Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)

Healing at the Root of the "Hijack"

Most trauma therapies focus on the "emotional" part of the brain or the "thinking" part of the brain. But often, when we have been through something difficult, the reaction starts much deeper—in a part of the brain that responds before we even have time to feel an emotion or think a thought.

This is why you might feel "hijacked" or triggered before you even know what is happening. Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) is a specialised somatic method designed to reach this exact spot.

Developed by Scottish psychiatrist Dr. Frank Corrigan, DBR works by looking at the midbrain. This is the part of your system that handles your very first response to a threat—the moment your eyes track a movement or your neck muscles brace for impact.

When a "splinter" of pain is stuck here, your midbrain stays in a state of high alert. DBR helps to "reorient" this part of the brain, signaling to your deepest systems that the threat is over and it is safe to let go of the bracing.

How DBR feels in a session

Unlike traditional therapy, we don't spend the session "reliving" the story. Instead, we pay very close attention to the subtle physical cues in your body.

By staying with these small, "pre-emotional" physical sequences, we allow the nervous system to complete the processing that got stuck years ago.

Clients often find DBR helpful for:

• Flashbacks or intrusive memories that feel "physical" rather than just mental.

• Deep-seated shame or "shut down" that talking hasn't touched.

• Unexplained physical tension or a constant feeling of being "on guard."

• Dissociation (feeling "spaced out" or disconnected from the body).

A Gentle Path to the Depths

Because DBR works at such a deep level, it is often surprisingly gentle. We aren't "digging" for pain; we are simply following the body’s natural desire to move toward healing. By clearing these deep midbrain tracks, the "treading water" feeling begins to lift, and your nervous system can finally settle into the present.

← Back to How I Work or Home or Visit my contact and booking page