Rosa Daneshvar

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy that has been successful in helping people who suffer from trauma, anxiety, panic, disturbing memories, nightmares, etc. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping) while the client attends to memories and triggers to decrease or eliminate emotional distress connected to the memory.

Brainspotting is a somatic therapy that helps clients access the subcortical (non-verbal) part of the brain, where trauma is typically stored. According to the creator of Brainspotting, David Grand, “Where you look affects how you feel.” Since our eyes give us access to the subcortical brain, Brainspotting uses the visual field as a way to help release stored memories.

The realization that even the parts of ourselves that cause us the most distress, disturbance, and guilt have a positive and protective intention quickly begins to foster increased self-compassion and reduce shame. From a parts perspective, these parts have been forced into extreme (burdened) roles as the result of traumatic experiences and in their roles, make every attempt to protect us from being harmed again. Embracing the protective function and positive intention of our parts offers a new understanding of our current circumstances and ways in which we can begin to promote self-led change.

The overall goal of parts work is to unburden these “protector” parts from their extreme roles, heal the “exiled” parts (the parts of us that have experienced trauma), and offer all parts the opportunity to choose new and more adaptive ways of functioning. Parts work is a non-pathologizing modality, meaning that it addresses symptoms and many mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, substance use, eating disorders, and more as parts that are attempting to protect us rather than labeling them as a one-size-fits-all diagnosis.