Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)
Many people who come to Deep Brain Reorienting already understand a great deal about what happened to them. They still may find something feels off. Even having tried other modes of therapy, they may feel like they are carrying something they cannot quite put down.
If you:
DBR was developed precisely for this.
Developed by Scottish psychiatrist Dr. Frank Corrigan, Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) is a trauma-focused therapy that works at the deepest levels of the nervous system. It targets brainstem and midbrain neurocircuitry that register and process survival, shock, and orienting tension, and shock responses before emotion, thought, or language catch up. It was designed for what most trauma therapies cannot reach.
What DBR Actually Does
Almost instantaneously when an overwhelming event occurs, your body instinctively has micro-tensions. Survival mode kicks in: eyes shift and the head rotates toward what is perceived, neck muscles tense, all within the presence of threat.
This happens long before the conscious mind has registered an experience of fear. This raw, non-verbal physiological shock is held in the brainstem. If such natural orienting responses do not resolve, the impact remains held deep in the brain, in parts underlying the nervous system, possibly imprinting an orientation to life including your feelings and physiology that can further affect how you come to perceive and respond to your unfolding life experience long after the event has passed.
Instead of recounting painful stories, DBR focuses mainly on subtle physical cues: orienting tension and reactivity in the face, head, and neck, and then the shock of the nervous system and body long before affect arises.
By tracking these signals very slowly and carefully, we give your nervous system the chance to complete its original response. As that long-held tension and shock releases, triggers lose their charge, leaving you with more space, steadiness, and groundedness.
What a DBR Session Is Like
DBR sessions are quiet, contained, and slow-paced. There is no pressure to share traumatic details or re-experience distress to heal. In session, we:
- Identify a focus. Pick a moment and, within it, a stimulus that had an impact, called the Activating Stimulus, often visceral and felt as a sensation.
- Turn attention inward. I guide you to notice early physical sensations in your head, face, and neck, the body's original orienting record called the Orienting Tension.
- Slowly process preaffective shock. Give your system room to process shock. It reorients and reorganizes without us needing to do anything else. Because the pace is gradual, most people find DBR much easier to tolerate than traditional exposure work. It usually takes multiple sessions to clear shock preceding trauma at its core, especially if it is complex, attachment trauma.
Signs DBR Might Be Worth Exploring
You do not need a clear memory for DBR to be effective. It is particularly helpful if you experience:
These patterns often reflect nervous system responses that developed early and have simply not had the opportunity to fully resolve.
How DBR Fits Into My Practice
I do not begin with DBR, or any approach, before I understand what you are carrying and what the work needs.
DBR and EMDR often complement each other. For some people, EMDR reaches what needs to be addressed. For others, DBR is where the real movement happens. For some, both play a role at different stages. I follow what the client and the process indicate rather than deciding in advance which approach is correct.
Research & Clinical Approach
DBR is based on current neuroscience. An initial randomized controlled trial published in 2023 showed promising results for DBR in resolving trauma, and empirical research continues to grow. People report results consistent with the research. My own clinical experience with DBR has consistently shown that it helps resolve distress that sits below narrative. It is hard work. But the results are notable: one day, out of nowhere, you find yourself responding differently to a situation and only later reflect on how your orientation, your internal compass in life, seems to have shifted.
I do not force a one-size-fits-all model. I meet your nervous system where it actually is, adapting our pace and focus to what you need. DBR just might be right for you.
Both are trauma-focused approaches that work with the nervous system rather than relying on insight and talk alone. EMDR works with memory networks and the emotional charge associated with a specific experience. DBR works at an earlier level, targeting the very first way the nervous system registered that something was wrong. For some people this distinction matters enormously; for others, either approach produces meaningful change. I assess which is likely to be most useful based on what you bring to the work.
No. DBR does not require a detailed narrative of what happened. You may identify a specific moment or trigger to focus on, but the work itself follows physical sensations rather than the story. Many people find this a relief, particularly those who have found that talking about what happened in detail brings them back into the experience rather than through it.
DBR was specifically designed with complex trauma and dissociation in mind. Its slow, contained pace is part of what makes it well-suited to people who have found other approaches destabilizing. That said, I assess carefully before beginning any processing work, and stabilization always comes first. The foundation has to be in place before we go deeper.
DBR is newer than EMDR. Frank Corrigan first published on it in 2020, and a randomized controlled trial published in 2023 found promising results for PTSD. Research is ongoing. I am transparent with clients about the fact that the evidence base is still developing. What I can tell you is what I have observed in the work, which has been consistently meaningful for the people I see.
Yes. DBR adapts well to a telehealth format. The work is inward-focused and does not rely on equipment or in-person proximity. I offer DBR via telehealth throughout New York and Florida, and in-person in Suffern, NY.
Curious if this feels like the right fit?
I invite you to start with a consultation. There is no pressure, just a conversation to see whether working together makes sense.