Brainspotting for Athletes: Releasing Performance Blocks

High performers know the difference between training form and competition day. The body can be ready, the plan can be flawless, but a small hitch shows up at the worst moment. Hands tremble on the bar. The mind goes blank on the free throw line. A bat freezes on a meatball pitch. Coaches call it choking or the yips. Athletes feel it in the stomach, throat, and jaw. What often hides beneath is a stuck survival response that does not care how many reps were logged.

Brainspotting is a focused, relational method that helps athletes release those stuck responses. It comes from the world of trauma therapy, and it lives in the same family as EMDR and somatic therapies, but it has its own simplicity. The therapist uses the athlete’s eye position and felt sense to locate a “brainspot,” a point in the visual field that links directly to subcortical networks carrying the unresolved charge. With the body safely engaged and the mind anchored, the nervous system does the reprocessing work. When it works, the change shows up not as a new thought, but as a new ease, a deeper breath, and cleaner execution under load.

What performance blocks feel like on the inside

I will intensive therapy near me never forget a collegiate sprinter who started false starting in finals, not in practice. His starts in training were clockwork, but under the gun his right calf cramped the instant he heard set. By the tape he looked fine, but he stumbled out of the blocks in two consecutive meets. He did not need more cues about dorsiflexion or shin angles. He needed his body to stop bracing two tenths of a second too early.

Athletes describe performance blocks in different ways, but the patterns rhyme. A baseball player with the yips feels a surge in his forearm that he cannot override. A gymnast trusts her skills until the moment she climbs onto the beam, then her vision narrows and her breath sticks high in her chest. A goalkeeper who had one rough concussion says he is fine, then flinches at fast crosses he used to own. None of these reactions are chosen. They are reflexive, protective, and wired by past moments the system tagged as dangerous.

How Brainspotting fits within trauma and anxiety therapy

At its core, Brainspotting is a form of trauma therapy. It treats stuck survival responses that can show up as anxiety, depression, irritability, pain, or, for athletes, performance freezes. In practice, I use it as part of a larger toolkit that also includes anxiety therapy approaches like breathing retraining and cognitive defusion, along with strength and conditioning input, sleep work, and nutrition. Some athletes also carry broader mood concerns that require depression therapy or medication consults. Brainspotting does not replace good medical care, and it does not solve every problem. It excels when the limit is not knowledge or habit formation but an invisible reflex that keeps firing under pressure.

Traditional talk therapy can help athletes make sense of what happened and plan better responses. But sense-making does not always reach the subcortex, the part of the brain that triggers a flinch before you can think. Brainspotting aims straight for that reflex layer, with the therapist tracking eye position, muscle tone, breath, micro-movements, and the intensity of body sensations as the athlete holds attention on a spot in their visual field that “hooks” the charge. Bilateral sound or simple white noise often supports the work. The process invites the nervous system to move through incomplete reflexes and discharge them, rather than explain them away.

Why eye positions matter more than it seems

The simplest way I explain it to athletes is this: your eyes are steering wheels for your brain. Eye position is linked to networks that store sensory fragments of memory, posture, and threat maps. When we move gaze slowly across the field, the athlete will usually notice one or two spots where something spikes or goes tense. The spot might be up and right for anger, down and left for grief, or somewhere else entirely. There is no fixed map, only each person’s idiosyncratic wiring.

Holding that spot, with careful pacing and support, tends to pull up layers of sensation and emotion that were partly buried. Tremors, heat waves, swallowing, sighs, and subtle shifts through the torso often show that the body is completing defensive actions that were interrupted in the past. Over time, and often within a few sessions, the intensity drops and a new baseline emerges. For athletes, that new baseline is quiet in the right places. The block eases not because they learned a mental trick, but because the survival system is no longer misreading the start gun, the beam, or the mound as a threat.

A brief comparison with EMDR and somatic methods

Athletes who have tried EMDR often ask how Brainspotting differs. EMDR uses sets of bilateral stimulation with eyes tracking a moving target, interleaved with measurement and structured prompts. Brainspotting lands on one spot and allows deeper, quieter attunement. Many athletes appreciate the stillness. Somatic experiencing and other body-based therapies share Brainspotting’s focus on interoception and titration. In my experience, Brainspotting offers an efficient bridge between precise body tracking and an external focus the athlete can recognize and practice later, for example, fixing gaze on a calming spot before a free throw.

The best choice depends on the person and the problem. If an athlete struggles to stay present with body sensations, EMDR’s structure can be helpful. For those who prefer fewer words and more space, Brainspotting often fits.

