Brainspotting Research: What It Shows, and Why It Matters for You
Traditional talk therapy can calm thoughts, yet traumatic memories are stored in the midbrain’s subcortical areas. Brainspotting therapy (BSP), an eye-position technique discovered by psychotherapist David Grand, PhD, in 2003, targets that hidden distress at its somatic source.
The good news is that early research is promising. A 2017 comparative study of 76 trauma survivors found that three brainspotting sessions eased symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder as effectively as equal sessions of EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing).
In this article, you’ll see:
What brainspotting therapy is
Is brainspotting evidence based?
Research findings & benefits
How brainspotting works and feels
Ready to explore whether this new therapy approach can offer meaningful access to healing and growth? Let’s dive in.
What Is Brainspotting Therapy, Exactly?
Brainspotting therapy is a neuroexperiential therapeutic technique that helps us reach the parts of trauma that traditional talk therapy is unable to access. It’s based on the idea that where you look affects how you feel and that the position of your eyes can help access deeply held emotional stress stored in the body and brain.
Here’s how Brainspotting is applied:
A therapist helps you find a specific point in your visual field, called a brainspot, that is connected to a traumatic event or emotional memory, using your body sensations as a guide.
You hold your gaze on that spot, and as your therapist stays attuned to you, you observe what comes up in your body, emotions, and thoughts.
By holding your gaze, the midbrain and subcortical brain are accessed, where unprocessed and partially processed trauma and distressing memories are stored.
By noticing what presents, the nervous system begins to re-regulate, without requiring you to retell or reimmerse yourself back into the trauma.
Brainspotting is considered part of a newer type of somatic therapy, including EMDR therapy and somatic experiencing. This revolutionary new therapy for rapid and effective trauma resolution may not be as widely known yet, but for many, brainspotting therapy works to bring healing and relief.
Is Brainspotting scientifically proven?
Brainspotting is still considered a newer trauma therapy, but the research backing is growing. Studies show it helps with anxiety, emotional regulation, and the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Is Brainspotting Evidence Based? Let’s Talk About the Research
In the clinical world, when we say a treatment is evidence-based, it means it’s been tested through rigorous scientific studies, often randomized controlled trials, and consistently shows measurable results. This is the gold standard in psychotherapy, especially when considering trauma treatment, PTSD, and anxiety.
Currently, brainspotting is still considered a newer therapeutic approach, and yes, there’s limited research available compared to long-established methods like cognitive behavioral therapy. But that doesn’t mean it’s not effective. In fact, the early studies we do have are quite promising.
Here’s what the research shows so far:
A 2017 study by Hildebrand et al. compared single sessions of EMDR and Brainspotting in trauma survivors. Both approaches significantly reduced PTSD symptoms, showing that brainspotting therapy may be just as effective as more established treatments.
A single-case neuroimaging study of sexual assault survivors utilized 30 online Brainspotting sessions. After therapy, patients exhibited decreased PCL-5 scores (a standard PTSD measure) and showed changes in brain glucose metabolism, suggesting both symptom relief and biological shifts in trauma-related areas.
A controlled trial involving veterans found that those who received six Brainspotting therapy sessions showed significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, sustained over several months, far beyond what standard care achieved alone.
A preliminary study of 63 participants with PTSD compared Brainspotting to standard CBT and other therapies. Although CBT showed faster symptom relief, Brainspotting showed stronger, sustained benefits at follow-up, indicating deep, lasting change.
While brainspotting may not have a vast pool of clinical trials yet, its efficacy is backed by growing research, real-world results, and widespread use among trauma-trained therapists.
While the evidence may still be building, brainspotting-trained practitioners can attest that brainspotting therapy works. Within the profession, this alternative therapy that uses the body’s wisdom and the attuned relationship between therapist and client is gaining attention. And for many, it offers meaningful, lasting relief from the pain of traumatic experiences.
Is Brainspotting as effective as EMDR?
