Christian Therapist for women with anxiety and trauma throughout CA & TX
How Brainspotting with a Trauma Therapist in Houston Can Change Your Life
I’ve been a therapist for about a decade now. I’ve worked with people going through severe mental health struggles, complex levels of dysfunction within their family units, and of course, multiple layers of trauma.
One of the complaints I often hear from clients is that they have been to trauma therapy and they just aren’t getting results. They do not want to have to rehash the horrors they have been through.
This really sucks. Imagine being trapped in a hurricane of trauma with no relief in sight?
My goal as a therapist is to make therapy worthwhile and effective for my clients. Why? Because clients usually only come to me after they have been struggling for years, so by the time they get to me, they are completely spent.
Back in the day, I utilized regular talk therapy to help my clients work through trauma, however it just wasn’t cutting it.
I’ve been a therapist for about a decade now. I’ve worked with people going through severe mental health struggles, complex levels of dysfunction within their family units, and of course, multiple layers of trauma.
One of the complaints I often hear from clients is that they have been to trauma therapy and they just aren’t getting results. They do not want to have to rehash the horrors they have been through.
This really sucks. Imagine being trapped in a hurricane of trauma with no relief in sight?
My goal as a therapist is to make therapy worthwhile and effective for my clients. Why? Because clients usually only come to me after they have been struggling for years, so by the time they get to me, they are completely spent.
Back in the day, I utilized regular talk therapy to help my clients work through trauma, however it just wasn’t cutting it.
What is Brainspotting, and How Does It Help?
Brainspotting essentially is a breakthrough method of helping you process trauma without having you go over the gory details of what happened to you over and over again.
The idea behind brainspotting is “Where you look affects how you feel.” By utilizing your eye gaze, I help you connect to the deeper layers of the brain where the trauma lives. You will connect to emotions and memories you have buried deeply- but at your own pace. Once you do this, you can now explore, then digest the trauma.
The outcome?
Freedom from the chokehold that trauma has you locked in.
And what I love even more is that brainspotting is multifaceted. It is useful for anxiety and getting unstuck. Some athletes even use it to improve their performance. I’ve heard actors and performers find it useful too.
If you can find a trauma therapist who is adequately trained in brainspotting, I tell you that it will change your life forever. Powerful healing is right in front of you.
Brainspotting verse traditional therapy
I often define brainspotting as “Therapy on steroids.” Because I find that the progress you make from just 1 brainspotting session can only be compared to the progress you can make from multiple traditional talk therapy sessions.
With talk therapy, you have to rely on the intuition, training and competence of your therapist to ask the right questions and to guide you to the place they think you should go in your mind.
With brainspotting, you are in charge. Your therapist isn’t telling you what to work on. You will innately bring up what needs to come up. This is amazing because trauma already makes you feel as if you have lost all control of your mind and body. Brainspotting can empower you to reconnect with your mind and body.
With traditional therapy, your therapist helps you calm down, regulate your emotions and pokes and prods until they have hit the right target. But with brainspotting, your body innately tells you what to talk about- without unnecessary interference from the therapist.
The right trauma therapist in Houston who specializes in brainspotting can masterfully help you learn to trust your body, find calm amidst the storm in your mind and show you how to ask for what you want. A brainspotting therapist functions as a guide- NOT as the expert who is telling you what to do. It is faster and more effective for trauma processing than traditional methods of trauma processing.
If you are ready to clear trauma, find a trauma therapist in Houston who is trained in brainspotting.
What to Expect in Your First Brainspotting Session with a Trauma Therapist in Houston
A typical brainspotting session begins with the therapist asking you what you would like to work on. It could include a memory, or just a general statement like “I feel my heart beating fast everytime I cross the street.”
I will then ask you what emotion comes up when you think about the above statement. Then you locate where the emotion sits in your body and rate it from 1-10.
After that I give you the space to see what comes up for you. Some people are quiet the entire time, while they feel their thoughts swirling around. And others verbally talk through what is coming up for them. It feels like being caught in a whirlwind of emotions, followed by a strong resolution and then, peace.
It is safe, non evasive and helps you move according to your own pace.
My job as a trauma therapist in Houston is to provide a supportive and personalized approach for women.
The Life-Changing Benefits of Brainspotting Therapy
Brainspotting is life changing. After the brainspotting session, you might even continue processing the trauma in your sleep (don’t worry, no nightmares). It’s like your brain helps you iron out the kinks so that you can remove the trauma that was trapped in your brain.