Vignettes from the field

A tennis player in his late twenties came in after three months of double faults under pressure. His serve radar numbers were fine in practice, then down 8 to 12 percent in matches. We located a brainspot slightly above center and to his left that made his throat tight and his right hand buzz. Over three sessions, the buzzing faded and a warm heaviness replaced it, like his hand finally belonged to his shoulder again. He reported fewer throat clears on changeovers, a small but reliable sign. By the next tournament he was still nervous, but the double faults dropped from six per match to one or two, and his first serve percentage returned to normal.

A professional snowboarder, post-crash, could not commit to spins she had done since her teens. MRI was clean, and she passed vestibular testing, but a start-cue song in training brought an immediate stomach drop. On a down-right spot her belly churned, then settled. Midway through the second session she remembered a teammate yelling her name right before the crash. We stayed with the spot until the sound of that name no longer sent a bolt through her ribs. Back on snow, she needed technical drill work to reload the pattern, but the bolt was gone.

A high school pitcher with the yips struggled to release the ball to second base during steals. Coaching adjustments and visualization did not touch it. Brainspotting on an up-left spot produced a flood of heat through the biceps and forearm, then a wave of fatigue. His report after session three was almost comical: “I keep forgetting I used to double clutch.” That amnesia is common when a reflex lets go. The new normal feels obvious in hindsight.

None of these are magic stories. Each athlete also trained, slept, and did the unglamorous homework. The key is that the emotional brake came off, and the rest of their hard-earned skill could show up.

What a Brainspotting session looks like

Sessions are quieter than most athletes expect. The therapist and athlete sit at a comfortable distance. I often use a pointer to help find and hold visual angles. The athlete tracks internal signals like breath, tension, tingling, nausea, or heat, and rates intensity as needed. I watch posture, micro-sways, jaw set, eye movements, and the rhythm of swallowing. Bilateral music or simple white noise can help both of us keep a gentle beat. We do not chase story unless the body brings it forward. We respect the window of tolerance, the zone where the system can feel and integrate without flipping into shutdown or chaos.

Here is a simple, typical flow for a first session:

Brief intake and goal setting, including a clear performance moment to anchor.
Finding activation through recall of the target moment, then scanning for a spot that increases or decreases intensity.
Holding the spot while tracking somatic shifts, with minimal prompting and long stretches of silence.
Titration and pendulation, easing off when activation spikes, returning when the system settles.
Closure and grounding, then a short plan for hydration, sleep, and light movement after the session.

Time varies. Many athletes notice a meaningful shift within two to four sessions. Some need a block of six to eight, then tune-ups around key competitions. Complex injury histories or ongoing stressors take longer. If nothing moves by session three, I revisit the case formulation and often integrate additional approaches.

When to consider Brainspotting in a training plan

Coaches and athletes sometimes ask for a timing guide, especially in a packed competition calendar. If a block is disrupting competition, I like to start Brainspotting well before peak events and pair it with skill consolidation. In taper periods, we aim for lighter emotional loads and shorter sessions to protect sleep and recovery. During long off-seasons, deeper work is possible, including historical material that affects sport but also relationships and mood.

Quick signs Brainspotting could help:

Skills are consistent in practice but erode under pressure despite adequate physical prep.
The athlete reports body surges, blanking, or tunnel vision they cannot will away.
There is a known incident, concussion, or near-miss that hangs in the background.
Traditional anxiety therapy tools help in daily life but fall flat in competition.
The athlete shows sudden aversions to equipment, venues, or start cues that never bothered them.

If broader depression symptoms are present, or if appetite, sleep, and motivation are sliding seriously, I fold in depression therapy elements and, when appropriate, a medical consult. Brainspotting can complement those steps by easing the body’s stress load.

Intensives for athletes on a deadline

Tournament schedules and travel make weekly therapy hard. For the right case, intensive therapy formats can help. I will sometimes run 2 to 3 hour sessions, stacked over two or three days, in the off-week between competitions. Intensives are not for everyone. They require stable sleep, no substance use, and a strong support system. When done safely, they can move through a cluster of blocks in one focused window, then leave the athlete free to train skills with a quieter nervous system.

I am conservative with intensives after concussions. If the athlete is still light sensitive, missing words, or getting motion sick in cars, I slow down and coordinate with a neurologist or concussion specialist. Pushing too hard can backfire.

