How Brainspotting Therapy in Phoenix, AZ Helps Calm Seasonal Transitions
The first cool breeze in Phoenix can feel like a collective sigh of relief. But for some, it’s not so simple. Instead of comfort, it brings a sense of unease: a deep, physical reaction to the seasonal shift. It’s more than just "holiday blues." It’s the impact of changing light, routines, and energy. Maybe you feel it too: that familiar heaviness, a knot in your stomach, or a sense of being unmoored as summer fades. If this hits home, know that what you’re feeling is real. Transitions take a toll. When these shifts feel overwhelming, Brainspotting therapy in Phoenix can help you navigate the change.
Instead of just managing these feelings, what if we could learn to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us during this time? Brainspotting offers a gentle way to tune into your body's own wisdom, helping to heal the sensitivities that make these seasonal transitions feel so difficult. In this post, we'll explore how our bodies react to seasonal shifts, looking beyond the obvious stressors to understand the deeper neurobiological reasons for this discomfort. We’ll also see how Brainspotting can guide you through this sensitivity, helping you find a path toward healing and growth.
The Body's Secret Language: Your Brain's Response to Fading Light and Shifting Rhythms
It’s easy to feel like you’re doing something wrong when autumn feels unsettling instead of cozy. The truth is, your body is speaking a language older than words. The reaction you feel is not a conscious choice but a deep, biological process unfolding within your nervous system. Let's gently explore the "why" behind these feelings. Long before your thinking mind labels the upcoming holidays as "stressful" or a new schedule as "overwhelming," the primal, non-verbal part of your brain has already registered the change. This area, known as the subcortical brain, is your internal surveillance system, and its main job is to keep you safe. To this part of you, significant change can feel like a potential survival threat.
Within this region lies the superior colliculus, a part of your midbrain that helps orient you in space. It is highly sensitive to visual information and movement. As the daylight hours shorten and the angle of the sun changes, this part of your brain is working hard to reorient you. This subtle sense of disorientation can put your entire nervous system on a low-grade, constant alert. It’s that feeling of being unmoored or untethered, and it comes from a place far deeper than conscious thought.
When Your "Internal Clock" Feels Out of Step
Our bodies are naturally in sync with the rhythms of nature, thanks to something called the circadian rhythm, basically our internal clock. It controls things like sleep, energy levels, and hormone release. But when autumn hits, the rapid changes in light and environment can throw that clock off balance. It's not just less daylight; your body is working hard to adjust to the shift. Hormones like cortisol (stress) and melatonin (sleep) can get out of sync, leaving you feeling drained, foggy, or even wanting to retreat from everything. This isn’t laziness or a bad mood; it’s your body asking you to slow down, even as the world speeds up toward the year’s end.
Unlocking the Freeze: How Brainspotting Accesses "Stuck" Seasonal States
When our nervous system feels threatened by these changes, it can resort to protective states. We often think of fight-or-flight, but there is also a "freeze" response. This freeze can show up as that heavy, stuck feeling of depression or the buzzing, deer-in-headlights sensation of anxiety. Brainspotting is a remarkable tool because it helps us access and gently thaw these frozen states. At the heart of Brainspotting is the simple truth that your eye position connects to specific networks in your brain. A "Brainspot" is more than just a link to a memory; it's a direct portal to a specific, frozen "neurocapsule" of experience.
Think of this capsule as a bubble that holds all the unprocessed sensations, emotions, and even motor patterns of a past event that your system couldn't handle at the time. An analogy might be finding a single corrupted file on a computer that is causing the entire system to run slowly and glitch. You can try to work around it, but the system remains compromised. Brainspotting is like finding the exact location of that corrupted file. By holding the eye position that connects to it, you allow the system’s own self-scanning and self-healing capacity to finally resolve the issue, deleting the looping error and restoring the whole system to smoother function.
Why Dual Attunement is the Key to Feeling Safe Enough to Heal
For this deep processing to happen, you need to feel profoundly safe. The foundation of Brainspotting is a concept known as "Dual Attunement." This means your therapist is focused on two important things at once. They are attuned to the genuine, compassionate relationship they have with you and the brain-body process unfolding within you. This dual focus creates a powerful sense of safety and support.
Think of it as a quiet, constant message being sent to the deepest parts of your brain, saying, "You are not alone in this. It is safe to feel what you are feeling. It is okay to finally let this go." With this deep feeling of relational safety, your nervous system receives the permission it needs to begin gently thawing the old, protective patterns that have kept you feeling stuck. It's how we move beyond just talking about your feelings and start to truly release them for good.
