Brain Spotting & Arts Therapy What is it?

Unlocking the Body's Wisdom: Brainspotting Meets Art Therapy

In the quiet moments of creativity—when brush meets paper or clay softens under touch —something remarkable can happen. Art therapy has long been recognised as a powerful way to access parts of ourselves that words can’t always reach. When paired with Brainspotting, a focused somatic psychotherapy, the healing potential can deepen in profoundly integrative ways.

What is Brainspotting? Brainspotting (developed by Dr. David Grand) is a therapeutic technique that locates points in a person's visual field that correlate with stored trauma or emotional activation in the body. The idea is simple yet profound: "Where you look affects how you feel." By holding gentle attention on a specific "brainspot," the nervous system can process and release what has been held—often outside of conscious awareness.

And how does this connect with art therapy? Art therapy gives form to our inner world. In a Brainspotting session integrated with art making, the creative process becomes a bridge between the implicit (felt, somatic) and explicit (verbal, conscious) experiences. This allows insight, memory, and emotion to emerge through colour, shape, and symbol, bypassing the mind’s usual defences. Together, Brainspotting and art therapy offer a potent, mostly non-verbal pathway for healing trauma, regulating the nervous system, and fostering deep reconnection with self. It’s especially powerful for those who feel stuck—creatively, emotionally, or somatically— and are seeking a gentle yet transformative approach. You don’t need to be an artist or have a story ready to tell—just a willingness to explore what unfolds when stillness, gaze, and the creative process come together.