Deep Brain Reorienting
Deep brain reorienting (DBR) is a neuroscientifically-guided treatment intended to resolve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and other traumatic-related experiences. DBR is designed for those with unresolved trauma and helps those experiencing intense emotional responses that create distress in everyday life.
Unlike conventional talk therapy, DBR addresses the brainstem, which is the part of the brain that initially stores trauma responses. At Boreal Therapy Collective, we offer DBR to assist those experiencing various mental health concerns, including post-traumatic memories, attachment wounding, avoidance symptoms, and chronic difficulties with emotional regulation.
For DBR, book with:
Samantha LeBlanc
How Does Deep Brain Reorienting Therapy Work?
DBR is a gentle therapeutic model that blends neurobiology with trauma-focused therapy. The goal of this approach is to change how your body reacts to traumatic stimuli or other emotional triggers.
This model is rooted in the awareness that trauma directly impacts the nervous system, affecting how people respond to stress many years after a particular trauma occurs. These automatic responses reinforce PTSD symptoms, and this is why it sometimes feels like you're "stuck" in a traumatic event.
Deep brain reorienting therapy works by accessing the root of the traumatic experience by tracking the primary physiological sequence within the brainstem. In this therapy, you will focus on integrating body awareness to treat your trauma at a respectful pace. Your therapist will help you identify and work with various physical sensations to process and release stored trauma without becoming overly dysregulated.
What Happens During DBR Sessions?
DBR sessions entail focusing on specific traumatic memories and noting the affective response associated with them. Throughout treatment, your therapist will encourage you to identify the first physiological responses - these are often subtle (a slight change in breathing, muscle tightness, diverting eye contact). In this work, physical sensations are prioritized over cognitive and emotional processing.
The length of DBR therapy varies based on each individual's presenting symptoms and nervous system sensitivities. Processing single-event trauma may take between 8-12 sessions. Long-term cases may take several months or 1-2 years.
Unlike other traditional therapies, DBR's focus is on how trauma is stored in the body. With that, in this model, all memory processing integrates current here-and-now experiences.
What to Expect from DBR
Research shows that DBR is a unique psychotherapy that facilitates PTSD recovery without needing to engage in extensive trauma narratives. The focus of this treatment is rooted in what's happening in the present moment, focusing on various automatic responses connected to past events.
Deep brain awareness: Throughout sessions, you will be guided to focus on automatic physical responses occurring within the brainstem. This starts by noting your own subtle sensations and naming them directly.
Orienting to safety: Safety is an essential component of any trauma psychotherapy, and your therapist will prioritize helping you stay grounded if you find yourself becoming emotionally activated.
Nervous system regulation: It is easy to get flooded when processing traumatic stimuli. Flooding comes in many forms, but it may include feeling disoriented, overly anxious, angry, or deeply ashamed. Sometimes it also shows up with physical symptoms of rapid breathing, dizziness, or trembling. Throughout DBR, your therapist will integrate various grounding techniques to support emotional regulation.
Integration and reorientation: Over time, as treatment progresses, clients successfully reorient how their nervous system reacts to trauma. This, in turn, reduces the emotional intensity you may experience around certain memories. It also promotes a deeper sense of distress tolerance and emotional regulation.
Is DBR Right for You?
All trauma therapists seek to support clients in identifying and resolving unwanted trauma symptoms. This is true regardless of the specific modality they use. Furthermore, many clients also benefit from a multidisciplinary treatment approach- your therapist may blend interventions from different models together to best suit your specific needs.
With that, deep brain reorienting may be helpful if you:
struggle with frequent feelings of emotional overwhelm or dissociation
have been diagnosed or suspect you have PTSD, complex PTSD, or another trauma-related concern
experience difficulties with attachment or emotional regulation
struggle with depression or anxiety that feels connected to childhood trauma
value processing trauma through a more body-based, bottom-up approach
have not experienced significant relief or changes from other trauma therapies
Deep Brain Reorienting in Fort McMurray
How to Start Deep Brain Reorienting
Beginning deep brain reorienting with Boreal Therapy Collective is easy and requires no referral. You can book your initial assessment with Samantha LeBlanc here.
Understanding Length of Therapy and Treatment
Your first appointment will be 90-minutes long. For all future appointments, you can choose to book for 1 hour or 90-minutes. During your first appointment, your therapist will ask you questions to better understand you and your areas of struggle. This is known as an assessment. Depending on how much you share, the assessment phase can last anywhere from one to three appointments. The assessment is critical. It helps you and your therapist understand your goals, and it helps your therapist develop a treatment plan to support you in achieving these goals.
After the assessment is complete, treatment begins! Most people will have a therapy session every two weeks, and we recommend this for optimal treatment. Your length of treatment will vary based on your goals and symptoms. Many choose to continue therapy once formal treatment is complete. This is referred to as maintenance. People who do this typically have an appointment once every six to eight weeks. This is not a requirement and is a matter of personal choice.
Deep Brain Reorienting at Boreal Therapy Collective
Where We Are Located
We’re located at 8530 Manning Avenue, Unit 104. You’ll find us in the Service Canada building (on the side of the building that faces the Clearwater River). To check out our space, click here.
Parking is located at the front and back of the building. The front parking lot is closer to us but tends to fill up quickly. There is also an empty dirt lot adjacent to our office that many use for parking. If you park at the back (where Service Canada is located), you can walk around the building to reach our office. To learn more about parking, click here.
Importantly, you do not need to be in town for treatment. We offer in-person and virtual therapy and our therapists are happy to provide whatever option works best for you!
Rates & Benefit Coverage
Initial assessments are billed at a rate of $330.00 for a 90-minute appointment. Follow-up sessions are billed at a rate of $220.00/hour or $330.00/90-minutes (you can choose your preferred appointment length when booking).
Our social workers offer direct billing to 25+ benefit providers. Many benefit providers will cover a portion or the whole amount of your therapy session. With your consent, we will always direct bill your benefit provider first. Please note that our Registered Psychiatric Nurses are typically ineligible for direct billing.
If we are unable to direct bill, you can pay via email money transfer or credit card. You will be given a receipt once payment has been collected. For more information on benefit coverage, click here.
