Understanding the Differences Between Brainspotting and EMDR Therapy
When you first learn about Brainspotting and EMDR therapies, the two approaches can seem very similar. Both approaches leverage the connection between your eyes and the subcortical brain structures where some of our most traumatic and pervasive memories are stored. Bot involve asking the client to move their eyes in various ways as a physiological aid in processing or recalling some of the content of these memories. Brainspotting and EMDR are both effective and empirically validated approaches that can support healing from your past hurts. But there are some very important differences to pay attention to as well and we wanted to share those with you.
EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.
EMDR Therapists use a number of techniques to help access the healing power of your mind – most commonly training you to follow the movement of an object with just your eyes. This often gets compared to the rapid eye movements that we see in REM sleep cycles but there are other methods for achieving this same effect. This left-right (or bilateral) stimulation has been shown to help unlock some of the innate processes in our minds that help us heal.
Brainspotting
Brainspotting is a powerful, focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms. A “Brainspot” is the eye position which is related to the emotional activation of a significant issue within the brain. In other words a brainspot is actually a physiological location in your brain that may hold an emotional experience in memory form.
A therapist will use a number of different techniques to help located any brainspots relevant to the concerns that you have. This usually includes a therapist moving an object around your visual field that you track only with your eyes. While this is happening, you and your therapist will discuss the things you may be feeling and your therapist will also be paying attention to physical cues that may indicate a brainspot has been located. This helps open an inner window that allows healing to take place.
Which is Best?
Clients often wonder which of these two approaches might be best for them. It’s a great question and one that can be difficult to answer. Both of these approaches can provide you with significant benefit. In reality, the answer to “Which is best?” depends on a lot of different factors. But, you can trust that your therapist will be able to walk through the various options, your individual concerns and comforts, and help decide on the best approach to take for your particular needs.
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