GAIA SOMASCA HOLISTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
When you feel overwhelmed by past experiences or find that talking about them hasn't reached the healing you wish, Brainspotting offers a gentle yet powerful path toward healing. Our bodies carry the weight of our histories. While the stories we remember can be vague, the memories of how we felt—overwhelmed, scared, and alone —left an imprint on our nervous system and “deep brain,” influencing our behaviors, our beliefs, and how we feel in our lives.
​
Brainspotting relies on the direct connection between our eye position—where we look—and the “deep brain”—that is, the subcortical part of the brain where those memories are stored. It is estimated that our brain contains roughly a quadrillion connections — about 10,000 times more than the number of stars in our home galaxy, the Milky Way. While we are still uncovering the complex functioning of our brain and body, this process stimulates the body’s innate capacity to heal itself and release the grip of old patterns, which I like to call “clusters of stuckness,” as well as to amplify beneficial inner states.
​
My approach to Brainspotting is grounded in the belief that you are the expert on your own life and that your system holds an incredible capacity for healing. Together we collaborate to catalyze your internal healing force. I will facilitate this process by offering a warm, compassionate space where you can feel safe enough to explore these inner landscapes.
​
Even when the past feels insurmountable, healing is possible. Let’s explore how this transformative modality can support your journey toward wholeness and vitality.
Unlocking the Brain's Healing Power: What Is Brainspotting?
Understanding a therapeutic approach can demystify the process, making the decision to begin feel safer and more informed. Brainspotting, developed by David Grand in 2003, is grounded in the knowledge that the brain can change and heal itself.
​
The core principles in Brainspotting are that "where you look affects how you feel" and “what’s in the body is in the brain.” It is a neurophysiological, brain-body therapy that uses your eye position to access unprocessed trauma stored deep within the subcortical parts of the brain. This area is responsible, simply put, for emotional processing, for your survival instincts, for your breathing, heart rate and bodily functioning, our implicit memories, and more. There is evidence that the subcortical parts of the brain, those that are not accessible by our own thinking mind (pre-frontal cortex), process 10 times faster and autonomously.
​
By helping you find a specific eye position (a "Brainspot") connected to an emotional or physical experience, we can tap into the brain’s own self-healing capacities, especially those activated in the subcortical areas. This allows your system to resume and complete the processing of experiences that were overwhelming and left unresolved, all in a contained and supportive environment.
It offers a way to access parts of the brain and body that are beyond the reach of traditional talk therapy, allowing for deep resolution and healing.
This approach offers several distinct benefits that align with a holistic, trauma-informed philosophy
-
Client-Led The process is guided by your own system's innate wisdom. We follow your experience at a pace that feels right for you, making it a deeply respectful and non-imposing modality that honors your boundaries and capacity in every moment. As we say in Brainspotting trainings, we stay in the "tail of the comet," as we trust that your brain and body knows the way.
​
-
Accesses Pre-Verbal Trauma Challenging early childhood experiences, for which there are have no narratives, leave a deep imprint in our bodies that negatively affect many aspects of our lives. Because Brainspotting works directly with the body; it support processing the effects of developmental trauma, attachment wounds, and other pre-verbal experiences hard to treat through traditional talk therapy.
​
-
Deep and Lasting Change Instead of just managing symptoms, Brainspotting helps to resolve the underlying root cause. By addressing the issue held deep in the brain and body, the shifts you experience can be profound and lasting.
By gently accessing the brain’s own healing capacity, Brainspotting can help a wide range of individuals find relief and transformation.
.png)
Who Can Find Relief and Transformation Through Brainspotting?
Identifying the specific challenges Brainspotting can address is not about applying labels, but about recognizing shared human experiences of pain and the universal search for resilience. If you see your own story reflected in the experiences below, this approach may offer the support and depth you've been seeking.
Healing from Childhood and Relational Trauma
For those who carry the weight of developmental trauma, attachment wounds, or complex PTSD, life can feel like a constant effort to feel safe. You may struggle with a persistent sense of low self-worth, difficulty trusting others, or a pattern of unsatisfying relationships. Brainspotting gently accesses these deep-seated patterns, helping your nervous system process the old pain and foster new inner experiences of safety, ease, and vitality.
Recovering from Narcissistic Abuse and Toxic Dynamics
If you are recovering from relationships marked by invalidation, control, and emotional manipulation, you may find yourself caught in cycles of people-pleasing, caretaking, and self-doubt. The experience can shatter your sense of self and make it difficult to trust your own perceptions. Brainspotting helps clear the fog of confusion, allowing you to reconnect with your own inner truth, easing fears and worries, allowing to cultivate firm boundaries and a strong sense of self.
Navigating Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Grief and Overwhelm
Often, what we call anxiety, social anxiety, or depression are manifestations of a dysregulated nervous system and unresolved traumatic stress. You might feel perpetually on edge or weighed down by a sense of hopelessness. Brainspotting works directly with the areas connected to these survival states, helping to release the underlying patterns so you can begin to experience real changes. Together, we can support your body's capacity to shift from tightness to softness, from restriction to spaciousness, so that you can begin to feel ready to step forward into your life with more ease.
For Multicultural, Immigrant, and LGBTQ+ Identities
Living with an identity marginalized by dominant culture comes with a unique and often invisible layer of trauma. I am fully aware that the world we live in continuously affect you in harmful ways: oppression, discrimination, and racism are ever-present. I am committed to providing a culturally sensitive and affirming space where Brainspotting can be supportive in process your pain. I will keep working on this, and I will hold that pain with you, while we strengthen your connection to your most authentic, resilient self.
