Brainspotting and EMDR: what's the difference?
Brainspotting and EMDR are separate trauma therapies that both involve the eyes, but they use them differently. In Brainspotting, the eyes are held still on one spot linked to what you feel in your body, and the session follows wherever processing goes, with the therapist closely attuned. EMDR, as described by its professional association, uses guided bilateral stimulation such as side-to-side eye movements within a structured eight-phase approach.
Why they are often confused
Both methods involve the eyes, both are used for trauma, and both are often described as working through the body as well as the mind. That is where the overlap ends. They have different founders, different procedures and separate training.
This article is mainly about Brainspotting, because that is the method used in the intensives described on this site.
How Brainspotting works
Brainspotting was discovered in 2003 by the psychotherapist David Grand. Its organisation sums up the central observation as "where you look affects how you feel".
In practice, a session follows a recognisable pattern:
- You bring to mind something distressing, and notice where you feel it in your body and how strong it is.
- The therapist helps you find an eye position, a brainspot, that seems most connected to that feeling.
- You hold your gaze there and notice whatever comes, whether sensations, emotions, images or memories.
- The therapist stays closely attuned, mostly in silence, and helps you stay within a level of activation you can manage.
- At the end, you check back on the original feeling and come back to the room.
Brainspotting's organisation describes it as a tool within a safe, attuned therapeutic relationship, not a replacement for one. The relationship is treated as central to the method. Processing is not directed towards a set target. It follows the person's own process, wherever it goes.
What EMDR is, in brief
The EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) describes EMDR as a therapy designed to help people recover from trauma and PTSD. It traces the method to Francine Shapiro's observation, in the late 1980s, of a connection between eye movements and persistent upsetting memories. EMDR uses guided bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movements, and clients work through eight phases of EMDR therapy with their therapist. Readers interested in EMDR should look to EMDRIA and to an EMDR-trained clinician for detail.
What sets Brainspotting apart
Several features of Brainspotting are worth understanding before choosing it.
| Feature | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| A still gaze | The eyes move only while the spot is being found. Processing happens with the gaze held on one point |
| The body leads | The spot is found through what you feel in your body, not through the story of what happened |
| Few words needed | You can say as much or as little as you like during processing |
| Attunement | The therapist follows closely, mostly in silence, and the relationship is treated as part of the method |
| Following, not directing | Processing goes wherever it goes, without a set sequence of steps |
| Resource as well as activation | The same method can be used to find a steadier place in the body, which is used to keep the pace manageable |
| Training in phases | Therapists train through Brainspotting Trainings, in phases, and can tell you which phases they have completed |
What the research on Brainspotting shows
Research on Brainspotting is limited. Grand and colleagues have published theoretical papers proposing how it might work, which are hypotheses for testing, not findings. One small 2022 study gave 40 psychologists and doctors single 40-minute sessions of several techniques, including Brainspotting, each on a different distressing memory. Distress fell after Brainspotting, more than after a body scan meditation or a reading control. The participants were not seeking treatment, and single sessions are not a course of therapy. No study has yet tested Brainspotting as an intensive.
How to choose
The method matters less than many people expect. The therapist's training, the quality of the relationship, how carefully you are assessed and how well the pace is held usually matter as much. Some questions to ask yourself and any therapist:
- Do I want a structured process, or one that follows me? Some people prefer clear steps. Others prefer a method that follows their own process with less direction.
- How do I feel about the evidence? Ask any therapist what research supports their method, and for what problem.
- What has helped before? Previous experience of therapy is useful information.
- Is the therapist properly trained? Ask which training they have completed in the method, and whether they are certified or trained.
If you are considering an intensive, the same questions apply. The article on what a trauma therapy intensive is explains the format, and Brainspotting for trauma describes how Brainspotting is used across intensive days.
Common questions
Is Brainspotting a type of EMDR?
No. They are separate methods with separate founders, training and professional organisations. Both involve the eyes, which is why they are often confused.
Can I do Brainspotting if I have had EMDR before?
Yes. Many people who come to Brainspotting have had other trauma therapies, including EMDR. It is worth telling your therapist what you found helpful or unhelpful before, so that the work can take that into account.
How much research is there on Brainspotting?
Not much. There are theoretical papers and very few clinical studies, and none of Brainspotting delivered as an intensive. A therapist who uses Brainspotting should be able to tell you this plainly.
Does Brainspotting involve moving the eyes?
Only while the spot is being found. The therapist may guide your gaze slowly across your field of vision, often by following a pointer. Once the spot is found, your eyes stay there while you notice what comes up.
Lucy Orton is Brainspotting trained, to Phase 5 and a Master Class with David Grand, and uses Brainspotting with Internal Family Systems in trauma intensives, online worldwide. She does not practise EMDR.
References
- Brainspotting. What is Brainspotting? brainspotting.com/about-bsp/what-is-brainspotting
- Brainspotting. About Brainspotting. brainspotting.com/about-bsp
- EMDR International Association. About EMDR therapy. emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy
- D'Antoni, F., Matiz, A., Fabbro, F., & Crescentini, C. (2022). Psychotherapeutic techniques for distressing memories: A comparative study between EMDR, Brainspotting, and Body Scan Meditation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1142. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031142
- Corrigan, F., & Grand, D. (2013). Brainspotting: Recruiting the midbrain for accessing and healing sensorimotor memories of traumatic activation. Medical Hypotheses, 80(6), 759-766. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2013.03.005
This page is general information about intensive therapy. It is not a substitute for individual assessment or advice, and reading it does not create a therapeutic relationship. If you are in crisis or at risk of harm, contact local emergency services or a crisis line now. How these articles are written and checked: our editorial standards.