My clients have experienced emotional clarity, decreased anxiety, a deeper connection with their body, and of course, healing from past trauma.
Imagine having spent years of your life being trapped with the effects of trauma. In just a few brainspotting therapy sessions, you can now sleep again, you don’t overthink things, your confidence soars, you feel connected to your body again and you can speak up for yourself.
Amazing!
How to Find the Best Trauma Therapist in Houston for Brainspotting
The single most effective factor in the success of therapy is the connection you share with your therapist. Make sure you not only find out if the therapist is an actual therapist (check their license status online), but read their website or profile to see if they resonate with you.
You can start with a Google search, or use a therapy directory such as Psychology Today, Therapy Den, Melanin and Mental health or Therapy Den. There are many others out there.
My clients typically come to me because they like my background. They like that they can dress however they want. No persona needed. I’m also an immigrant, so I get what it is like to feel different.
I laugh A LOT, I show up most times with my Afro hair. I will guide you, support you and check you. Yup, sometimes shade is thrown. But I will also teach you how to be more of your authentic self. Period.
Ready to see how Brainspotting with a trauma therapist in Houston can transform your life? Click here to book your free consultation call with me for brainspotting trauma therapy and take the first step toward a brighter, healthier future.
About Me
My name is Ibinye Osibodu-Onyali. I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist in California and Texas. I help women who are struggling with trauma, anxiety and insomnia.
I also help couples learn how to speak each other’s language, date each other again and manage conflict in a non-painful way.
Many of my clients are:
Couples who want to regain their friendship and trust
If you’re ready to take the next steps, click here.
Finding the Best Trauma Therapist in Houston and Katy: Empowering Women to Heal
You’ve had it rough. Lots of cruel, sad things have happened to you, and you’re not sure how you’ve survived or made it this far. You’ve noticed that you’re snappy, you struggle to engage with friends, and your walls are up. Maybe it’s time to find a great trauma therapist in Houston to help you finally heal from the trauma.
You’ve had it rough. Lots of cruel, sad things have happened to you, and you’re not sure how you’ve survived or made it this far. You’ve noticed that you’re snappy, you struggle to engage with friends, and your walls are up. Maybe it’s time to find a great trauma therapist in Houston to help you finally heal from the trauma.
You’re tired of being a hard shell. You want to enter your soft girl era.
Trauma therapy is so important because it helps you process through all the yucky memories that are sitting in your body and mind. They say the body doesn't forget.
And that is why I love brainspotting trauma therapy. It’s a non traditional way of approaching trauma in a gentler, but still effective way. With traditional talk therapy it might take a really long time to even feel comfortable broaching the topic of trauma.
But with brainspotting, you can jump right in. Your body does the work for you. And it takes you where you need to go without all the overthinking and cerebral-ness you’ve grown accustomed to.
We know that trauma can have you feeling disconnected from your own body. Brainspotting therapy helps you feel at home again.
So if you’re a woman in Houston or Katy who knows that the time is right for trauma therapy, please know that the first step is to find the right trauma therapist for you. Because the single most important factor in the success of therapy is the fit between the therapist and the client.
What Does a Trauma Therapist in Houston Do?
My job as a trauma therapist is simply to create a safe container so that we can begin to give you access to some of the memories that are locked safely inside your brain.
You see, when you go through trauma, your body does a protective thing by helping you forget some of the information. The problem is from time to time, when you least expect it, some of these memories seep back in at the most inconvenient of times.
And so you sometimes find yourself crying, feeling angry, muscle tightening up, not trusting loved ones, feeling unsafe, and just wanting to crawl up into a ball.
My job is to give you a safe way to begin to unlock and kinda digest those memories so they stop controlling you. In addition to opening you up during brainspotting, I bring in additional skills to help you calm and soothe your body. Because I don’t want you feeling like you have lost all control when you're at the office, when you’re trying to raise your kids or when you’re simply driving down the street.
Why Houston and Katy are Great for Finding Specialized Trauma Therapy
The great thing about the Houston area and Katy being so large is that there is a wide array of competent trauma therapists to choose from. There also is a positive culture of seeking physical and emotional wellness here. You can narrow down by gender, ethnicity, years of experience, style, location, personality, religion etc. You basically have your pick- and that’s a great spot for you to be in.
Brainspotting: A Unique Approach to Healing Trauma
So let’s go back to brainspotting. If you've been doing your research on trauma therapy, you’ve probably heard about EMDR therapy. Well, brainspotting, in my opinion, is the gentler cousin of EMDR.
