Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) - A Promising Therapy for Mental Health and Positive Relationships

Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)® is a cutting-edge trauma therapy developed by Frank Corrigan (see www.deepbrainreorienting.com). It is designed to work with the brain’s natural ability to heal. It’s especially helpful for people who haven’t found success with more traditional approaches (such as talk therapy like CBT). Unlike therapies that focus on managing mental health symptoms and relationship problems from the top down (like talking about your thoughts or behaviours and trying to replace them with new thoughts and behaviours), DBR works with the body’s core responses - the physiological reactions that happen (and cascade up from) deep in the brainstem.

healing from the bottom-up

How Does DBR Work?

DBR works at the brainstem level - this is the part of your brain that first registers and evaluates the significance of information coming in from the environment, and controls basic survival instincts like turning your head or shifting your eyes in response to what grabs its attention. Here are some of the key ideas behind it:

1. Brainstem and Trauma: When something threatening or dangerous happens, your brainstem kicks in immediately, triggering instinctive responses for survival. DBR works at the level of these early reactions, including a part of the brainstem called the superior colliculus (SC). The SC is responsible for registering what's happening in the environment, controlling eye and head movements that allow for this, and instantaneously assessing the safety or danger of what's happening.

2. Finding the "Orienting Tension": You may have noticed how your body tenses up when you’re startled or scared. These tensions also occur in the face (specifically the forehead or around the eyes) or at the base of your skull. These tensions are usually responses to one of two things - either 1) it's a response to something that is happening now (someone jumped out at you from around the corner or a bear is chasing you) or 2) it's a response to triggered 'memories' of past overwhelming or traumatic experiences that are still held in your deep brain. DBR helps you gently bring awareness to this tension, which can ground you and make processing the trauma less overwhelming.

3. Getting to the Core of the Trauma: Traumatic memories that continue to be held deep in your brain often come layered with overwhelming emotions, distressing thoughts or rumination, problematic behaviours, dissociation, or relational pain. DBR works below these deeper brain levels by helping you safely reconnect with the original physiological responses that are often buried deep. Your brain is a self-healing system and DBR is highly effective at helping your system heal.

4. A Non-Verbal Approach: DBR doesn’t rely on talking through your trauma (which can create more distress and harm) or analyzing your thoughts about it. Instead, it focuses on your body’s sensations and responses, making it a gentler option for people who struggle with dissociation or feel numb or overwhelmed when trying to address their trauma.

   
   

Who Can DBR Help?

DBR is particularly effective for people dealing experiencing trauma-related difficulties, especially when the trauma is related to attachment wounding, began very early in life, or involves overwhelm or dissociation. Here are some examples of when DBR can be useful:

• PTSD: If you’re dealing with flashbacks, nightmares, anger, or avoidance behaviors, DBR can help by addressing the body’s physical responses to those memories and breaking their grip on you.

• Complex Trauma and Dissociation: For those with more layered trauma or dissociative symptoms (like feeling detached from reality), DBR can help integrate these fragmented experiences, particularly if they stem from early attachment disruptions.

• Mental Health Problems: Chronic mental health problems (these can include depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia) can sometimes (if not often) be caused by unhealed trauma. DBR works below the symptoms associated with mental health problems to provide deep and long-lasting healing.

• Emotional Regulation Issues: Trauma often leads to struggles with emotions, which can show up as self-harm, substance use, excessive shopping, or other coping mechanisms. DBR helps you get to the root cause, making it easier to process your feelings and regulate them.

• Relational Trauma: If your trauma stems from attachment issues (for example, a physically or verbally abusive parent or caregivers who weren't attuned and lovingly responsive to you) or relational difficulties (for example bullying, racism, sexism, ableism, poverty, immigration), DBR is great at addressing those early responses to emotional hurt, fostering healthier emotional connections and positive relationships.

Why Try DBR?

DBR is a refreshing approach because it doesn’t just manage symptoms—it goes to the root. By focusing on the body’s first responses to trauma, it offers a safe and gentle way to process even the most deeply buried memories. It doesn't require you to focus on past experiences. Instead it's often enough to process present-day experiences that were 'activating' . DBR is ideal for people who’ve found traditional talk therapy overwhelming or ineffective, particularly if dissociation or emotional overwhelm has been a barrier. If you’re looking for a therapy that gets to the root of trauma in a grounded, body-based way, DBR might be the breakthrough you need.

Contact us at admin@karmaguindon.com if you'd like to explore this promising therapy.