DEEP BRAIN REORIENTING
Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) Therapy in Ontario & Nova Scotia
DBR therapy with a DBR Approved Provider and Level 3-trained therapists, offered in person and online.
What is Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)?
Deep Brain Reorienting was developed by psychiatrist Dr. Frank Corrigan as an approach to working with trauma and attachment-related distress.
DBR pays particular attention to responses that occur deep within the brain, including the orienting and shock responses that can happen before we have time to consciously think about what is happening.
Rather than beginning with the story of what happened, DBR helps the therapist and client carefully track these early responses.
This can allow traumatic experiences to be processed without requiring extensive retelling or repeatedly revisiting the details of what happened.
What can DBR help with?
DBR may be helpful for people experiencing:
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complex or developmental trauma
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childhood and attachment trauma
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PTSD
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emotional overwhelm
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anxiety and hypervigilance
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shame
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dissociation or emotional shutdown
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relationship trauma
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longstanding patterns that have been difficult to change
How is DBR different than talk therapy?
Many therapies begin with thoughts, emotions, behaviours, or the story of what happened.
DBR begins deeper.
It works with the brain's early orienting and shock responses and the physiological changes associated with them. These responses can occur before conscious thought and can continue to influence how we feel and react long after a difficult experience has ended.
For some people, working at this level can help create change where insight and understanding have not been enough.
DBR Approved Provider
Advanced Training in Deep Brain Reorienting
Dr. Karma Guindon, PhD, RSW, is a DBR Approved Provider, one of a relatively small number of clinicians worldwide to have achieved Approved status in Deep Brain Reorienting.
DBR Approved status is distinct from completing DBR training. Approval involves additional requirements designed to demonstrate knowledge of the DBR model and competent clinical use of the approach.
There are currently approximately 70 DBR Approved Providers worldwide, including only a small number in Ontario.
Dr. Guindon brings more than 30 years of psychotherapy experience to this work, with a particular interest in trauma, attachment, dissociation, and the ways our deeper survival systems can continue to shape present-day experience.
She offers DBR therapy in person in Aurora and Bolton and online to clients throughout Ontario and Nova Scotia.
DBR Therapy in Ontario & Nova Scotia
DBR therapy is available through our practice with Dr. Karma Guindon, a DBR Approved Provider, and has two associates who have completed Level 3 training in Deep Brain Reorienting and participate in ongoing DBR consultation with Dr. Guindon.
Ontario
IN-PERSON
DBR therapy is available in person in Aurora and Bolton, Ontario
ONLINE
Online DBR therapy is available to clients throughout Ontario, includng those who may not have access to DBR therapy locally
Nova Scotia
ONLINE
Online DBR therapy is available to clients throughout Nova Scotia, including Halifax and communities across the province
Although there are currently no DBR Approved Providers located in Nova Scotia, Dr Karma Guindon is a DBR Approved Provider who is able to provide online psychotherapy to clients in the province.
FOR THERAPISTS
DBR Experiential Consultation
Karma also offers DBR experiential consultation for therapists who are completing experiential hours as part of their DBR training or approval requirements.
Experiential consultation is available online to therapists in Canada and internationally, including therapists seeking to complete up to 8 hours of DBR experiential work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does DBR stand for?
DBR stands for Deep Brain Reorienting, a trauma therapy developed by psychiatrist Dr. Frank Corrigan.
Do I have to talk about my trauma in detail during DBR?
Not necessarily. DBR does not depend on repeatedly telling the story of a traumatic experience. Instead, the work focuses more closely on the underlying orienting, shock, physiological, and emotional responses associated with an experience.
Can DBR therapy be done online?
Yes. DBR therapy can be provided online. Dr. Guindon offers online DBR therapy to clients throughout Ontario and Nova Scotia, as well as in-person DBR therapy in Aurora and Bolton, Ontario.
What is a DBR Approved Provider?
DBR Approved status is distinct from completing DBR training. Approved Providers have completed additional requirements designed to demonstrate knowledge of the DBR model and competent clinical use of the approach.