Deep Brain Reorienting: The Trauma Psychotherapy for the 21st Century

A Personal Dive into DBR

I’m currently pursuing certification in Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR). Why now? Because, in both research and real-world results, it’s proving to be a profound and promising approach to healing trauma, especially attachment wounding and developmental trauma. It is also effective for those who find EMDR processing difficult.

What Is Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)?

DBR is a method of trauma psychotherapy developed by neuropsychiatrist Dr. Frank Corrigan in Scotland. It’s grounded in neuroscience. The research is still emerging, but early findings and reports from practitioners and clients are incredibly encouraging. Training with Dr. Corrigan and his team is now booked months in advance, and a formal certification process is underway to keep up with the growing demand.

I’ve completed Level 2 training and will move on to Level 3 as soon as it becomes available. Whenever I pursue new modalities to integrate into my practice, I engage in ongoing consultation to ensure the effective application of the new tools with clients. So, I am already in a clinical consultation group with Dr. Jessica Christie-Sands, co-author of Deep Brain Reorienting: Understanding the Neuroscience of Trauma, Attachment Wounding, and DBR Psychotherapy. What a learning opportunity this is monthly!

How DBR Works in the Brain

DRB is called “deep” because it works at the level of the lower brain—the brainstem and midbrain. The brainstem is where shock begins, long before we might register something as trauma, often milliseconds before we’re even consciously aware of what’s happening.

Dr. Corrigan recognized that before trauma “lands” in our conscious mind, our brainstem has already been processing a perception of threat. That immediate shock, usually outside of our conscious awareness, impacts our nervous system. DBR begins with practicing present awareness and then processing to allow our nervous system to slow way down as we trace and clear shock. After that, we can become more fully aware of the effects that may emerge in the midbrain, where we find basic foundational affect circuitry that underlies our entire complex emotional system. This is the part of our brain that we share with other mammals, a discovery of which we owe to neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp.

Bottom-Up Healing: Why DBR Matters

The theory is elegant in its simplicity—almost deceptively so: start from the present, locate the root of the shock, clear it, allow for the process of basic affect states, and then identify any new perspective that may arise. From there, further therapy may build upon these gains, whether explicit or implicit. We tend to find our way to more easily address and accept issues and then locate alternate coping strategies.

DBR addresses a conundrum that many of us feel, clients and therapists alike, in trauma work. We have all seen or experienced how the top-down approaches can fail. It is not always easy to get our embodied selves on board (i.e., to be fully present and experience safety). DBR, while clearly not for everybody, has had some success where other trauma modalities have failed, reaching challenges. Going through the back door of our nervous systems, so to speak, DBR can, in short, pave the way for healing. 

Integrating DBR with EMDR and Parts Work

In some cases, DBR stands on its own. The clearing of shock and processing basic effect allows for shifts in the neuropathways that may require no further treatment for healing of that aspect. Done repeatedly on various aspects, healing may increase.

DBR seems to integrate well with parts work. Dr. Corrigan uses the more formal term "Ego States" to describe the internal parts of the self that hold specific emotions, memories, or responses. DBR’s ability to access and clear shock at the brainstem level makes it particularly effective for helping stuck parts shift.

EMDR therapists may find DBR an effective component in EMDR’s Phase 2 (preparation). In fact, EMDR therapists who train in DBR have noted that it can lay a foundation that allows for greater ease processing residual traumatic memory.

Why I’m All In on DBR

So yes, I’m all in. I don’t usually use the phrase “deep dive”—but in this case, it fits. DBR reaches the parts of the brain where so much of our early wounding lives, and it is promising for its scientific grounding and is profoundly, and often poignantly, human.

Gratitude and Growth

I’m incredibly grateful to Dr. Frank Corrigan, Dr. Jessica Christie-Sands, and others on their team for their pioneering efforts and commitment to making DBR accessible. It’s a privilege to be part of this growing, compassionate community.

Ready to Learn More?

If you’re curious about how DBR might help you heal——I’d be happy to talk more about it. You can call me at (845) 202-9774 or reach out via my contact form.