Brainspotting utilizes your eye movements to help you locate the trauma in the brain so that you can digest it and eliminate it.
There isn’t a whole lot of talking from your therapist. It feels like you get locked in the zone and your brain will naturally bring up whatever needs to come up. I call it ‘Supercharged therapy.’ It’s great for the busy woman who is definitely ready to heal, but does not want to spend a ton of time going back and forth with her therapist.
How Brainspotting Differs from Traditional Talk Therapy
With traditional talk therapy, you might have to give your therapist a play by play of exactly what happened to you. Your therapist asks you questions, you answer them, and then you ping back and forth.
But sometimes giving a play by play of exactly what happened feels like you are getting traumatized all over again.
Let’s be honest, as a busy woman, who has time for all that? You want to get straight to the root of the trauma and yank it out (gently of course) from your brain so it stops controlling you.
Finding a Trauma Therapist in Houston Who Specializes in Brainspotting
If you have decided that you are indeed ready for trauma therapy, then it’s time to start your search.
You can just start with a simple google search. Type in “Trauma therapist Houston” or “Brainspotting therapist Houston.” This is where you need to trust your gut. Pull up the first 5-7 websites and read through them.
Does the therapist appear approachable?
Do they mention trauma or brainspotting?
What are your first impressions of the therapist? Go with that. If you feel meh, then skip on by and move on to the next person.
Once you have narrowed it down to about 3-4 therapists you like, you can schedule a consultation call to see if you feel comfortable with them. Now is the time to be clear on what you want to accomplish, find out about the therapist’s background and style.
If Google searches aren’t your thing, you can use a therapist directory, so you can narrow down by gender, specialty, religion, etc. Some helpful therapist directories are:
What to Expect During Your First Session with a Trauma Therapist
The first step in trauma therapy is typically the assessment session. If I were your therapist, I would want to know all the things about you because it helps me know what interventions to bring in for you. I do not offer cookie cutter service. Period.
You’ll learn about your rights as a client, your responsibilities a client, my responsibilities to you as a therapist, we’ll also talk about your upbringing, social environment, emotional status, romantic relationships, how your career is going, spiritual life, prior diagnoses and experiences with physical and mental health.
All. The. Things.
Why do I need to know this? Because I am looking at you as a unique human. I am assessing to see if trauma therapy is right for you. We are also building a rapport. You’re getting used to me and vice versa.
I will also walk you through what to expect from brainspotting, so that there will be no ugly surprises.
How Trauma Therapy Helps Women in Houston and Katy Reclaim Their Lives
Why do I love brainspotting trauma therapy so much? Because it frees women. They come in feeling small, stifled, overwhelmed, stuck, burdened. And they leave feeling like they can speak up, lift their heads up and go through life without the ugly fog that has been hanging over their heads for years
Taking the First Step: How to Connect with a Trauma Therapist in Houston
Although I’ve already said this, I need to drive it home. Once you select 3-4 therapists, reach out to them through their website or the therapist directory.
Ugly secret. Some therapists will not give you a call back (Not me. I respond to every single email, text and voicemail within 2 business days). It’s because we typically are solo business owners who are doing all the things alone. Don’t fret. If you don’t get a timely response, just move on over to the next person on your list.
Please know that it might take you a few tries to find the therapist for you. But please keep trying until you find the right match.
Ready to start your healing journey with a trauma therapist in Houston? Click here today to book your free consultation call for Brainspotting trauma therapy in Houston and take the first step toward reclaiming your life.
About Me
My name is Ibinye Osibodu-Onyali. I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist in California and Texas. I help women who are struggling with trauma, anxiety and insomnia.
I also help couples learn how to speak each other’s language, date each other again and manage conflict in a non-painful way.
Many of my clients are:
Trauma Therapist Houston: How Brainspotting Can Help You Heal
So how does brainspotting actually work?
It’s pretty simple. When you are having a conversation with someone, you’ll notice that their eyes move all over the place. Sometimes their eyes look up and to the right, other times, it’s down and to the left, and still, other times they might appear to be looking far away in the distance.
Before we dive in, here’s a link to a video and blog post on “What is brainspotting?
what is brainspotting and how does it actually work?
It’s pretty simple. When you are having a conversation with someone, you’ll notice that their eyes move all over the place. Sometimes their eyes look up and to the right, other times, it’s down and to the left, and still, other times they might appear to be looking far away in the distance.
But it really is all about your brain processing.
During brainspotting therapy, your therapist doesn’t do a lot of talking.
