Somatic Therapy Modalities Explained: Where Brainspotting Fits In
If you’ve ever felt like talk therapy only scratches the surface, you’re not alone. Maybe you’ve tried putting your pain into words, but something still feels stuck. It's almost like your body is holding on to more than your mind can explain. That’s where somatic therapy comes in. It’s not about digging harder or talking more. It’s about listening differently—to your body, your nervous system, and the deeper parts of you that are still healing.
If you’ve been exploring somatic therapy in Phoenix or wondering, "How does Brainspotting work?" you’re not alone. This post will walk you through the primary somatic modalities available. It will also explain why Brainspotting is one of the most powerful tools we have for healing from the inside out.
What Is Somatic Therapy (Really)?
Somatic therapy is a body-centered approach to healing. Instead of focusing only on thoughts or behaviors, it helps us tune into physical sensations, body memories, and the signals coming from the nervous system. When we experience trauma or emotional stress, our bodies often hold on to those experiences even if we can’t consciously recall them.
The goal of somatic therapy is to gently support the body in releasing that stored tension and reconnecting with a sense of safety. It’s not about pushing through. Healing isn’t about doing more; it’s about softening into what your body already knows. As a somatic therapist in Phoenix, I employ a range of modalities that honor the body as a wise and intuitive part of the healing process. Every person’s nervous system is different. That’s why somatic therapy is never one-size-fits-all.
Types of Somatic Therapy Modalities
When people hear "somatic therapy," they often think of mindfulness, breathwork, or meditation. While those are certainly part of it, somatic therapy is so much more than just slowing down and breathing deeply. There is a wide range of somatic modalities that support healing from different angles. Whether it's through creativity, play, body awareness, or neuroscience, the following are some of the most commonly used somatic therapy methods, grouped by their approach and how they may support your unique nervous system.
Mindfulness-Based Modalities
These modalities use stillness, breath, and body awareness to help regulate the nervous system:
Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Emphasizing the practice of staying present without judgment.
Breathwork: Uses intentional breathing patterns to calm or energize the body.
Guided Therapeutic Imagery: Helps clients tap into their inner strengths through calming mental imagery.
Polyvagal Therapy: Supports the regulation of the nervous system by working with the vagus nerve to shift from a survival mode to a state of safety.
Creative and Play-Based Modalities
These approaches are compelling for children, teens, or anyone who finds healing through expression:
Play Therapy: A child-centered approach where healing happens through imagination and interaction.
Expressive Arts: Uses drawing, painting, and movement to explore emotions and promote regulation.
Bibliotherapy: Involves therapeutic storytelling to help process emotions through metaphor.
Nature-Based and Walk-and-Talk Therapy: Movement and outdoor settings can reduce stress and promote openness.
Brain and Body-Based Modalities
These methods work directly with how trauma is stored in the nervous system:
CBT with a somatic lens: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy combined with body awareness.
Somatic Experiencing: Works with sensations to slowly release stored trauma.
Brainspotting: A powerful brain-body technique that uses eye position to access deep, unprocessed material stored in the subcortical brain.
As a somatic therapist in Phoenix, I often integrate several of these modalities in a way that honors the body’s pace and wisdom. Some clients may benefit most from expressive and creative work. Others might find more profound healing through breath, imagery, or brain-body methods like Brainspotting. The nervous system tells its own story, and part of my role is to help listen for what it’s asking for. Every person’s path to healing looks a little different, and that’s precisely how it should be.
Where Brainspotting Fits In (and Why It’s Different)
So, how does Brainspotting work? And what makes it different from other somatic therapies? Brainspotting is a neurobiological and somatic therapy. It uses eye position to access unprocessed trauma, emotions, and memories held in the brain and body. Developed by Dr. David Grand, Brainspotting helps the brain naturally identify and process what’s been stuck. All without needing to re-tell or re-live painful stories.
Here’s what happens: We locate a "brainspot," a specific point in your visual field where your body and brain react. You stay focused there while noticing what’s happening in your body, thoughts, and emotions. There’s no rush. No need to explain everything. Just space for your nervous system to unwind what it’s ready to release.
This makes Brainspotting especially powerful for:
PTSD and trauma
Medical trauma and chronic illness
Anxiety and panic
Grief and emotional overwhelm
Performance blocks and creative challenges
For those seeking brainspotting treatment in Phoenix, it’s essential to understand that this modality works at a different level than most therapies. It reaches the subconscious and the somatic system simultaneously.
How Does Brainspotting Show Up in My Therapy Practice?
