By Jenny Williams, LCSW

When a dear old friend of mine, someone I went to graduate school with at UCLA, lost their home in the most recent Los Angeles wildfires, the devastation was hard to fathom. But in the wake of that loss, something unexpected offered a spark of light.

My friend texted me one evening: “In good news! Saw some free Brainspotting sessions for folks who had lost their houses - just had one and I really like it more than EMDR.”

I smiled reading their message and replied without hesitation: “I am such a fan of Brainspotting - it really moves the needle on the deepest layers of trauma.” What I didn’t type out (in the interests of time and of replying like a normal friend/human), is that I am absolutely in awe of how efficiently and effectively the therapeutic modality of Brainspotting works with the subcortical brain, taps into trauma stored in the body, and helps process experiences that words often can’t begin to access.

That text exchange with my friend brought me right back to 2014, when I first encountered Brainspotting. I was deep into post-grad clinical training in Los Angeles, and my supervisor at the time - somatic therapist Andrew Susskind - casually mentioned an upcoming Brainspotting training over lunch. I had no idea what Brainspotting was, but something in me lit up. I’d been in LA for five years by then, living in spots like Laurel Canyon, steeped in the kind of curious, experimental energy that Southern California does so well.

“Brainspotting? That sounds weird… and cool. I’ll try it.”

That weekend training, Brainspotting Phase 1 (with senior US trainer Dr. Pie Frey) ended up changing the trajectory of my clinical practice. I came in expecting a therapeutic technique. What I got was unexpectedly intense, a full-body, soul-deep release that left me staring at the ceiling like, "Wait…what just happened?" It was subtle and powerful all at once, like something old and heavy had quietly lifted. Once my subcortical brain and body were invited directly into the healing process, a deep somatic momentum took over, emotional waves rising and clearing, held gently by the attuned presence of the trainers and participants around me. I came in wanting to work on a longstanding fear of flying. I walked away having processed something far older and deeper, seemingly tied to the interplay of recent childbirth trauma and early attachment wounds… the details didn’t seem to matter so much. My body knew. Something moved. Something cleared. After that I could get through transatlantic flights to see UK friends and family without panic, and in fact experienced ongoing shifts in my mental, emotional and relational wellbeing far beyond my original “treatment goal”. That training experience left an imprint - and it’s one that I’ve seen echoed in that same kind of “Whoa, I didn’t expect that” reaction in client after client who discovers Brainspotting for the first time.

As a therapist trained in both EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Brainspotting, I’m always curious to hear how people experience these two powerful modalities. They’re often mentioned in the same breath - and while they share some neurological DNA, they’re also distinctly different. If you’re exploring therapy for trauma, anxiety, grief, or even performance blocks, there’s a good chance you’ve come across both approaches. Maybe you’ve heard EMDR recommended by a friend or therapist. Maybe Brainspotting popped up during one of your 2 a.m. therapy-deep-dives (I’ve been there). If both are powerful and effective, how do you choose where to start?

Let’s break it down - and along the way, I’ll share why Brainspotting is increasingly sought-after by so many clients (and therapists alike).

EMDR: A Structured Path Through Trauma

I first trained in EMDR during a week-long intensive at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY - with leading EMDR expert Laurel Parnell. EMDR has been around since the late '80s, developed by Francine Shapiro. It’s got a long track record, lots of research cred, and major institutional backing (think: WHO, the VA, APA). The method involves recalling traumatic memories while following a set of guided bilateral eye movements, taps, lights or sounds. This back-and-forth bilateral stimulation is thought to engage the brain’s natural healing mechanisms, helping you "digest" and reprocess distressing experiences so they no longer have a strong emotional grip.

A typical EMDR journey follows a clear, eight-phase structure, including preparation, identifying a target memory, desensitization (via the eye movements, tapping, etc.), and installing positive beliefs. It’s systematic and structured - a methodical excavation of trauma with a pretty clear roadmap.

EMDR can be great if you:

Have specific, identifiable traumatic memories
Like a clear, step-by-step roadmap (if CBT is your jam, this might resonate)
Want a well-researched, evidence-backed approach

And yet, for all its strengths, some folks find EMDR a little too structured, a bit too rigid and protocol-driven - especially if their trauma recall isn’t neatly organized into clear chapters, or if they’re working with preverbal or complex trauma which, let’s face it, can show up in myriad, mysterious ways (e.g. Jenny-meets-aircraft melt-downs!)

Brainspotting: Deep Healing Through Mind-Body Connection

Brainspotting, created by Dr. David Grand in 2003 (who, interestingly, was an advanced EMDR therapist himself at that time), is one of today’s fastest growing therapies with more than 25,000 therapists trained around the globe. Brainspotting harnesses the brain's remarkable neuroplasticity and vast potential to rewire neural pathways responsible for the internal stress, tension, pain, and challenges that often arise from traumatic experiences. It offers a different pathway to healing, taking the EMDR baton and running in a more flexible, intuitive, and body-based direction.

Instead of directing the sessions through structured phases, Brainspotting invites you to follow your body’s lead. You’ll find one or more “brainspots” - an eye position that connects to the activation / emotional charge related to unprocessed material held in neural networks in the mid and deep brain - and then stay with it. In mindful presence you’ll track what’s happening inside: body sensations, emotions, thoughts, memories, whatever comes up. The therapist stays close, attuned, holding space but not steering, letting your inner system lead the way. There’s no agenda to recall a specific event. No need to recount details out loud. Sometimes the process is silent. Sometimes it’s intense. And sometimes it’s, “I have no idea what just happened, but I feel 30 pounds lighter.” Often it engenders fresh perspectives or completely new insights as the brain uses its neuroplasticity to reorganize itself, to come into homeostasis and create a permanent neurophysiological change.