What to Expect from Your First Session with a Trauma Therapist in Houston
They utilize your eye gaze to help your brain gently bring up important memories. Your therapist will ask you to focus on a specific point- the point at which your brain naturally wants you to focus on, so that it can process appropriately.
You are gently told to bring up the event or experience that you want to process. One of the ways I do this is with a pointer. I help you find the right spot for you to focus on- brainspotting therapists know how to do this.
What to Expect from Your First Session with a Trauma Therapist in Houston
I slowly bring the pointer across the screen (watch this video for the explanation. Start at 0:57 to see how I use my pointer). When I notice that your face makes certain reflex movements, I’ll stop the pointer. Then I ask that you continue to gaze at the spot while bringing up some of the experiences that brought you into therapy.
Another tool that I use in brainspotting therapy is biolateral music. Biolateral music is simply music that bounces back and forth- from left ear to right ear- in an unpredictable pattern, which allows your brain to process.
You will have headphones on, while the music is on very low volume, so you can still hear me talking and you can still follow my guidance. This entire process rewires your brain.
I won’t be doing a whole bunch of talking, my job is just to set it up, hold the space for you, and allow you to gently bring up those experiences that brought you into therapy.
On your own, you’ll be able to come up with all sorts of answers that you didn't know were inside you. The idea is that you already have the resources within you. You just need the right environment to bring them up.
It is you processing an event, your trauma, or your experiences, while looking at a certain spot. Where you look affects how you feel- is the premise behind brainspotting.
Brainspotting is useful for:
People who have experienced trauma.
People with anxiety or fear.
Athletes, performers and musicians who are stuck.
Entrepreneurs who want to get rid of mental blocks that stop them from making decisions.
If you are ready to finally heal from past trauma, anxiety or difficult experiences, click here to schedule your free 15-minute consultation to find out if brainspotting is right for you. I am a Black therapist who provides online therapy for people who live in California and Texas.
About the Author
My name is Ibinye Osibodu-Onyali. I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist in California. I help women who are struggling with anxiety and insomnia. I also help couples learn how to speak each other’s language, date each other again and manage conflict in a non-painful way.
Many of my clients are:
What exactly is Brainspotting Therapy?
So what exactly is brainspotting? Maybe you've heard of brainspotting before and you're curious about it, or maybe you have no clue what I'm talking about. Before we jump in, know that brainspotting is very different from EMDR.
So what exactly is brainspotting? Maybe you've heard of brainspotting before and you're curious about it, or maybe you have no clue what I'm talking about. Before we jump in, know that brainspotting is very different from EMDR.
Brainspotting is different from EMDR
In my opinion it is way better, but of course I'm biased because I am a brainspotting therapist.
The idea behind brainspotting therapy is very simple.
It is that when we go through trauma, stress, or difficult experiences, they can get locked into certain parts of the brain.
The experiences get locked into the reptilian or subcortical part of your brain where your emotions are processed.
This often happens to maybe protect your body from the difficult emotions. Because if you spent all of your time thinking about all the big, difficult things that have happened in your life, you’d be paralyzed by fear, anxiety or overwhelm. So then your brain locks those emotions into one place.
Perhaps your body might not be ready to process those emotions yet, so it just protects them in the reptilian brain. However this becomes a problem, when the memories begin to interfere in your life.
The effects of locking up your emotions
You find yourself avoiding emotions altogether, or having a hard time regulating your emotions. Or the memories of the difficult experience keep popping back up, and you have no idea what to do with them.
Through the process of brainspotting, your therapist will help you unlock some of those emotions, so that you can better process them and heal your hurt brain.
The tools of Brainspotting
Some of the tools that I use in brainspotting are a pointer and biolateral music to help you dig into the subcortical brain.
The benefits of brainspotting
Brainspotting therapy is just a simple tool to help you unlock the emotions, trauma and experiences that have been trapped in your brain, so that you can process then and free yourself from pain. You leave the sessions feeling like a load has been lifted off your shoulders, and the memories that have felt unbearably scary, get less and less scary.
Brainspotting can be helpful for:
People who have experienced trauma.
People with anxiety or fear.
Athletes, performers and musicians who are stuck.
Entrepreneurs who want to get rid of mental blocks that stop them from making important decisions.
Here is a link to anther blog post and video on how brainspotting works.
If you are ready to heal your brain and try brainspotting therapy, click here to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call. I provide brainspotting in Temecula, Murrieta area and brainspotting in Houston, TX. I see clients throughout Texas and California online.
Ready to get rid of anxiety, finally kick insomnia or for marriage counseling?