Bottom-up therapy is a type of therapy that starts its work with the "base" of the brain, which is responsible for automatic reflexes and survival, such as the "fight, flight or freeze" response. This approach recognizes that feelings, such as fear or sadness, can bubble up and affect a person before they have a conscious thought about them. Bottom-up therapy works by understanding sensations, education on the nervous system, grounding, mindfulness, and body awareness. It is believed to be especially helpful for people who have experienced trauma, particularly long-standing, developmental, or complex trauma. Bottom-up therapy is different from the widely used "top-down" approach, which presupposes that what needs adjusting is the persons way of thinking. Bottom-up therapy allows clients to dig deeper than their thoughts, explore their feelings, and make sense of their emotions. It teaches self-awareness of the body to regulate emotions and helps clients learn to be okay with different previously unmanageable, uncomfortable feelings without becoming overwhelmed. Bottom-up therapy can include modalities such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, Sensorimotor psychotherapy, Ego State Psychotherapy, Mindfulness, trauma-sensitive yoga, clinical neurofeedback, and more.