Safety, scope, and red flags

Brainspotting is gentle in appearance, but powerful. Strong emotions Anxiety therapy can surface. Athletes sometimes feel drained for 24 to 48 hours after a big session. That does not mean harm, but it does mean we pace well and keep recovery priorities in place. Hydration, protein intake, and sleep matter more than ever in the 48 hours after deep work. Light aerobic movement helps integrate.

There are cases where referral or adjunct care is non-negotiable. Active suicidality, untreated psychosis, and recent severe traumatic brain injury are outside the lane for sport-focused sessions. Acute concussion within the first couple of weeks usually calls for rest and medical clearance first. Complex pain conditions and dissociation require slower titration and often a team approach.

Privacy also matters. Athlete buy-in collapses if sessions leak to staff rooms. I set clear boundaries with teams. The athlete owns their story, and disclosure to coaches focuses on actionable items like timing, workload, and readiness ratings, never the personal material.

Integrating Brainspotting with coaching and performance science

Therapy should never float in a vacuum. A good plan loops in coaching language and sport demands. After a session, I might ask a lifting coach to keep the athlete under 70 percent loads for a day or two, then progress. A goalkeeper might practice high balls a step closer than usual, with an emphasis on exhale on takeoff. A pitcher might do 10 minutes of flat-ground throws with an easy arc, eyes on a calm spot on the fence before each toss.

Objective markers help. I use subjective units of distress during sessions, and track simple metrics weekly: sleep hours, resting heart rate, HRV trends if available, and two or three performance indicators the athlete and coach trust. If a gymnast’s beam series used to be nine out of ten in practice and is now six out of ten, we want to see eight or nine again, not just a lower anxiety score. When the body quiets, numbers move.

What does the evidence say

The research base for Brainspotting is growing but still modest compared to more established modalities. Small studies and case series show reductions in PTSD and anxiety symptoms in adults and youth, and clinical reports across thousands of sessions describe rapid change in somatic symptoms tied to stress. In sport contexts, most of the published evidence is anecdotal or within larger trauma therapy frameworks. That does not mean empty promises, but it does mean humility. I present Brainspotting as a strong option when the profile fits, not a universal fix.

What gives me confidence is the pattern I have seen across sports and levels. When a block is truly subcortical and reflex-driven, and when medical issues are cleared, Brainspotting often moves the needle faster than purely cognitive tools. If the problem turns out to be technical, metabolic, or relational, the method will not touch it, and we adjust.

Pricing, access, and making it practical

Elite programs can bring therapists onto staff. High school athletes and journeymen pros often pay out of pocket. Session fees vary widely by region. A practical course might be three to five sessions over six weeks, then reevaluate. Intensives cost more up front but can lower total time away from training. Some therapists offer sliding scales or coordinate with team insurance when the work clearly falls within anxiety therapy or trauma therapy diagnoses. Telehealth is viable for many athletes, especially for follow-ups. When internet lags or privacy is shaky, in-person sessions remain best.

I coach athletes to stack sessions early in the week when possible. Midweek allows for emotional hangovers to pass before game day. I also build in a post-session routine that looks a lot like recovery from a tough lift: fluids, electrolytes, 20 to 30 minutes of easy movement, high-protein meal, minimal caffeine late in the day, and a hard stop on film study that night.

Common questions from athletes and coaches

Does it make me relive bad stuff to get better at my sport? Not necessarily. Sometimes memory fragments surface, sometimes not. The focus stays on body sensation and the target performance moment. If old material comes up, we titrate it carefully. The point is not catharsis, it is regulation.

Can I use it before big competitions? Yes, with care. Short, stabilizing sessions in the week prior, deeper work earlier in the cycle. We treat it like a taper.

What if I do not feel anything when we look for a spot? That happens. We might start with a resource spot that feels neutral or slightly comforting, then let activation emerge slowly. Some athletes are externally focused by training and need practice noticing inside.

How is this different from visualization? Visualization builds a map of success. Brainspotting updates the reflexes that sabotage it. I like them together, in that order: clear the block, then rehearse.

Will it help if my issue is pure mechanics? No. But a nervous system that is not fighting you makes mechanics easier to change.

A coach’s role without crossing lines

Coaches are not therapists, but they can create conditions where this work succeeds. Language that normalizes nervous system processes, not moralizes them, helps. If an athlete is doing therapy, keep practice plans stable and predictable for a few weeks. Give them a quiet corner for two minutes of breath and a stable gaze before high-stress drills. Avoid chasing symptoms head-on with consequence ladders. Precision in drill design and progressions does more than pep talks when the problem is reflexive.

