Brainspotting or EMDR: Choosing the Right Trauma Therapy for You

Brainspotting and EMDR unlock trauma in different ways—one rewires memories, and the other taps deep body-stored pain. Which one is right for you?

Trauma isn’t just a story we tell ourselves—it’s something our bodies remember long after the moment. It lingers in the nervous system, shaping how we react to stress, relationships, and even our own thoughts. While traditional talk therapy can be helpful, sometimes words alone don’t reach the depths where trauma is stored. That’s where body-based approaches like Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Brainspotting (BSP) come in. Both therapies work by unlocking the brain’s natural ability to heal, but they do so in different ways. Understanding how each works—and whether they can be used together—can help you make an informed choice about your trauma recovery.

How Trauma Affects the Brain and Why These Methods Work

To understand how EMDR and Brainspotting facilitate healing, it helps to know a little about the brain's response to trauma. When something overwhelming happens, the brain's emotional centre, the amygdala, activates a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response. Under normal conditions, the hippocampus, which processes memories, takes this information and files it away properly—separating past from present. But trauma disrupts this process, leaving memories stuck in the nervous system, still carrying the emotional charge they had in the moment.

Both EMDR and Brainspotting aim to process traumatic memories, but they do so slightly differently. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories and integrate them into a more neutral narrative. Brainspotting, on the other hand, accesses subcortical areas of the brain by identifying specific eye positions (Brainspot) that correlate with stored trauma, allowing for deep somatic and emotional release. Both EMDR and Brainspotting help individuals process and reduce the distress associated with traumatic and distressing experiences effectively.

The Concept of a "Brainspot"—How Can Eye Position Reveal Trauma?

One of the most intriguing aspects of Brainspotting is the idea that where you look affects how you feel. This concept can seem abstract, but it is deeply rooted in neuroscience.

A brainspot is an eye position that correlates with unresolved trauma or emotional distress. But how does something as simple as looking in a particular direction access deep-seated trauma? The answer lies in how the brain processes and stores experiences.

Imagine you experience something distressing—an accident, a painful childhood event, or a moment of deep humiliation. In that instant, your brain rapidly records what happened, how your body felt, where you were looking, and what you perceived in your surroundings.

The midbrain, which includes structures like the superior colliculi, plays a key role in controlling eye movement and processing sensory information. It is directly connected to the limbic system, where emotions and trauma are stored. This means that eye positions are not random but linked to specific neural pathways that hold emotional and somatic memories.

Holding your gaze in a certain position—what Brainspotting calls a brainspot—acts like a doorway to the unresolved trauma stored in that neural pathway. Clients often report that simply looking at a certain point brings up unexpected emotions, body sensations, or even memories they hadn’t consciously thought about in years. The process works beneath the level of logical thought, accessing the brain’s deeper processing centres without requiring direct recall of events.

How EMDR and Brainspotting Work in Practice

EMDR: Reprocessing Traumatic Memories Through Bilateral Stimulation

EMDR is designed to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories to reduce their emotional intensity, leading to better coping mechanisms to manage future triggers. The process involves briefly noticing distressing memories and their associated thoughts, affects and sensations while engaging in bilateral stimulation—whether through guided eye movements, tapping, or auditory cues. Over time, this enables the brain to form new, adaptive connections, so the distressing memory no longer triggers the same intense emotional or physiological response.

Because of its ability to work with both cognitive and somatic elements, EMDR is often recommended for PTSD, phobias, anxiety, and traumatic memories linked to specific events. Studies have repeatedly shown that EMDR reduces PTSD symptoms significantly, often in fewer sessions than traditional therapy (Shapiro, 2018). The integration of EMDR with ego states has been utilised effectively in working with dissociative states.

Brainspotting: Tapping into the Body’s Deep Memory Networks

Unlike EMDR, Brainspotting does not require a client to recall a specific traumatic memory. Instead, it allows trauma to surface organically, often in ways that feel unexpected but profoundly relieving. The therapist guides the client in finding a brainspot—usually by tracking where their eyes naturally "stick" or feel activated when discussing a distressing topic.

Many individuals may be unaware of why a particular gaze direction feels more intense. But once they focus on that spot, the deeper processing begins—bringing body sensations, emotions, or fragmented memories to the surface. Brainspotting is particularly effective for somatic trauma, dissociation, chronic pain, and experiences that occurred before the brain developed full verbal processing abilities.

Can EMDR and Brainspotting Work Together?

Yes, EMDR and Brainspotting can complement each other. Some therapists are trained in both and will blend them depending on a client’s needs.

For individuals who struggle with verbalising their trauma or feel a lot of body-stored distress, both Brainspotting and EMDR allow the individuals to process emotions without needing to recall the traumatic event in detail. Both therapies are helpful, especially for pre-verbal trauma, dissociation, or sexual trauma, where it is too overwhelming for the individuals to recall them. 

A  2022 study comparing EMDR, Brainspotting, and Body Scan Meditation found that EMDR and BSP significantly reduced distressing memories. However, the study also suggests that Brainspotting allows for deeper emotional and bodily processing (D’Antoni et al., 2022), which is helpful for individuals who feel strong sensations in their bodies but cannot recall specific events connected to those sensations. The standard EMDR protocol requires the individuals to focus on specific memories. Some EMDR therapists integrate EMDR with Somatic Experiencing or Ego-state therapy, which produces a similar deep emotional and somatic healing.

Which Therapy Should You Choose?

The choice between EMDR and Brainspotting often depends on your personal preferences and the type of trauma you’re dealing with. If you prefer an approach that actively reconfigures traumatic memories, EMDR may be the better fit. If your trauma feels more physical, difficult to verbalise, or deeply embedded in your nervous system, Brainspotting might provide a more intuitive healing experience.

For some, using both therapies in tandem provides the best results. A skilled therapist can guide you in choosing the right approach—or integrating elements of both—based on how your mind and body respond.

Healing from Trauma

Trauma does not have to define you. Whether through memory reprocessing or deep, body-based release, both EMDR and Brainspotting offer profound pathways to healing. There is no “right” way—only what resonates with you and allows you to move forward with greater freedom, peace, and self-understanding. If you're unsure where to start, consulting with a trauma-informed therapist can help you navigate your options and choose the path that aligns with your healing journey.

Restoring Peace is a private mental health centre which provides counselling and psychotherapy services for children, adolescents, youths, adult individuals, couples and groups with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and various mental health and relationship challenges. For more information, please visit www.restoringpeace.com.sg or WhatsApp at +65 8889 1848. For periodic updates, we invite you to join our telegram group: https://t.me/restoringpeace.

References: 

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. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031142

Hildebrand, A., Grand, D., & Stemmler, M. (2017). Brainspotting – The efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in comparison to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 5(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.6092/2282-1619/2017.5.1371

Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Publications.

Anderegg, C. (2015). Effective treatments for generalised anxiety disorder: A comparative study of Brainspotting and EMDR. Journal of Clinical Psychology Research, 22(4), 78–92.

Keywords: Brainspotting vs EMDR, trauma therapy comparison, EMDR therapy benefits, Brainspotting therapy explained, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Brainspotting for trauma, EMDR vs Brainspotting effectiveness, best therapy for PTSD, somatic trauma healing, trauma therapy techniques, Brainspotting neuroscience, EMDR for anxiety, Brainspotting for PTSD, bilateral stimulation therapy, eye position trauma healing, trauma memory processing, body-based trauma therapy, EMDR and Brainspotting together, how Brainspotting works, choosing the right trauma therapy