Studies found that Brainspotting worked just as well as EMDR. Both target the brain’s trauma-processing centers, but Brainspotting uses a still point in your field of vision, rather than rapid eye movement. In the brainspotting vs EMDR conversation, it’s really about what feels right for your system.
Why This Matters: The Benefits of Brainspotting for You
So why does all of this matter, especially for women over 40?
Because so many of the women I work with have spent the majority of their lives holding it all together. You’ve likely navigated careers, caregiving, relationships, and expectations with strength and perseverance. But underneath it, there may be chronic stress, anxiety, or unprocessed childhood trauma living in your body. And one day, often without warning, something inside says, “I thought I was fine… but I’m not.”
This is where brainspotting therapy can be so impactful. Unlike traditional therapy that focuses on reasoning through issues, brainspotting helps you bypass the logical mind and connect with the midbrain, within the subcortex, where emotional and traumatic memories are stored.
Although brainspotting is a newer approach and there’s still little research compared to longer-standing models, many therapists and clients find it profoundly effective. A growing number of studies support the efficacy of brainspotting, particularly in the treatment of trauma, and the benefits of brainspotting continue to be seen in real, lasting change.
If you’ve tried other types of trauma therapy but are still struggling, brainspotting might be the approach that helps provide the relief you’re seeking.
How Brainspotting Therapy Works And Feels
Picture yourself settling in for your session. We begin by identifying what you’d like to work on and your level of activation. I may use a small pointer (or a gaze spot if found) within your visual field. When your eyes pause at a spot that increases the activation in your body sensations, for example, tight shoulders, a flutter in the chest, we’ve found an activation brainspot. From there, you gaze at the spot and just notice, the session then unfolds at your pace.
What actually happens:
You hold your gaze on the brainspot while noticing body sensations, images, or emotions that rise and fall.
I hold the space and stay attuned to you so your nervous system feels supported as you process.
Unlike EMDR, your eyes stay mostly still, but can shift to another spot in the natural course of the processing/session. Clients tend to feel more in flow with the session with this less directive style.
Why this psychotherapeutic approach feels safe
You remain in control; we pause or stop any time.
Sessions move at your pace, letting the body regulate naturally.
Most people report feeling lighter or clearer by the end of the session, often grateful for feeling a new sense of ease.
Why Brainspotting works when other treatments stall
Traditional talk approaches engage the thinking brain; Brainspotting works on the midbrain, reaching material not accessed by the logical mind.
The method uses eye positioning to bypass the neocortex.
Though brainspotting is said to be “new,” growing data classify it as a promising evidence-based approach for the treatment of trauma.
If previous therapies left you understanding your trauma but still experiencing it, Brainspotting seems to offer what you may need in helping what’s stored in the body to release.
What is the neuroscience behind brainspotting?
Brainspotting was developed by David Grand in 2003, based on how eye position connects to emotional healing. It targets the area of the brain responsible for storing trauma, especially in the midbrain. Like a focused body scan meditation, it helps the brain and body process what’s been held for too long.
When Talk Therapy Isn’t Enough, I Can Help You Go Deeper
If you’re still reading, there’s a good chance something about brainspotting therapy feels like it might be a fit for you.
In my work with women in midlife, I often hear things like, “I’ve done years of talk therapy. I understand my patterns. But I still feel stuck.” That’s where brainspotting can offer something different. Not by pushing. Not by analyzing. But by releasing what’s in your body and emotional mind in a way that’s supportive, respectful of your experiences, and deeply attuned.
Throughout our work, we keep the pace attuned to what helps your system feel safe enough to settle. We use your visual field to gently locate the eye positions to access the deeply held connections between your history and the issue you want to work on. You guide the pace. I follow your lead and hold space for the emotions, memories, and body sensations your nervous system is ready to release.
This isn’t about erasing what you’ve been through. It’s about helping your system respond differently, once it feels safe enough to do so.
And if that sounds like what you’re seeking, I’d be honored to work with you. Get in touch!