The second circle in the Vision Venn diagram is noticing where you are in your body and environment. The medical term is called Orienting and your eyes are big part of that. Where your eyes move (aka orient) while you notice your feelings is called “gaze spotting” in Brainspotting. My colleague’s video shows this in an actual Brainspotting session (with therapist/client post-processing of how different stages felt for them), check it out!

For me, my orienting involves my identity as a retired eye doctor, 13 year cancer patient and middle-aged (!) woman. Where I am in my life seems to be defined by how well I can observe my achievements and challenges while still feeling grounded and resilient. Often, I slip into “Super Mom Dr” mode and try to do too much while I am already exhausted, making me more stressed and irritable. Before my post-traumatic clarity, I thought that my value depended upon what I got done which was in conflict with what I wanted for me.

As a therapist, I created a Dual Brainspot protocol to let my shitty feeling be in one place and my need to escape be in another while I process between them. This leads to less double vision and dueling inner voices and a more relaxed Vergence feeling…in the next circle!