What Is Brainspotting Therapy? How It Works | ScienceWorks

Last reviewed: 07/01/2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly

If you have searched for what is Brainspotting, you have probably run into two very different stories. One says it is a breakthrough that heals trauma fast. The other says it is unproven and overhyped. The honest answer sits between those extremes, and this article aims to give you that honest version: what Brainspotting is, how it is thought to work, what actually happens in a session, and where the science genuinely stands today.

Brainspotting is a body-based therapy for trauma that uses eye position to help you access and settle distress that lives below words. It grew out of trauma work and shares a family resemblance with EMDR. It is also an emerging approach, not an established one, which is an important part of the picture we will keep in view throughout.

In this article, you'll learn:

• What Brainspotting is, in plain terms

• Where it came from and how it relates to EMDR

• How it is thought to work in the brain and body

• What a Brainspotting session actually looks like

• Who it may fit, what the research does and does not show, and how to start safely

What Brainspotting is, in plain terms

Brainspotting is a body-based form of therapy in which your therapist helps you find an eye position that connects to a felt sense of distress, then supports you in holding your attention there while your nervous system processes what surfaces. You can read how we use Brainspotting for trauma in practice, but the founding observation is captured in the approach's motto: "where you look affects how you feel."

Instead of talking through a memory in detail, you focus on the physical experience of it. Your therapist watches for cues that a particular point in your visual field seems linked to the activation in your body. That point is the "brainspot." Once you find it, the work is quiet and internal: you notice sensations, images, or emotions as they come and go, and your therapist stays attuned beside you.

It is worth saying clearly at the start that Brainspotting is still being studied, and the way it works is a proposed model rather than settled science. Keeping that honesty in view is part of using it responsibly.

Where it came from

Brainspotting was developed in 2003 by David Grand, a psychotherapist who had trained in EMDR and was looking for ways to help clients who felt stuck [1]. During a session, he noticed that when a client's eyes paused at a certain position, deeper processing seemed to open up. He began experimenting with holding attention at these fixed eye positions rather than moving the eyes back and forth, and Brainspotting grew from there.

Because Grand came from the EMDR world, the two approaches are cousins. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, most often side-to-side eye movements guided in a structured protocol. Brainspotting instead holds a single, meaningful eye position and follows the body's lead more flexibly. If you want the fuller comparison, our overview of EMDR and bilateral stimulation is a useful companion, since EMDR has a much stronger research base than Brainspotting does.

How it's thought to work

Here is where honesty matters most. The mechanism behind Brainspotting is a hypothesis, not a proven fact. The most cited theory, proposed by Corrigan and Grand, suggests that holding a brainspot engages deep brain structures involved in orienting and in processing body-based, non-verbal experience, allowing trauma held below conscious thought to be accessed and released [2]. This model draws on what we understand about how trauma affects the brain and body, but it has not been confirmed by brain-imaging studies of Brainspotting itself.

In everyday terms, the idea is this: some trauma is stored more as a body state than as a clear narrative. You may know the facts of what happened, yet your body still reacts as if the threat is present. Brainspotting is designed to work at that body level, using a focused eye position as a kind of doorway to material that talking has not reached. Whether that is truly what happens in the brain remains an open research question, and any clinician offering Brainspotting should be comfortable saying so.

What a Brainspotting session looks like

A session usually begins with grounding and a check-in. Your therapist asks what you would like to work on and helps you notice where you feel it in your body. Rather than asking you to narrate the memory in detail, they guide your attention to the sensation itself.

Next comes finding the brainspot. Your therapist may slowly move a pointer across your field of vision and watch for reflexive cues, such as a blink, a shift in breathing, or a change in your expression, that suggest a particular eye position is connected to the activation. You may also locate the spot by noticing where the feeling is strongest as you look.

Then you hold your gaze there and let material surface. This part is quiet. You might notice memories, images, body sensations, or waves of emotion. Your therapist stays present and attuned, saying little, letting your own processing lead. Sessions close with grounding so you leave settled rather than stirred up. Because pacing and safety matter so much here, this is skilled clinical work, not something to attempt alone.

