Deep Brain Reorienting: A Revolutionary Approach to Healing Trauma
In today’s world where mental health awareness continues to grow, innovative and effective therapeutic approaches are more important than ever. If you’ve recently inquired about therapy options, you might be interested in learning about Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) - a cutting-edge approach that’s showing remarkable promise for healing trauma and attachment wounds.
What is Deep Brain Reorienting?
Deep Brain Reorienting was developed by Dr. Frank Corrigan, a trauma specialist based in Scotland, primarily for the treatment of attachment shock. However, it’s proven equally effective for processing other unresolved traumatic experiences.
Unlike traditional therapies that focus on cognitive reframing or verbal processing, DBR accesses and processes traumatic experiences by tracking the original sequence of physiological responses that occurred in your deep brain when it was alerted to a threat or attachment disruption. This means DBR works at the brainstem level - the most primal part of your brain that controls survival responses - before emotions or thoughts even take over.
How Does DBR Work?
When we experience trauma, our brainstem registers the shock before our conscious mind can process what’s happening. DBR therapists guide you to notice subtle sensations in your face, head, and neck - the areas most responsive to that initial shock. By following this neurophysiological sequence, DBR helps “reorient” the brain’s response patterns that became stuck during traumatic events.
The approach recognizes that trauma gets “locked” in three primary phases:
- Hypervigilance (Superior Colliculus activation)
- Shock/dissociation (Locus Coeruleus activation)
- Fight/flight/freeze responses (Periaqueductal Gray activation)
By gently tracking these sensations in a safe therapeutic environment, DBR helps release these stuck patterns and complete the natural processing that was interrupted during trauma.
The Science-Backed Benefits of DBR
Recent scientific research has demonstrated DBR’s impressive effectiveness. A 2023 randomized controlled trial published in a peer-reviewed journal found that:
- After just eight weekly sessions, participants showed a 36.6% reduction in PTSD symptoms post-treatment
- This improvement increased to 48.6% reduction at the three-month follow-up
- 48.3% of participants no longer met criteria for PTSD after treatment, increasing to 52.2% at follow-up
- DBR had a remarkably low dropout rate of only 4.3%, compared to up to 18% in other trauma-focused treatments
These results suggest DBR may be comparable to other gold-standard trauma treatments but with the significant advantage of being better tolerated by patients.
Who Can Benefit from DBR?
DBR is particularly beneficial for those who have experienced:
- Attachment trauma and early childhood disruptions
- Complex PTSD from prolonged or repeated trauma
- Trauma that feels “stuck” in the body despite other therapeutic approaches
- Dissociative responses that make other trauma therapies challenging
Many clients report profound shifts after DBR sessions, including:
- “I finally feel safe in my body again”
- “I’m starting to feel alive again”
- “My body no longer feels like it’s holding my trauma”
- Improved sleep quality after just a few sessions
- Increased self-compassion and energy levels
How DBR Differs from Other Trauma Therapies
While therapies like EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and Internal Family Systems all have their merits, DBR offers some unique advantages:
DBR targets the deepest brain structures where trauma responses originate
- It follows a precise neurophysiological sequence for more complete processing
- The approach integrates body awareness and mindfulness, reconnecting mind and body
- DBR reduces the overwhelm often associated with trauma processing
- It’s especially effective for complex trauma and attachment issues
As Dr. Ruth Lanius, co-author of research on DBR, explains: “After DBR, people drop back into their bodies. They’re comfortable reinhabiting their body again, and they report that their body is no longer holding their trauma.”
What to Expect in a DBR Session
During a DBR session, your therapist will:
- Help you identify specific traumatic experiences to process
- Guide you to notice subtle sensations in your head, face, and neck as you briefly recall the experience
- Track these sensations carefully, following their natural progression
- Help you complete the processing cycle that was interrupted during the trauma
- Integrate the experience with new awareness and resolution
The approach is gentle yet powerful, focusing on body sensations rather than requiring detailed retelling of traumatic stories.
Is DBR Right for You?
If you’ve been seeking an effective approach to healing trauma that:
- Works with your brain’s natural healing processes
- Doesn’t require extensive retelling of traumatic experiences
- Addresses trauma at its deepest neurological roots
- Has strong evidence for effectiveness
- Is well-tolerated with minimal dropout rates
Then Deep Brain Reorienting may be an excellent option to consider in your healing journey.
Our team is trained in this breakthrough approach and ready to support you.
Contact us to learn more about how DBR might benefit your specific situation.
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