Brainspotting Online for Expats in Italy

When you understand what’s happening—but your body and mind still carry the tension

Brainspotting sessions with Christian Bergamaschi, Licensed Psychologist

You may understand your stress intellectually. You may know where your anxiety comes from, have talked about difficult experiences, or spent years working on yourself.

And yet, something still feels stuck.

Perhaps you notice persistent tension, difficulty switching off, emotional reactions that feel stronger than expected, or patterns that continue despite understanding them.

Brainspotting offers another way to work with these experiences—through focused attention, bodily awareness, and the attuned relationship, rather than relying on words alone.

Let’s talk about what you’re experiencing and see whether Brainspotting may be appropriate for you.
Online sessions available in English.

When Talking About It Isn’t Enough

Living abroad can be deeply rewarding. It can also require continuous adaptation.

A different language. New professional expectations. Unfamiliar social and bureaucratic systems. Relationships across cultures. Being far from the people and places that once made life feel familiar.

Sometimes you continue functioning while something inside you remains unsettled.

You might:

• feel exhausted but unable to switch off
• carry persistent physical tension
• become anxious in situations you know are safe
• feel stuck around a relationship, experience, or decision
• experience professional self-doubt or performance anxiety
• feel isolated or homesick despite building a life abroad
• carry grief about people, places, or a life you’ve left behind
• understand your patterns but continue experiencing them

You don’t have to have experienced a major trauma for these experiences to matter.

Sometimes understanding something cognitively isn’t the same as feeling the underlying emotions and sensations.

What Is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting is an experiential modality developed by Dr. David Grand. It uses focused visual attention together with awareness of your internal experience, including bodily sensations, emotions, memories, and thoughts.

It is often described as a body-oriented or “bottom-up” approach because it pays attention not only to thoughts and conscious understanding, but also to bodily and emotional experience.

This doesn’t mean that we stop talking about your life or your experiences. Brainspotting can complement conversation when words and intellectual understanding don’t quite seem to reach what you’re experiencing.

What Can We Work With?

Brainspotting may be incorporated into psychological work around:

Stress and anxiety
When your mind knows you’re safe but your body continues to react with tension, worry, or activation.

Relocation and adjustment
The emotional impact of moving countries, adapting to a new culture, or living away from your usual support network.

Difficult or unresolved experiences
Experiences that continue to affect you even after you’ve thought or talked about them extensively.

Grief and separation
Loss of relationships, family connections, communities, a previous life, or a sense of belonging.

Professional and performance blocks
Imposter feelings, public-speaking anxiety, difficulty asserting yourself, or professional self-doubt.

Recurring emotional patterns
When you understand a pattern intellectually but continue experiencing the same emotional or bodily response.

Brainspotting isn’t necessarily the right approach for every person or difficulty. We can explore together whether it makes sense for you.

You Don’t Have to Have the Right Words

Not every experience can be easily explained.

You may know that something affects you without knowing exactly why. You may have talked about an experience many times but still feel the same reaction in your body.

Brainspotting does not require you to describe everything in detail. We can work with what feels accessible to you, paying attention to your present-moment experience while you remain aware and involved.

You don’t have to force anything.

What Happens During a Brainspotting Session?

A session is collaborative.

We begin by identifying what you’d like to work on and establishing enough safety and stability for the work. Depending on what feels appropriate, we then use your visual field to identify a point that appears connected to your internal experience.

You might notice bodily sensations, emotions, memories, images, thoughts, changes in physical tension—or very little at first.

There is no particular experience you’re supposed to have.

You remain awake and involved throughout the session. You can talk, pause or stop at any time.

Can Brainspotting Be Done Online?

Yes. Brainspotting can be incorporated into online psychological sessions.

You attend from a private, quiet space while we work with visual focus, bodily sensations, and your moment-to-moment experience.

Is Brainspotting Right for Me?

It may be worth exploring if:

• you understand your difficulties intellectually but still feel stuck
• you experience stress strongly in your body
• talking about the same issue hasn’t felt sufficient
• certain experiences are difficult to put into words
• you’re dealing with relocation, grief, or major life changes
• you experience emotional reactions that are difficult to understand or regulate

You don’t need to decide beforehand. That’s what the initial consultation is for.

Why Work With Me?

I’m Christian Bergamaschi, a Licensed Psychologist working primarily with expatriates, international professionals and students aged 18 plus.

My clinical background is rooted in psychological counseling, alongside training in body-oriented and experiential approaches including Brainspotting.

I’ve lived and worked in different European cities and previously taught at London South Bank University. I understand that living abroad can affect not only where you live, but also your relationships, identity, support network, and sense of belonging.

Brainspotting is one of the approaches I may use when it fits you, your situation, and your goals. The work remains collaborative and tailored to you.

Sessions & Fees

• Initial consultation: Free, 15 minutes
• Brainspotting session: €85
• Format: Online sessions in English

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brainspotting hypnosis?
No. You remain conscious, aware, and actively involved throughout the session.

Is Brainspotting only for trauma?
No. It can be incorporated into psychological work around stress, anxiety, difficult experiences, grief, performance concerns, and other difficulties.

Do I have to talk about my trauma?
No. You don’t have to describe every detail of a difficult experience. Talking remains available when useful, while Brainspotting offers another way of working when words don’t feel sufficient.

What if I don’t notice anything?
That’s completely okay. There is no particular sensation or response you’re expected to have. We work with whatever you notice—or don’t notice.

Can I stop during a session?
Yes. You remain in control throughout the session and can pause or stop whenever you need to.

How many Brainspotting sessions will I need?
There is no fixed number. Frequency and duration depend on your needs, goals, and response to the work.

When Words Aren’t Enough

You don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out.

If you understand what is happening but still feel stuck, Brainspotting may offer another way to explore your experience.

Let’s talk about what you’re experiencing and whether Brainspotting could be a good fit for you.
No obligation. Just an initial conversation.