This therapeutic process is a collaborative journey, tailored to your unique needs and experiences.
Our Journey Together: The Brainspotting Experience
I imagine the therapy space as a welcoming cove where we can explore what’s on the shore of your consciousness that calls for healing. The foundation of this work is our therapeutic relationship, built on a bedrock of trust, safety, and compassion. Together, we slow down, as when walking on the rocks, careful to respect the very tender and usually hidden parts that emerge at low tides. In this space, all parts of you are welcome, and your system can feel secure enough to do its profound work.
To reduce any anxiety about starting something new, here is what you can expect as we explore this shore together:
-
Beginning with Connection We start each session by gently identify the issue or pattern you’d like to focus on. Or we can also focus on how you would like to feel, or experience yourself if you could; or what it would be like to feel neutral about a particular triggering issue. This choice is guided by what feels most relevant to you that day and possibly connected to the larger goals we explored during our initial consultation where we discussed how you would like to feel at the end of our journey together.
-
Finding the Brainspot Once we have a focus, we`ll explore the sensations, or emotions or energetic quality you are experiencing. Then, by tracking where your eyes naturally gaze, or by using a pointer, I will help you slowly find an eye position, the "Brainspot", most connected to your inner experience. This spot corresponds to a neural network in your brain holding the relevant information for healing.
-
Mindful Processing While you maintain your gaze on the Brainspot, we notice what you experience, as is simply to be a mindful observer of your own internal experience. memories, emotions, or physical sensations may arise. There is no right or wrong way to do this, and there is no pressure to talk. I remain closely attuned to you, holding a safe and steady presence while your brain and body do the deep processing work.
-
Integration and Closure When you feel the process is winding down, we will gently transition out and explore your insights and inner shifts. We might take time to ensure you feel grounded, present, and supported especially before you leave. This integration phase is crucial for allowing the shifts that occurred to settle into your system.
This focused work is a powerful component of a larger, holistic framework to honor your entire being.
A Holistic Approach: Integrating Mind, Body, and Spirit
True and lasting healing is not about a single tool, but about weaving together wisdom from various sources to create a tapestry of care that honors you as a whole person. Brainspotting is a core element of my work, but it is seamlessly integrated with other powerful modalities to support your mind, body, and spirit. This allows us to tailor our approach in each session to what best serves you.
Here are some of the other approaches that can enrich our work together:
-
Somatic Approaches. The body holds immense wisdom. Through gentle and slow methods, we learn to listen to the subtle sensations, tensions, and messages your body is communicating. This practice supports emotional regulation, releases stored trauma, and helps you cultivate a more compassionate and trusting relationship with your physical self.
-
Internal Family Systems (IFS) / Parts Work. We all have different "parts" within us, each one with its own needs, values, fears, strengths, and drives. This approach invites us to bring curiosity and build a relationship with these parts inside you. By getting to know them and their roles, we can heal internal conflicts and create a supportive and safe inner world where every part feels heard and understood.
-
Jungian, Depth, and Dreamwork. Your psyche speaks in a rich language of symbols, metaphors, and dreams. By exploring this deeper layer of your experience, we can uncover profound insights, guidance, and meaning on your healing path. This approach helps connect you to the wisdom of your unconscious and your most authentic self.
-
Ecotherapy. Our well-being is deeply interconnected with the health of the natural world. Acknowledging our interdependency with the Earth can be a powerful source of nourishment, perspective, and belonging. Integrating the mirror of nature into our work helps us practice remembering how dynamically related we are with all of life, reminding us that we are part of something vast and beautiful.
These tools are not just techniques; they are expressions of a deep commitment to providing compassionate, holistic, and effective care.
Frequently Asked Questions about Brainspotting
This section is here to provide clarity and answer some of the common questions that arise when considering a new therapeutic approach.
.png)
Begin Your Healing Journey online or in Scotts Valley & Santa Cruz and surrounding areas
Taking the first step toward therapy is a courageous act of hope and self-compassion. If you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or ready for a deeper level of healing, I`d like you to know that you don't have to navigate this alone. A moment of crisis can be a profound turning point, an opportunity to discern what needs to change and an invitation for transformative growth.
I offer a free 15-20 minute consultation call as a first step. This is a dedicated time for you to share what is bringing you to therapy and for me to answer any questions you may have about my approach. It's a no-pressure conversation to see if we feel like a good fit to work together.
Please reach out through my contact page to schedule your complimentary consultation.
​
I offer Brainspotting sessions online throughout California and in-person in Scotts Valley, CA, Santa Cruz, CA and surrounding areas.
If it feels appropriate, and once we have established a foundation of connection and trust, we can consider meeting outdoors in a location we choose together within Santa Cruz County. In these sessions, we can integrate Ecotherapy with Brainspotting, leaning in to the support offered by the land to anchor your process.
Gaia Somasca Holistic Psychotherapy, led by Gaia Somasca, MA, LMFT, offers Brainspotting in person in Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, and online throughout California. Brainspotting is a therapeutic approach that utilizes the connection between eye position and the brain to access and process the unresolved effects of trauma, reaching beyond the limits of traditional talk therapy. Integrated within a holistic framework that includes Somatic approaches, IFS, Jungian depth psychology, dreamwork, and Ecotherapy, Gaia Somasca supports adults and young adults as they heal from complex trauma, relational trauma, narcissistic abuse, anxiety, and the impact of systemic oppression — with particular attunement to women, LGBTQ+ identities, immigrants, and multicultural identities. With a strong commitment to social justice, this collaborative journey begins with a free consultation and support clients as they transform and heal, reclaiming resilience and vitality.