What it's used for

People most often seek Brainspotting for post-traumatic stress and for trauma that feels "stuck in the body." It is also used for complex or early trauma, and for situations where talk therapy has helped intellectually but has not shifted the physical or emotional charge. PTSD is common, affecting about 6 percent of people in the United States at some point in life, and women are affected at roughly twice the rate of men [3].

If you are trying to sort out whether what you are carrying is trauma-related, a validated self-report measure like the PCL-5 screener can be a useful starting point. A screener is not a diagnosis, but it can help you decide whether a full conversation with a clinician is worth it. Brainspotting is one option among several evidence-informed paths, and it is not automatically the right first step, which brings us to the misconceptions worth clearing up.

Common misconceptions

"Brainspotting is just staring at a dot." It can look simple from the outside, but the eye position is only a doorway. The real work is the focused, therapist-attuned processing of body-held distress. The stillness is purposeful, not passive.

"You have to relive your trauma for it to work." You do not. Brainspotting is designed so that much of the processing happens through body awareness rather than detailed retelling. You stay in control of how much you say out loud, which is one reason some people find it more tolerable than approaches built around verbal exposure.

"Brainspotting is proven to cure PTSD." This one needs the firmest correction. Brainspotting is an emerging approach with a small and preliminary evidence base. It is not a cure, and it is not currently on the major clinical guidelines' lists of recommended PTSD treatments. Presenting it as settled science would be misleading.

Who it may fit, and who should go slowly

Brainspotting may be worth considering if you have trauma symptoms that persist in the body, if talk therapy has stalled, or if you find detailed retelling too overwhelming. Because it can open deep material, people who are in acute crisis, who dissociate heavily, or who lack current stability and support may need a more structured, stabilization-first approach before any processing work, something we build into our broader trauma therapy. A good clinician will assess this with you rather than starting processing on day one.

For many people, a better-researched, guideline-recommended therapy is the more responsible first choice, with Brainspotting considered as one option within a broader plan. If you are weighing your options, our guide to choosing among trauma therapies walks through how the main approaches differ.

What the research does and doesn't show

The evidence for Brainspotting is genuinely limited. A small non-randomized study of 76 adults found that both Brainspotting and EMDR were followed by significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, which is encouraging but far from conclusive [4]. A controlled analog study found that a single session of Brainspotting reduced the distress of upsetting memories about as much as EMDR, and more than a comparison condition [5]. A more recent small randomized study comparing Brainspotting to usual care found that both helped, with Brainspotting showing somewhat better results at follow-up [6]. These are promising signals.

But the base is thin. The studies are small, some are not randomized, several involve the method's own developer, and none are large trials with long-term follow-up. That is why Brainspotting does not appear on the American Psychological Association's list of recommended PTSD treatments [7], nor among the trauma-focused therapies recommended in the 2023 VA/DoD guideline, which endorses cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and EMDR [8]. The fair summary: Brainspotting is promising and worth studying, but the honest label is "emerging," not "evidence-based" in the strong sense.

Starting Brainspotting in Tennessee

We offer Brainspotting on a telehealth basis to clients across Tennessee, delivered over secure video by a clinician trained in the approach. If you are new to trauma work, we usually start with a conversation about your history, your goals, and whether Brainspotting, another trauma-focused therapy, or a combination is the most responsible place to begin. The goal is a match to what will actually help you, not a one-size-fits-all recommendation.

Carrying something that still feels close?

Trauma-focused care - including approaches like EMDR - can help you process what happened at a pace that feels safe, with a clinician who understands trauma responses. If you would like to talk through whether Brainspotting or another approach fits your situation, we are glad to help you find the right starting point.

Schedule a trauma consultation →

You can also learn more about our approach to Brainspotting for trauma in Tennessee.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a brainspot actually mean?

