How Both EMDR and Brainspotting Heal Trauma

How Both EMDR and Brainspotting Heal Trauma

Trauma can have a profound impact on a person’s life, affecting their emotional well-being, relationships, and even their sense of identity. For those seeking to heal from traumatic experiences, therapies like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Brainspotting have emerged as effective approaches. While these therapies have distinct elements, they share many similarities in how they help people process and release traumatic memories. Both focus on the mind-body connection and leverage the brain’s natural healing mechanisms to provide relief. Let’s explore how both EMDR and Brainspotting heal trauma.

Understanding EMDR

EMDR is a therapeutic approach that focuses on helping individuals process traumatic memories that are stuck in their nervous system. Developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR involves using bilateral stimulation. These are often in the form of eye movements, taps, or sounds. This stimulation is to help the brain reprocess distressing memories. By guiding the client through these eye movements while they focus on a traumatic memory, EMDR helps to unlock the body’s natural ability to process and heal from past events. When trauma occurs, it can overwhelm the brain’s ability to process the experience.  Leaving the memory stuck in a raw, unprocessed form. This can lead to flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and emotional distress, as the brain treats the memory as if it’s happening in the present. EMDR works by stimulating both sides of the brain while the client recalls these memories, helping to integrate the emotional and cognitive aspects of the trauma. This process allows the brain to store the memory in a more adaptive way, reducing its emotional charge and making it feel more like a past event rather than a current threat.

At Therapy by Catherine, I guide clients to talk to their nervous system as if it were a child—compassionate and gentle. This unique approach helps clients develop a new relationship with their inner world, allowing for deeper healing.

Brainspotting: Focusing on the Body’s Deep Healing Mechanism

Brainspotting, developed by Dr. David Grand in 2003, also targets the nervous system’s innate ability to heal. Brainspotting involves identifying “brainspots”—specific eye positions that correlate with areas of unprocessed trauma in the brain. During a Brainspotting session, the therapist helps the client find a particular spot in their visual field that seems to hold the strongest connection to the trauma. By maintaining focus on this spot, clients can access the deeper emotional and physical responses stored in their bodies. Much like EMDR, Brainspotting taps into the brain-body connection, using focused attention and mindful awareness to facilitate processing. However, it emphasizes the client’s internal experience without the structured bilateral movements used in EMDR. This means that while EMDR relies on a rhythmic back-and-forth stimulation, Brainspotting is more about maintaining a focused gaze on a particular spot, allowing the brain to process what is held there.

With Brainspotting, I’m able to engage directly with a client’s nervous system, facilitating a healing conversation that doesn’t rely solely on words. This approach allows clients to feel a sense of relief that feels organic and truly their own.

How EMDR and Brainspotting Are Similar

Both EMDR and Brainspotting share a core belief: that trauma is not just a psychological experience but is also deeply embedded in the body and the nervous system. Trauma isn’t stored in a neat narrative but rather in fragmented memories, physical sensations, and emotions that can be triggered by seemingly unrelated events in daily life. By addressing this, both therapies work to access the places where trauma is stored in the body and mind. One key similarity is that both methods involve dual attention—the client is present in the therapy session while simultaneously focusing on a memory or a physical sensation related to the trauma. This dual focus helps to process the memory without becoming overwhelmed by it. Both EMDR and Brainspotting also rely on the brain’s natural inclination to heal itself, providing a safe environment where the brain can access and resolve painful memories. Another commonality is that both therapies are often faster than traditional talk therapy when it comes to processing trauma. Rather than spending years talking through experiences, clients can work through deeply rooted traumas in a more direct way, making progress that often feels tangible and immediate. This is especially valuable for individuals who have been through trauma and are seeking relief from symptoms like anxiety, flashbacks, or emotional numbness.

Differences Between EMDR and Brainspotting

While EMDR and Brainspotting are similar in many respects, they have differences that may make one more suitable than the other depending on the client’s needs. EMDR is more structured, following a specific eight-phase protocol that guides the client through the preparation, desensitization, and reprocessing phases. This structure can provide a clear sense of progression and is often helpful for clients who appreciate a step-by-step approach. Brainspotting, on the other hand, is more open-ended and allows for a greater degree of intuition on the part of both the therapist and the client. The focus is on finding the brainspot that connects with the trauma and allowing the client’s body and brain to process what comes up. This makes Brainspotting particularly adaptable to each individual’s unique experience, allowing the therapy to unfold in a more fluid and client-centered way.

Heal with Therapy by Catherine

Whether you’re drawn to EMDR, Brainspotting, or a combination of both, taking the step to address trauma is an important part of rediscovering your true self. At Therapy by Catherine, we specialize in offering both EMDR and Brainspotting therapy to help individuals heal from trauma, grief, and early attachment issues. Based in California, we are committed to guiding you through the complexities of your past experiences, helping you regain control over your emotions and embrace a life of resilience and purpose. Contact us today to start your journey toward healing and self-discovery!

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”

-C.S Lewis