Why Some People Prefer Brainspotting Over EMDR

While both modalities are powerful and effective, many clients find Brainspotting more flexible, more intuitive, and just…more them. Especially those who’ve struggled to heal from trauma with traditional talk therapy, or even with EMDR.

You might lean toward Brainspotting if:

You prefer a more intuitive, client-led process

If you’ve ever felt hemmed in by the “steps” in therapy, Brainspotting may feel like a breath of fresh, emotionally liberating air. Brainspotting doesn’t follow a strict protocol. It emphasizes a client-led approach, allowing you to process trauma at your own pace. It invites you to explore what’s alive for you in the moment whether or not you can name it clearly. This flexibility makes it incredibly adaptive to complex or developmental traumas, grief, or issues that don’t have a clear origin point.

You’re drawn to somatic or body-based healing

Unlike EMDR, which ultimately keeps the focus cognitive, Brainspotting encourages tuning into physical sensations, emotions, and subtle shifts in the body. If you vibe with somatics, yoga, or mindfulness, you’ll probably feel right at home with a modality that brings the body into the therapeutic conversation.

You understand the healing power of the therapeutic relationship

Brainspotting hinges on the Dual Attunement Frame, where the therapist is tracking both you and your body, and the unique relational space between you. This is a neuroexperiential process at its core: a bottom-up model where healing emerges not from interpretation, but from felt presence and intuitive knowing. The client leads as the "head of the comet," following their own inner wisdom, while the therapist stays in the "tail," attuned, tracking, and holding the space - rarely directing, more often resonating. Intervening skillfully, but sparingly. In this way, relationship is not an adjunct to healing; it is the vessel for it. EMDR, while highly effective, is more protocol-driven, ultimately asking the client to fit to an established process with specific stages that must be worked through. And while my preferred approach (Attachment-Focused EMDR) does a good job of centering relationship, it still may not offer the same level of relational presence, fluid responsiveness and neurobiological depth that Brainspotting invites. Healing happens in presence, not in protocol.

You don’t remember the trauma - or don’t want to talk about it

And that’s okay. Brainspotting doesn’t need your narrative to do the work. Not everyone can recall their trauma (especially if it is preverbal, or involved a lapse in consciousness). For some, memories are fragmented or inaccessible. Others simply don’t want to relive or describe painful events in detail. Brainspotting doesn’t require verbal processing, and often, the most powerful shifts happen in silence.

You love the idea of using bilateral sound
Gentle tones alternate in your headphones, helping your brain relax into the parasympathetic state (aka: the chill zone). In that grounded space, the deeper stuff can come up safely. By alternating tones between the left and right ears (usually through headphones), bilateral sound engages both hemispheres of the brain, helping quiet the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, allowing the body to feel safer and more grounded. In this calm, regulated state, the deeper layers of trauma can surface and resolve without overwhelming the system. (And if you don’t love the idea of bilateral sound, while it can be supportive, it’s not necessary for processing.)

You want to access strengths - not just wounds

Brainspotting is often used to access “resource spots”: internal places in the body which offer a “felt-sense” of calm, groundedness, or resilience. These can become anchors to tether down the nervous system during difficult processing. “Expansion spots” are powerful tools for enhancing creativity, focus, and performance – for example, a “confidence” spot, a “positive outcome” spot, or an artistic process spot that holds a dramatic character or an emerging sense of storyline. Brainspotting is incredibly adaptive and can be integrated into just about any therapeutic or creative process. It’s not just about healing trauma - it’s about unlocking and expanding creative potential.

You have multiple layers of healing to work through
Brainspotting works beautifully with complex trauma, chronic stress, physical pain, grief, performance anxiety... the whole human experience. It doesn’t just alleviate distressing symptoms; it helps the brain-body system reorganize and rewire itself from the inside out.

But Isn’t EMDR More “Proven”?

That’s an important question, and it’s true that EMDR has decades of research and institutional endorsement, particularly for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Brainspotting is a newer treatment model, and while it doesn’t yet have the same volume of outcome studies, the research is growing steadily. The modality is grounded in contemporary neuroscience and continues to evolve with contributions from prominent brain scientists. As the research is catching up, thousands of certified clinicians around the world are seeing remarkable outcomes with Brainspotting, particularly with complex and developmental trauma. Practice-based evidence is important, and the lived experiences of thousands of clients and therapists are relevant data. Here’s a snippet from a coaching client sharing about their experience with Brainspotting recently on Jenny Mollen’s podcast:

“ Everyone should do Brainspotting…it’s like going into your subconscious mind with a scalpel. It’s completely changed the way I experience life”

The Bottom Line: Follow What Resonates

Many therapists (myself included) are trained extensively in both modalities and use them flexibly depending on the client’s needs. Healing isn’t a linear process. You can start with one approach, explore, and shift as your needs evolve. Trauma doesn’t live only in our minds - it lives in our bodies, our nervous systems, our relationships. Whether you choose EMDR or Brainspotting, a blend of both (or a different approach altogether), the most important thing is finding a therapist you trust, and a modality that feels safe, resonant, and effective for you.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. But if you're looking for something that meets you where you are; if you’ve got an inkling that your body’s holding stories your mind hasn’t yet told, whether you can name the pain or not - Brainspotting might just be what your nervous system has been waiting for.

*if you have been impacted by natural disaster or humanitarian crisis and need mental health support, I volunteer with Brainspotting Help, an international group of therapists committed to providing free sessions to support you. Please reach out via https://www.brainspottinghelp.com.

So, You Think You Want EMDR? Here’s Why Brainspotting Might Be an Even Better Fit