Can You Do Brainspotting Online? What to Know About Virtual Brainspotting Therapy

You've been reading about Brainspotting. It sounds like exactly what you've been looking for. And then you wonder: do I have to be in the room for this to work?

Good news. You don't!

Brainspotting therapy translates to virtual sessions remarkably well — and for some clients, the online format actually works better than in-person. If you're in Indiana, Ohio, or Florida and wondering whether telehealth is a real option for this kind of work, here's what you need to know.

What Makes Brainspotting Different Virtually

When people first hear that Brainspotting can be done online, their instinct is usually skepticism. Understandable. The idea of finding an eye position that connects to trauma and using it to process through a screen sounds like it might lose something in translation.

In practice, it tends to work well.

Brainspotting works because of where you look — and that mechanism doesn't require physical proximity to your therapist. Your nervous system doesn't care whether the pointer is in the room with you or on a screen. What it responds to is the specific eye position, the focused attention, and the relational safety created by your therapist's presence. All of that is available virtually.

What changes is the setup. Instead of a physical pointer in my hand, we use:

🔹 Objects in your own environment to set a Brainspot 🔹 A digital pointer tool shared on screen 🔹 BioLateral music through your own headphones, which supports the bilateral stimulation component 🔹 Your own hand or a spot on the wall when needed

The core of the work — finding the spot, staying with it, allowing the deep brain to process — works the same way.

What Some Clients Actually Prefer About Virtual Sessions

This surprises people. But a meaningful number of my clients prefer doing this work from home.

Here's why it makes sense when you think about it.

Brainspotting often brings up a lot. The processing hangover after a deep session is real. When you're in-person, you have to get yourself home, back into your car, back into the world. When you're at home, you can stay on your couch, drink some water, let yourself land before you have to do anything else.

There's also something about being in your own environment that can feel regulating for some people. Your own couch. Your own blanket. Your own dog in your lap. That familiarity can actually support the work rather than detract from it.

For clients who struggle with anxiety around leaving the house, navigating traffic, or sitting in a waiting room, virtual sessions remove a barrier that would otherwise make showing up harder than it needs to be.

What You Need for Virtual Brainspotting

The setup is simpler than most people expect.

A private space. This is the most important thing. You need somewhere you can speak freely and move around a little without being overheard or interrupted. A bedroom, a home office, a parked car — anywhere you feel genuinely private.

A reliable internet connection. Not perfect, just reliable. Video sessions don't require much bandwidth but dropping out mid-session is disruptive. If your connection is inconsistent, having a hotspot as backup is worth it.

Headphones. For BioLateral music, headphones that cover both ears work best. Earbuds work fine. The bilateral sound — music that alternates between left and right — supports the processing component of Brainspotting and is worth having.

A screen that shows your face clearly. Your therapist needs to be able to track subtle changes in your expression and body during processing. A phone propped up works, but a laptop or tablet with a decent camera is better.

That's genuinely it. Most people already have everything they need.

Who Virtual Brainspotting Works Well For

Virtual sessions tend to work particularly well for:

🔹 Clients outside Indianapolis who want specialized trauma therapy without the commute 🔹 People in rural Indiana where access to Brainspotting practitioners is limited 🔹 Clients in Ohio and Florida who want to work with a practitioner licensed in their state 🔹 People with busy schedules who can fit a session into their day more easily from home 🔹 Clients dealing with anxiety, chronic illness, or mobility issues that make in-person difficult 🔹 Parents who can't easily arrange childcare around appointments

At CCA Therapy, I'm licensed in Indiana, Ohio, and Florida. If you're in any of those states, telehealth is a fully available option.

Are There Times When In-Person Is Better?

Honestly, yes. And I'll tell you when.

For some clients — particularly those who are highly dissociative or who struggle significantly with grounding — being physically in the room can provide a level of co-regulation that's harder to replicate virtually. Having another nervous system present in the same space does something that a screen can approximate but not fully replace.

If you're in a very acute phase of trauma processing, or if you have a history of significant dissociation, it might be worth discussing with your therapist whether in-person sessions make more sense during that stretch.

For the majority of clients, though, virtual works well. And for some, it works better.

You Don't Have to Be in Indianapolis to Work With Me

This is worth saying clearly. If you're in Indiana outside the Indianapolis metro, in Ohio, or in Florida, you can work with me.

Telehealth has made specialized therapy far more accessible than it used to be. You don't have to settle for whoever is closest geographically. You can find the therapist whose approach actually fits what you're dealing with, and meet with them from your living room.

That's not a compromise. For a lot of people, it's the better option.

Please note: while we talk a lot about the mind-body connection here, this post is not a substitute for medical or mental health treatment. Because the body is complex, please ensure you are cleared by a medical doctor for any physical symptoms before exploring them through a somatic or mental health lens.

Book a free 15-minute consultation at CCA Therapy. Whether you're in Indianapolis or anywhere in Indiana, Ohio, or Florida, we can talk about whether Brainspotting therapy is a good fit — and whether virtual or in-person makes more sense for where you are.

The work is available to you. Where you access it is flexible.

About the Author: Ethany Michaud, LCSW is a certified Brainspotting practitioner and somatic therapist at Circle City Alliance Therapy & Consulting in Indianapolis, Indiana. She offers both in-person sessions in Indianapolis and telehealth throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Florida.