With this release, the anxiety will then realign the cognitions that were previously experienced, and they will resurface in a new way. Which helps because they will no longer experience the anxiety the way they did, and the anxiety will change so that they can overcome and feel safe in their body without the terrifying reaction of anxiety, which then moves up from the body to the deep brain and then up to the thinking brain. The thinking and analyzing part of the brain will then register this information as a new understanding of the previously experienced anxiety. It will now signal to the brain and body that they are safe, as it has been reprocessed.
Is Brainspotting Right for You?
Talk therapy helped a little, but something still feels missing. Or perhaps you've lived through trauma, illness, or loss that your body remembers even when words fail you. You might be carrying tension, fatigue, or unease that doesn't make sense on the surface. Whatever your story, your body could be asking for a different kind of support. Brainspotting Therapy might be the support you’ve been searching for.
This modality is beneficial for people who:
Feel "stuck" or frozen
Want to avoid rehashing trauma verbally
Are highly sensitive or neurodivergent
Experience physical symptoms linked to emotional stress
Whether you’re looking for Brainspotting treatment in Phoenix or just exploring options, you deserve to know that healing doesn’t have to be loud or overwhelming. Intensity isn’t a requirement for change. Sometimes it’s as simple and as profound as sitting with what your body already knows.
What Somatic Therapy Looks Like With Me
My therapy room isn’t clinical or cold. It’s warm, calming, and full of creativity. You might see art materials, sand trays, cozy blankets, and plenty of grounding tools. We don’t rush. Instead, we do the opposite by following your pace and your body’s readiness.
Whether we’re using Brainspotting, breathwork, or play, the goal is the same: to help you feel safer in your own body. It’s also about becoming more connected to yourself and feeling supported through every step. If you’ve been searching for a somatic therapist in Phoenix who sees the whole you, not just your symptoms, I’m here to walk with you.
Is Somatic Therapy in Phoenix the Path You’ve Been Searching For?
Living with trauma, chronic stress, or emotional overwhelm can leave your nervous system on high alert. Perhaps you're holding it together on the outside while feeling exhausted or disconnected on the inside. Somatic Therapy in Phoenix offers a different kind of support. One that listens to your body, not just your words. It helps you release what’s stuck without having to push through or explain every detail.
As a somatic therapist trained in Brainspotting Therapy and integrative healing modalities, I support children, teens, and adults in accessing lasting change from the inside out. Whether you're navigating medical trauma, anxiety, grief, or a vague sense that something isn't quite right, you don’t have to do it alone. This work invites your nervous system into the conversation, as true healing encompasses the body.
Take the first step today.
Then reach out to schedule your Brainspotting session and begin your journey toward freedom, clarity, and wholeness.
Other Therapy Services Offered at Through It All Counseling in Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona
Somatic therapy isn’t a single technique—it’s a way of honoring the body’s role in healing. That’s why I offer a variety of integrative, creative, and evidence-informed therapies that support the whole person: mind, body, and nervous system. Whether you’re a parent helping a child through big emotions, navigating complex family transitions, or working through your own experiences of trauma, illness, or anxiety, you deserve options that meet you where you are.
In addition to Brainspotting, I offer Play Therapy, Expressive Arts, Bibliotherapy, and Creative Art Therapy to help younger clients and expressive learners process emotions through movement, metaphor, and imagination. For adults and families, I offer Polyvagal Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Interventions, Parent Work, Family Systems Therapy, and Co-Parenting Support—each grounded in safety, curiosity, and compassion. I also integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Motivational Interviewing when structure and clarity are most supportive.
Healing can look like sitting still. It can also look like painting, moving, breathing, or gently rewriting the stories your body has held onto. Whatever path you’re on, I’m here to help you find what works for you.
If you're interested in exploring any of these services or determining which approach aligns best with your needs, feel free to reach out for a free consultation. Cristina is dedicated to providing compassionate, individualized care to support your journey toward healing and growth.
About the Author
Cristina Yturralde, M.C., LPC, is a certified Brainspotting therapist, Brainspotting Consultant, and somatic therapist in Phoenix with nearly two decades of clinical experience—and over three decades of walking alongside families navigating chronic illness and emotional overwhelm. Her work is grounded in personal and professional knowledge, combining creative, relational, and body-based approaches to help clients access lasting, nervous system-level healing.
Cristina specializes in supporting children, teens, and adults through trauma, medical challenges, anxiety, and family transitions. She integrates Brainspotting with modalities such as Play Therapy, Expressive Arts, and Polyvagal-informed care, offering a gentle and intuitive space where healing can unfold naturally. Whether she’s guiding a young child through big feelings or helping an adult reconnect with their body’s wisdom, Cristina brings warmth, creativity, and deep respect for
each client’s story.
Through It All Counseling, her private practice in Phoenix, is built on the belief that healing isn’t about doing more. It’s about learning to listen inward, soften into safety, and reconnect with resilience from the inside out.