I ask coaches to notice specifics. “You looked tight” is less useful than “your exhale disappeared on the takeoff step” or “your hands came off the bar early in the second pull.” Specifics show the athlete where the reflex lands in the chain.

Limits and trade-offs

No single method handles everything. Brainspotting can overheat a session if the athlete is sleep deprived, overreached, or in active withdrawal from substances. Sometimes the smartest play is to downshift to breath work and low-arousal movement, then return to deeper work the next week. In team environments, scheduling and travel complicate recovery windows. Remote sessions help, but they demand privacy and bandwidth that are not always available on the road.

There is also a motivational trap. When a block resolves, some athletes expect a permanent shield against nerves. Stress physiology will always fluctuate. The goal is not to feel nothing, it is to be responsive rather than reactive. I build relapse prevention into the last few sessions: recognize early warning signs, re-engage a resource spot, and, if needed, schedule a booster session before playoffs.

A grounded path forward

Performance blocks are not character flaws. They are body codes written by experience, sometimes in milliseconds. Brainspotting offers a way to rewrite those codes while respecting the athlete’s pace and privacy. When an athlete stops warring with their own reflexes, their training has a fair chance to show up on the field.

If you are an athlete wrestling with a stubborn freeze or a coach watching brilliant practice players shrink under lights, consider adding Brainspotting to the plan. Vet the therapist’s sport experience and medical savvy. Ask about timing around competition, coordination with your staff, and how they handle intensives if your calendar is tight. Stay curious, track concrete outcomes, and keep the basics strong: sleep, fuel, movement, and honest feedback.

The nervous system wants to resolve what is stuck. Given the right attention and a clear spot to hold, it often does.

Dr. Katrina Kwan, Licensed Psychologist

Name: Dr. Katrina Kwan, Licensed Psychologist

Address: Online-only practice

Phone: +1 650-387-2578

Website: https://www.drkatrinakwan.com/

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Dr. Katrina Kwan, Licensed Psychologist offers online therapy for adults in Florida, Utah, and Washington State.

Her services include Brainspotting, trauma therapy, anxiety therapy, depression therapy, intensive therapy, somatic therapy approaches, nervous system regulation support, and accelerated resourcing.

The practice may be a fit for adults seeking therapy for trauma, anxiety, depression, overwhelm, nervous system dysregulation, or neurological recovery concerns.

Because sessions are offered online, clients can ask about therapy from home without needing to travel to a physical office.

The website describes a body-mind approach that integrates Brainspotting, somatic work, parts work, and related therapeutic methods.

Dr. Kwan’s website lists state licensure in Florida, Utah, and Washington, so prospective clients should confirm current eligibility and fit before scheduling.

To contact Dr. Katrina Kwan, call +1 650-387-2578 or visit https://www.drkatrinakwan.com/.

The public map listing identifies the online practice profile and hours, but no public walk-in street address was verified from the accessible listing data.

Clients should use the website and phone number to confirm appointment availability, online session requirements, and whether the practice is appropriate for their needs.

Landmarks Near Dr. Katrina Kwan’s Online Therapy Service Areas

Seattle, WA — Washington clients near Seattle can contact the practice to ask about online therapy availability.

Spokane, WA — Spokane-area clients can use the online format to ask about therapy access without traveling to a physical office.

Tacoma, WA — Tacoma is a practical Washington reference point for clients exploring online therapy in the state.

Olympia, WA — Clients near Washington’s capital can contact Dr. Kwan to confirm online session availability.

Salt Lake City, UT — Utah clients near Salt Lake City can ask about online therapy services listed by the practice.

Provo, UT — Provo-area adults can use the website to request information about online therapy options.

Ogden, UT — Clients in northern Utah can confirm whether Dr. Kwan’s online therapy services are a fit for their needs.

Park City, UT — Park City is a useful Utah-area reference for clients considering online care from home or while managing a busy schedule.

Orlando, FL — Florida clients near Orlando can contact the practice to confirm online therapy availability and scheduling.

Tampa, FL — Tampa-area adults can use the online format to ask about therapy services without a local commute.

Miami, FL — Miami clients can visit the website to learn about online therapy options listed for Florida.

Jacksonville, FL — Jacksonville is a practical Florida reference point for adults exploring online therapy with Dr. Katrina Kwan.

Tallahassee, FL — Clients near Florida’s capital can call or use the website to confirm whether online care is available for their situation.