Deep Brain Reorienting in Lancaster, PA

Supporting your nervous system to complete what was interrupted at the body’s earliest level of response

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What is Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)?

Deep Brain Reorienting, often called DBR, is a trauma therapy approach developed by psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Frank Corrigan. It is designed to support the processing of shock and early trauma by working with the brain’s most primitive survival systems.

DBR is grounded in decades of research on the brainstem and orienting responses. Sudden threat or shock can interrupt the brain’s natural processing sequence, leaving the nervous system caught in patterns of startle, tension, and incomplete defensive responses. These patterns can remain active long after the event itself has passed.

How DBR Supports You

Many people who have experienced trauma find it difficult to put words to what happened, especially when the experience occurred quickly, early in life, or before language was fully available. DBR does not require detailed retelling of traumatic events or extended focus on memories. Instead, it gently tracks the body’s earliest responses to threat, such as the orienting, tension, shock, and affective responses, allowing the nervous system to complete what was interrupted.

By accessing material through the brainstem, DBR reaches the earliest, most automatic layers of the nervous system. These are the places where survival responses are stored, and where trauma can remain “stuck.” Working here allows the nervous system to reorganize and restore balance, often softening distress naturally without forcing insight or verbal expression.

DBR can help people who carry the lasting effects of trauma, whether from a single event or repeated early-life experiences. Benefits may include:

  • A sense of nervous system regulation and stabilization

  • Reduced startle, tension, or hypervigilance

  • Easier connection to bodily sensations without overwhelm

  • Relief from unprocessed shock or affective responses

  • A feeling of safety and completion in the body, rather than solely in the mind

Because DBR works at this deep, pre-verbal level, it can be especially supportive for those who have found traditional talk therapy challenging or incomplete.

A Neuro-Informed Path

Rather than focusing on changing thoughts or behaviors, DBR supports the brain in returning to its innate capacity for regulation and integration. With guidance from a trained therapist, the nervous system may move towards finishing what was interrupted, helping distress to soften and resilience to emerge from within.

Who Can Benefit

DBR may be particularly helpful for adults who:

  • Experienced sudden or early-life trauma

  • Feel stuck in cycles of startle, tension, or hyperarousal

  • Have difficulty putting traumatic experiences into words

  • Want a body-centered approach to trauma processing

Take the Next Step

If you’re curious about Deep Brain Reorienting and whether it may be a supportive fit for you, you’re invited to reach out.

Call or complete the online consultation inquiry form to schedule a complimentary phone consultation. This is a space to ask questions, learn more about DBR, and explore whether working together feels aligned.