A brainspot is a specific eye position where your gaze seems to connect with a strong body sensation tied to a distressing memory. In a session, your therapist helps you find that spot and hold your gaze there while you notice what comes up. The idea, which is still being studied, is that this focused position helps the brain work through material that talk therapy alone sometimes cannot reach.

Do I have to talk about my trauma in Brainspotting?

Not in detail. Brainspotting is a body-based approach, so much of the work happens through noticing physical sensations rather than retelling the story out loud. You stay in control of how much you share. Many people find this easier than approaches that ask for a full verbal account, though your therapist still checks in regularly to keep you grounded and safe.

How many sessions does Brainspotting take?

There is no fixed number, and honestly the research is too limited to give a reliable average. Small studies have used as few as three to five sessions, but real-world courses vary widely depending on the person and the trauma. We set a pace with you and track progress rather than promising a set timeline, since Brainspotting is still an emerging approach.

Is Brainspotting scientifically proven?

No - Brainspotting is best described as promising but not yet established. A handful of small studies suggest it may reduce trauma, anxiety, and depression symptoms, but it has not been tested in large trials and is not on the APA or VA/DoD lists of recommended PTSD treatments. Better-researched options such as cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and EMDR remain first-line.

Can Brainspotting be done over telehealth?

Yes. Brainspotting can be delivered over secure video, with your therapist guiding eye position on screen and staying attuned to how you respond. We provide Brainspotting on a telehealth basis across Tennessee. Online delivery is newer than in-person work, so your clinician confirms it is a good fit for you and keeps grounding and safety central throughout each session.

About the Author

Dr. Kiesa Kelly is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of ScienceWorks Behavioral Healthcare, with more than 20 years of experience in psychological assessment and evidence-based treatment. Her background includes advanced clinical training in trauma and neurodevelopmental conditions, and she leads the practice's commitment to matching each person to approaches that fit their needs and the current evidence.

Dr. Kelly reviews the practice's clinical content for accuracy, including its coverage of emerging approaches like Brainspotting, so that readers get a clear and honest picture of what the research does and does not yet support.

References

1. Grand D. Brainspotting: The Revolutionary New Therapy for Rapid and Effective Change. Sounds True; 2013. https://www.amazon.com/Brainspotting-Revolutionary-Therapy-Effective-Change/dp/1604078901

2. Corrigan FM, Grand D. Brainspotting: Recruiting the midbrain for accessing and healing sensorimotor memories of traumatic activation. Med Hypotheses. 2013;80(6):759-766. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23570648/

3. National Center for PTSD. How Common Is PTSD in Adults? U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp

4. Hildebrand A, Grand D, Stemmler M. Brainspotting - the efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in comparison to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Mediterr J Clin Psychol. 2017;5(1). https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Brainspotting-%E2%80%93-the-efficacy-of-a-new-therapy-for-Hildebrand-Grand/34593072b2769274a0e1117403004f72c5cc6887

5. D'Antoni F, Matiz A, Fabbro F, Crescentini C. Psychotherapeutic Techniques for Distressing Memories: A Comparative Study between EMDR, Brainspotting, and Body Scan Meditation. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(3):1142. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8835026/

6. Horton LM, Schwartzberg A, Goldberg P, Grieve K, Brdecka L. Brainspotting: Introducing Brainspotting as a treatment for PTSD. Int Body Psychother J. 2023-2024;22(2):57-72. https://ibpj.org/issues/articles/Horton,%20Schwartzberg,%20Goldberg,%20Grieve,%20Brdecka%20-%20Brainspotting.pdf

7. American Psychological Association. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Adults. 2017. https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline

8. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense. VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder. 2023. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/cpg_ptsd_management.asp

9. National Institute of Mental Health. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

Disclaimer

This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment, or advice. Brainspotting is an emerging approach whose evidence base is still developing. Reading this content does not create a clinician-patient relationship. If you are in crisis or may harm yourself, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or seek emergency care. For guidance about your own situation, please consult a qualified clinician.