What Is Deep Brain Reorienting?

Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) is a neuroscience-informed trauma therapy developed by Dr. Frank Corrigan. It focuses on the brain’s orienting and shock responses—the split-second reactions that occur when the nervous system first detects threat.

These responses happen:

• Before conscious thought
• Before emotion
• Before memory

When threat occurs in early life—especially in caregiving relationships—these responses may never fully resolve. Instead, they remain held in the nervous system, shaping how we feel, react, and relate long after the original danger has passed.

DBR helps the brain and body complete these unfinished responses, allowing the nervous system to settle in a deep and lasting way.

How Deep Brain Reorienting Is Different From Other Trauma Therapies

Many trauma therapies work with emotions, beliefs, or memories once they are already activated.

DBR works earlier in the sequence.

Rather than starting with fear, emotion, or narrative, DBR gently tracks:

• The initial orienting response (the “something is wrong” moment)
• The shock response that follows
• The gradual release and integration that allows regulation to return

Because DBR works at this pre-emotional level, it can feel surprisingly quiet, subtle, and non-overwhelming—especially for clients who become flooded or shut down in other approaches.

Why DBR Is Well-Suited for Developmental Trauma & Complex PTSD

Developmental trauma often occurs:

• Before language
• Before explicit memory
• Within attachment relationships

As a result, many clients say:

“I don’t have clear memories, but my body reacts as if something is wrong.”

DBR does not require detailed recall, emotional catharsis, or reliving traumatic events. Instead, it allows the nervous system to process what was never fully processed at the time.

This makes DBR particularly helpful for:

• Chronic anxiety or hypervigilance
• Emotional shutdown or numbness
• Deep shame without a clear story
• Attachment-based trauma
• Early neglect, misattunement, or relational threat

What a DBR Session Is Like

DBR sessions are typically slow, attuned, and carefully paced.

In a DBR session, we may:

• Gently identify a present-day trigger or pattern
• Track subtle body sensations and impulses
• Pause frequently to allow the nervous system to process naturally
• Follow the sequence slowly without forcing insight or emotion

Many clients describe DBR as:

• Calm rather than intense
• Deep rather than dramatic
• Settling rather than activating

There is no pressure to “go anywhere” or “do it right.” The work unfolds in collaboration with your nervous system.

DBR, AEDP, and EMDR: How They Work Together

I integrate DBR within a broader trauma-informed, attachment-based framework.

• AEDP supports emotional processing and relational repair
• DBR works with the earliest, pre-verbal threat responses
• EMDR helps process traumatic material that is accessible through memory and emotion

Together, these approaches allow us to meet trauma at multiple levels—without overwhelming your system or pushing faster than is safe.

What Healing With DBR Can Look Like

While each person’s experience is unique, clients often notice:

• A deeper sense of calm and regulation
• Reduced reactivity to triggers
• Less chronic anxiety or shutdown
• A felt sense of safety in the body
• More space for emotion, connection, and choice

Healing does not come from forcing the nervous system to change—but from allowing it to complete what was once interrupted.

Is DBR Right for You?

DBR may be a good fit if you:

• Feel easily overwhelmed or shut down in therapy
• Have early or relational trauma without clear memories
• Have tried other approaches but still feel stuck
• Want a gentle, body-based path to healing
• Value a slow, collaborative process

You do not need to know whether DBR is “the right modality” to begin. We can explore together what best supports your healing.

Next Steps

If you’re curious about DBR or how it may fit into your therapy, I invite you to reach out.

You don’t have to push your nervous system to heal.
It already knows how—when given the right conditions.