San Diego Trauma Initiative
Making advanced therapy available to everyone
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Our goal is to make powerful mental and relational health services more accessible and affordable to communities, and support those communities in developing these resources. We currently have a pilot project training local bi-lingual therapists in Brainspotting, a powerful method for treating trauma. We are doing this work with Brainspotting trainer Glenda Villamarin from Ecuador and consultants Beverly Fuentes and Cesilia Gonzalez-Esparza as well as in partnership with the Center for Community Counseling and Engagement at San Diego State University.
These clinicians would normally not be able to afford Brainspotting training nor would they be able to work with many low-income, marginalized people in the community whom they have a passion to serve. The low income and marginalized communities often most in need of trauma-informed care. As a part of the pilot project, these clinicians have agreed to give 10 hours of Brainspotting work with someone we connect them with in exchange for the training.
Brainspotting
A new innovative way to heal trauma
Brainspotting locates points in the client’s visual field that help to access unprocessed trauma in the subcortical brain. Brainspotting (BSP) was discovered in 2003 by David Grand, Ph.D. Over 13,000 therapists have been trained in BSP (52 internationally), in the United States, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Africa. Dr. Grand discovered that "Where you look affects how you feel." It is the brain activity, especially in the subcortical brain that organizes itself around that eye position. (from www.brainspotting.com)