Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)
A developing trauma therapy that tracks the early physiological sequence around shock, threat, and attachment disruption, delivered by trauma-trained clinicians.
Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), developed by psychiatrist Dr. Frank Corrigan, is a developing trauma therapy that focuses on the earliest physiological sequence of a threat or shock response, tracking subtle shifts like eye and neck orientation and brainstem-level activation, before working with the emotional and narrative content of the experience. The idea is that some trauma responses get "stuck" at this very early, pre-emotional physiological level, and that working with it directly can help process experiences that haven't shifted with more talk- or emotion-focused approaches. It's a newer approach relative to established trauma therapies like EMDR or Somatic Experiencing, with a smaller but growing base of trained clinicians and research.
An emerging trauma approach that tracks the body's earliest physiological response to shock and threat.
What to expect: Sessions involve close, careful attention to subtle physical cues, eye movement, neck tension, breath, guided by a clinician trained specifically in DBR's sequence. Pacing tends to be slow and precise, since the work targets very early-stage physiological responses rather than moving quickly into narrative or emotional content. Given that this is a newer, still-developing modality, expect your clinician to be transparent with you about what is and isn't yet well established in the research.
Good fit for: You've tried more established trauma therapies without full resolution, You're comfortable with a newer, still-developing approach and clinician transparency about that, You're drawn to careful, slow-paced, body-attentive work
Explore for: Trauma responses that haven't fully shifted with more established approaches, A sense of "stuckness" at a very early, hard-to-articulate physiological level, Curiosity about newer, developing approaches to shock and attachment-related trauma, Wanting a gentle, precisely paced approach to very early or preverbal disruption
Not the right fit if: You strongly prefer therapies with a long, well-established research base, You're looking for a faster-moving or more narrative-focused approach
How to choose a practitioner: Confirm specific DBR training, this is a distinct, newer protocol requiring its own dedicated training, separate from general trauma therapy experience Ask about their broader trauma therapy background alongside their DBR training Ask them to explain what current evidence exists for the approach, and be wary of overstated claims
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