Difference Between EMDR and Brainspotting

What is the difference between EMDR and Brainspotting?

Brainspotting vs. EMDR: What’s the Difference and Which Is Right for You?

If you’ve been exploring trauma therapy options, you’ve probably come across two powerful approaches: Brainspotting and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). While both therapies are designed to help people process trauma and distressing experiences, they do so in unique ways. At Bluebird Counseling, we often get asked, “What’s the difference between them?” Let’s break it down in a way that’s easy to understand.

A Quick Overview

EMDR was developed in the late 1980s by Francine Shapiro. It uses bilateral stimulation, often through eye movements or tapping, to help people process traumatic memories that feel “stuck” in the brain.

Brainspotting, developed later by Dr. David Grand, also uses eye position—but it focuses on a precise eye spot that links to deep, unprocessed emotional material in the brain. It’s a gentle, focused mindfulness practice that goes where words often can’t.

EMDR

Key Differences between EMDR and Brainspotting

1. Structure vs. Flow

• EMDR is highly structured. It follows an 8-phase protocol, starting with history-taking and preparation, then moving through desensitization, reprocessing, and installation of new beliefs.

• Brainspotting is more flexible and intuitive. The therapist helps locate a brainspot (eye position), and then holds space as the client’s brain does the work, often with long periods of silence and deep processing.

2. Conscious Memory vs. Subcortical Processing

• EMDR often involves recounting the traumatic memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation.

• Brainspotting works with what’s beneath conscious awareness. Clients may or may not verbalize the memory. It taps into the subcortical brain—where trauma is stored—in a bottom-up, body-aware way.

3. Eye Movements vs. Eye Fixation

• In EMDR, the client’s eyes typically move back and forth in rapid saccades.

• In Brainspotting, the client’s gaze stays fixed on one spot—the “brainspot”—which is linked to the emotional activation. The body often guides where this spot is found.

4. Regulation Style

• EMDR can feel more activating. While it’s very effective, it may be intense for some clients, especially early in treatment or for those with complex trauma.

• Brainspotting allows the client to titrate (slow down or ease in) emotional material at their own pace. It integrates dual attunement—relational and neurobiological attunement—to promote safety and deep healing.

Brainspotting

Which One Is Better?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Both EMDR and Brainspotting are evidence-based, brain-body therapies. They’re just different routes to the same goal: resolving trauma and restoring wholeness.

Some clients find EMDR helpful for specific, single-incident traumas (like a car accident or medical trauma). Others find Brainspotting more effective for complex trauma, emotional overwhelm, or experiences that don’t have clear words.

Final Thoughts

At Bluebird Counseling, we’re trained in both EMDR and Brainspotting—and we believe in tailoring therapy to the unique needs of you. We’ll work with you to choose the right path, whether that’s a structured approach like EMDR, the deep intuitive work of Brainspotting, or a blend of both.

Want to learn more or explore which method might work best for you? Reach out—we’re here to help.