Deep Brain Reorienting
(DBR)
DBR is a trauma psychotherapy that processes bodily and emotional responses to difficult life experiences. Rather than focusing on the narrative of what happened, we follow together the subtle signals the body still carries — and in doing so, reach the trauma where it is actually stored.
The method is grounded in the understanding that overwhelming experiences affect the midbrain (deep brain) — the part of the brain that responds instinctively to threat and to disruptions in close relationships and shock. By gently tracking and processing the body's responses to these experiences, they can be healed in a way that feels bearable.
We can work with events both recent and far back in time — singular traumatic experiences as well as relational traumas, such as danger or early disruptions in the relationship with important attachment figures. DBR is particularly effective for the deep pain of loneliness that so often accompanies relational trauma. The method creates safety in both body and brain, which is a fundamental prerequisite for healing. DBR works well as a standalone therapy but can also be combined with other therapeutic approaches. Read more at deepbrainreorienting.com
About DBR – trauma therapy
If you carry memories, feelings or physical reactions you don't fully understand — perhaps from something that happened long ago — you are not alone. Many people living with PTSD or other trauma-related difficulties feel that what they have been through is lodged deep in the body, beyond words. Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) is a therapeutic method specifically designed to work with precisely these deeper levels — where it all began.
DBR was developed by Scottish psychiatrist Dr. Frank Corrigan as a method for processing difficult experiences in cases where approaches such as EMDR and CBT are not sufficient to help the patient move through their traumatisation. The method focuses on the muscles of the shoulders, neck, head and face — the response that occurs just before an emotion arises. This reaction is called the pre-affective shock response, and is the body's reflexive orientation toward danger. Rather than entering the narrative of what happened, we follow together the subtle signals the body still carries. This allows us to meet the trauma where it is actually stored — in the body, not only in memory.
By processing the stress response at the level of the midbrain, the therapy targets the root cause of the lingering tension. An important aspect of DBR is that you do not need to re-enter the trauma. It is enough to notice what the nervous system is showing in the present moment. The process unfolds at a gentle pace, with deep respect for your boundaries and rhythm. A central part of the treatment involves addressing the shock response itself. The patient notices their body's possible responses to shock — reactions that are often associated with tension behind the eyes and in the shoulders. Finally, the sensations connected to affects and emotions, and tied to the distressing experience, are processed.
Many people experience:
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Tension releasing without having been forced to "work through" everything.
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A greater connection with the body and emotions.
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An inner stability that grows over time.
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Less shame, more self-compassion.
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