Therapy · Trauma approaches

Brainspotting vs EMDR: What Is the Difference?

Brainspotting and EMDR are both used in therapy for trauma, and both involve the eyes. They differ in how they are structured, how they feel in a session and how much research supports them.

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At a glance

	Brainspotting	EMDR
Developed by	David Grand, in 2003	Francine Shapiro, in the late 1980s
What it stands for	Named for the “brainspot”, an eye position linked with a feeling or memory	Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
What happens with the eyes	Your gaze usually rests on one spot	You follow back-and-forth movement, or use taps or tones
Structure	Flexible, and follows what comes up for you	A structured approach with eight phases
Focus	Difficult experiences and the body sensations connected with them	A distressing memory and the thoughts and feelings linked to it
Research	A smaller, newer body of research	A much larger body of research, including many studies of PTSD

What is EMDR?

In EMDR, you bring a distressing memory to mind while paying attention to a back-and-forth movement or sound. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs explains that this can help you stay in the present while the memory is processed, so it becomes less distressing. EMDR is included in several major PTSD treatment guidelines.

What is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting grew out of David Grand’s work as an EMDR clinician. It uses where you look to help focus attention on difficult experiences and the body sensations connected with them, while the therapist stays attuned to how you are responding.

Rather than following a set sequence, the session follows what comes up for you. Your gaze usually rests on one spot while you notice what you feel, and you may not need to describe every detail out loud. Many Brainspotting therapists, Karrah included, also use music through headphones during the session.

Why people choose each approach

	Brainspotting	EMDR
It may suit you if	You want an approach that works closely with body sensations, in a flexible session that follows what comes up for you	You want a well-researched approach with a clear, step-by-step structure
Things to weigh	Its research base is still small and early	The set structure and the back-and-forth movement may not suit everyone

What the research shows

EMDR has been studied far more than Brainspotting, and its evidence for PTSD is much more established.

Research on Brainspotting is still limited. In one small 2017 comparison of 76 adults, people who had three sessions of either approach reported fewer PTSD symptoms. Brainspotting’s developer co-authored that study, and it does not show that one approach is better than the other.

In an independent 2022 study, 40 adult psychologists and doctors, not people in treatment, each worked on distressing memories in single 40-minute sessions. Brainspotting and EMDR both lowered how distressing the memories felt, and by more than body scan meditation or reading did. The study was small, so it supports more research rather than settling the question.

Questions to ask a therapist

It can help to ask:

What training do you have in this approach?
What would a session look like for me?
How would we make sure I feel steady enough to do this work?
What research supports this approach for what I am experiencing?
What other options should I consider?

Brainspotting at Wildflower

Karrah offers Brainspotting. She does not offer EMDR. If EMDR is what you are looking for, a therapist trained in EMDR can talk with you about it.

Karrah has completed Phase 1 Brainspotting training and offers Brainspotting to adults, in person in Davidson, NC, or online while you are in North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Kansas or Florida. Sessions are typically 50 minutes, and intensive options are available.

If you are drawn to an approach that includes your body and does not depend on retelling everything, you can ask Karrah whether Brainspotting fits your goals, or whether another approach would suit you better. Read more about why people choose Brainspotting.

Sources

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for PTSD.

D’Antoni, Matiz, Fabbro and Crescentini (2022), International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: Psychotherapeutic techniques for distressing memories: a comparative study between EMDR, Brainspotting, and body scan meditation.

Hildebrand, Grand and Stemmler (2017), Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology: Brainspotting, the efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of PTSD in comparison to EMDR.

Questions

Not seeing yours? You are welcome to ask.

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Is Brainspotting better than EMDR?

The research does not show that. EMDR has much more research behind it, and Brainspotting’s evidence is still limited. The better fit depends on you, your goals and your therapist.

Are Brainspotting and EMDR the same thing?

No. Brainspotting grew out of EMDR practice, and both involve the eyes, but they use the eyes differently and EMDR follows a more structured process.

Does Karrah offer EMDR?

No. Karrah offers Brainspotting but does not offer EMDR.

Can Brainspotting be done online?

Yes. Karrah offers Brainspotting to adults online while you are in North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Kansas or Florida.