Therapy with Onnie Baldwin, LCSW
Deep Brain Reorienting Therapy
A Deeper Approach to Trauma Processing
Therapist Near Me Therapist Near Me Therapist Near Me Therapist Near Me
Some reactions happen faster than thought, before words, before meaning, before memory. Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) is a trauma therapy approach that focuses on the brain’s earliest orienting responses, helping process experiences that were overwhelming before they could be fully understood. In DBR therapy, we work carefully and intentionally with the body’s initial reactions to threat or shock. Rather than retelling or reliving events, we focus on how your system responded in those first moments allowing processing to occur at a deeper level.
When Your Body Takes the Lead
People often seek DBR when:
Strong emotional or physical reactions
Feeling flooded, frozen, or suddenly disoriented
Difficulty explaining reactions with words or memory
Trauma responses rooted in early or relational experiences
A sense that your body reacts before your mind understands why
These experiences aren’t signs of weakness — they’re signals of a nervous system that adapted quickly to protect you.
Onnie’s Approach
I use DBR within a relational framework, meaning we prioritize safety, understanding, and readiness before any deep processing begins. This work is slow, careful, and attuned — focused on helping your system feel stable enough to engage with early trauma responses.
DBR is not about revisiting memories or pushing through distress. It’s about allowing your nervous system to complete responses that were interrupted by overwhelming experiences, in a way that feels contained and supported.
My role is to guide the process, help you stay grounded, and support your system as integration unfolds.
You don’t have to stay stuck in automatic responses.
What to Expect in
DBR Therapy
DBR therapy follows a structured, body-aware process that emphasizes safety and regulation. We move at a pace guided by your system, not by urgency. My goal is to help you stabilize, work with early trauma responses, and reduce the intensity of automatic reactions, so your present feels less reactive and more grounded.
A strong focus on safety and stabilization
Attention to the body’s earliest responses to threat
Reduced intensity of automatic trauma reactions
Greater sense of internal steadiness
Increased capacity to stay present
A sense of relief and integration over time
More choice in how you respond, rather than react
Get Started
Take the first step toward healing. Start therapy today. Fill out the form to request an appointment.
contact
434-284-0025
onniebaldwin@icloud.com
location
Sessions provided virtually throughout Virginia
In-person sessions held in Charlottesville, Virginia