)
• A reliable internet connection
• A quiet, private space where you won’t be disturbed
• Headphones (optional, but helpful for bilateral sound)

I work with clients across the whole of the UK.

About Danny Nuttall – Certified Brainspotting Therapist

I’m a qualified Hypnotherapist, CBT practitioner, and certified Brainspotting therapist based in Yorkshire, with over 15 years of experience in integrative therapeutic practice.

I came to trauma-focused therapies through personal experience – I know from the inside what it’s like when conventional approaches fall short. That’s what drives my commitment to finding what actually works, for each individual client.

I’m registered with the CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council), an accredited register approved by the Professional Standards Authority.

“I’ve helped many clients release emotional pain that years of talking therapy couldn’t reach. It would be an honour to support your journey.”

What Clients Say

“Brainspotting helped me process trauma that years of CBT hadn’t touched. After just a few sessions I felt lighter, calmer, and genuinely free from something I’d carried for years.” – Sarah

“I was sceptical about doing this online but it made no difference at all. The sessions were incredibly powerful and Danny made me feel completely safe throughout.” – David

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Brainspotting different from EMDR?

Both therapies work with trauma through eye positioning and both are effective. EMDR uses repeated, guided eye movements as the main mechanism; Brainspotting uses a fixed gaze position and allows the brain to process at its own pace. Many clients find Brainspotting more intuitive and less activating – you’re not directed through the process, you’re supported while your brain leads it.

Will I have to talk about what happened to me?

Not in detail. Brainspotting is largely body-led – we focus on where you feel the issue in your body, and your brain does the processing from there. You can share as much or as little as you like.

How many sessions will I need?

Some clients notice significant shifts in 1–3 sessions. For deeper or more complex trauma, the work may take longer – but many people are surprised by how quickly things begin to move. We always work at your pace, and you’re in control of the process.

Is Brainspotting evidence-based?

Yes. There is a growing body of research supporting Brainspotting’s effectiveness for trauma, PTSD, anxiety and performance issues. It is used by therapists and trauma specialists worldwide.

Can Brainspotting be combined with BWRT?

Absolutely – and in my practice, this combination is often where I see the most significant results. BWRT targets specific patterns and triggers; Brainspotting processes the deeper emotional material underneath. Together they complement each other very well.

I’ve had therapy before and it didn’t help. Will this be different?

Possibly – and that’s exactly the right question to ask. Brainspotting works differently from most talking therapies. It doesn’t require insight, analysis or revisiting painful memories in detail. If what you’ve tried before hasn’t been enough, it’s worth exploring whether a body-based, brain-led approach might reach what words couldn’t.

Book Your Free Consultation

If you’re ready to explore whether Brainspotting — or a combination of Brainspotting and BWRT – could help you, the first step is a free, no-obligation consultation.

We’ll talk about what you’re experiencing, I’ll explain how I work, and together we can decide the best path forward. No pressure, no commitment.