What to Expect in a Brainspotting Session: A Glimpse Into the Healing Process
Imagining a new kind of therapy can be daunting. I want to offer you a window into what a session might feel like, to demystify the process and highlight its gentle, human nature. Remember, you are always in the driver's seat. A session begins not with a demand to perform, but with a gentle invitation to simply notice what's here now. As you settle into the chair, perhaps with the soft, bilateral sound playing in headphones, the first step is just to bring kind awareness to your inner world. You might notice that familiar tightness in your chest or a sense of heaviness behind your eyes. There is no judgment here, only curiosity.
As you follow the therapist's pointer, you’ll simply notice what happens inside. It’s a quiet, internal exploration. Then, a moment of recognition. As your eyes pass one particular spot, you might feel a subtle "charge," a "stickiness," or a slight increase in the feeling in your chest. Your body confirms it with a subtle signal, a feeling of "Ah, there it is." This is the Brainspot. It's the very spot where your system intuitively understands that healing needs to occur.
What Happens After We Find the Spot?
With your gaze resting on that spot, your only job is to be a compassionate observer of your own experience. The process unfolds organically. It may be a flutter in your stomach, a flicker of a long-forgotten memory. A wave of sadness crests and falls, followed by a spontaneous deep breath you didn't know you were holding. There is no right or wrong way for this to look. Your body knows the path to healing. Held safely by the therapist's attuned presence, your system will naturally move toward release and regulation.
Befriending the Seasons of Your Inner World
It's possible to change your relationship with this time of year, learning to meet the fall not with dread, but with curiosity and self-compassion. This is what it means to befriend the changing seasons within yourself. That feeling of seasonal unease is a deep, biological signal from your body, not a personal flaw. Your brain's most primal structures are simply responding to the shifts in light and routine. By using gentle, precise methods like Brainspotting, it's possible to access and release the "frozen" neurobiological states that underlie this seasonal distress. True healing is about learning to listen to your body's wisdom, not fighting against its signals. By attuning to these internal shifts, you can find a deeper, kinder way to maintain your balance, no matter the season.
Could Brainspotting Therapy in Phoenix Be Your Key to Navigating Seasonal Shifts?
If the changing seasons have left you feeling unsteady, caught between the demands of life and the quiet pull to slow down, you’re not alone. Your body is speaking, asking for gentleness, for space to process, for a way to feel grounded again. At Through It All Counseling, brainspotting therapy in Phoenix offers a compassionate path through these transitions. It’s not about forcing yourself to adapt or pushing through the discomfort. It’s about listening to the wisdom within, finding your anchor, and allowing your nervous system to settle into a place of calm and balance.
Whether you’re feeling the weight of seasonal anxiety, the heaviness of low energy, or simply a sense of being out of sync, I’m here to support you. You don’t have to navigate these shifts alone. Healing begins with noticing, with breathing, and with trusting that you are allowed to feel at ease again. If you’re ready to explore this gentle, transformative approach, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.
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More Therapy Services Offered at Through It All Counseling
Healing is deeply personal, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to navigating the challenges of seasonal change. At Through It All Counseling, I offer a variety of integrative, evidence-based therapies designed to meet you exactly where you are. Whether you’re feeling the weight of seasonal anxiety, struggling to adjust to new routines, or simply longing to reconnect with a sense of balance, there’s space for your unique journey here.
In addition to brainspotting therapy in Phoenix, I provide a range of therapeutic modalities to support both children and adults. For younger clients, I offer Play Therapy, Expressive Arts, and Creative Art Therapy—approaches that allow children to process their emotions through imagination, movement, and nonverbal expression. For adults, I integrate Polyvagal-informed care, Mindfulness-Based Interventions, and Family Systems Therapy, alongside practical tools like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.
These therapies aren’t rigid or prescriptive. They’re flexible, compassionate approaches that honor your body’s natural rhythms and create a safe space for your nervous system to heal. Whether you’re navigating the stress of fall transitions or working through deeper emotional patterns, I’m here to walk alongside you with care, curiosity, and respect for your lived experience. Together, we can create a path toward greater ease and resilience, no matter the season.
About the Author
Cristina Yturralde, M.C., LPC, is a certified Brainspotting therapist, Brainspotting Consultant, and somatic therapist based in Phoenix, Arizona. With nearly two decades of clinical experience and a lifetime of supporting individuals and families through life’s most challenging transitions, Cristina brings a grounded, compassionate presence to her work. Her approach is deeply informed by her professional expertise and her own healing journey, allowing her to connect with clients in a way that feels both authentic and attuned.
At her private practice, Through It All Counseling, Cristina specializes in helping clients navigate the complexities of seasonal transitions, trauma, and emotional overwhelm. She integrates brainspotting therapy in Phoenix with a range of somatic and creative modalities, including Play Therapy, Expressive Arts, and Polyvagal-informed care. Cristina believes that healing begins with safety and attunement—creating a space where the body’s quiet wisdom can be heard and honored. Whether you’re seeking support for seasonal anxiety, depression, or simply a sense of disconnection, Cristina is here to walk alongside you with empathy, curiosity, and care.