The New Therapy That Says Healing Begins With Where You Look: Eyes On The Mind

In therapy rooms across the world, something unusual is happening. Patients are not talking more. They are looking, holding their gaze on a precise point in space while emotion rises, trembles and sometimes releases. The technique is called Brainspotting, and as conversations around trauma deepen, from elite sport to everyday life, it is quietly entering the mainstream.

Developed in 2003 by psychologist David Grand, Brainspotting rests on a simple premise: where you look may influence how your brain processes pain. Therapists guide patients to specific eye positions, or “brainspots,” believed to correspond to emotionally charged neural networks. The client stays with the sensation. Words, if they come, are secondary.

“It’s designed to access trauma that may not be fully reachable through language,” says Dr Era Dutta, consultant psychiatrist and founder, Mind Wellness. But in a mental health landscape crowded with innovation and hype, the question lingers: Is Brainspotting a breakthrough, or simply the latest wellness buzzword?

Science beneath the stare

In Olympic figure skating, a misdirected glance can cost a medal. Athletes describe pressure as something embodied, a tremor in the limbs, a tightening in the chest. Trauma, neurologists say, operates in similar ways. “Traumatic memories are often stored in subcortical brain networks involving the amygdala, brainstem and autonomic nervous system, areas less accessible through language alone,” explains Dr Sudhir Kumar, consultant neurologist, Apollo Hospital.

Survivors often say they cannot put trauma into words, suggesting emotional memory lies deeper than narrative recall. Brainspotting resembles Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, developed in 1987 by psychologist Francine Shapiro. But the evidence diverges. EMDR is extensively studied and endorsed by major international psychiatric bodies for PTSD. Brainspotting does not yet have that level of validation.

Promise and the proof gap

“Small studies suggest possible benefits, especially in trauma and PTSD,” says Dr Dutta. “But there are no large, high-quality randomised controlled trials validating its mechanism. It is not currently listed as a standard treatment by major professional bodies.”

That distinction matters. First-line trauma treatments such as trauma-focused CBT, EMDR, Prolonged Exposure and certain medications are backed by decades of data. Brainspotting sits in a grey zone, not fringe, but not fully validated. “It is unlikely to be pseudoscience, but it is also not yet a proven replacement for established therapies,” says Dr Sudhir Kumar.

The era of intuitive healing

“Brainspotting’s growing visibility reflects a broader cultural shift,” says Dr Era Dutta. “Mental health conversations have moved into the mainstream, and patients are increasingly seeking therapies that feel less clinical and more embodied.”

In elite sport, particularly disciplines like figure skating where composure and gaze determine outcome, the metaphor feels compelling. But, experts caution, resonance is not the same as validation. “Intuition cannot replace evidence,” Dr Dutta adds. “Any new therapy must ultimately be supported by rigorous scientific study before it is positioned as a primary treatment.”

Grace under pressure

“Innovation drives medicine forward. Every gold-standard treatment was once experimental. But rejecting new therapies outright can stall progress, and embracing them without scrutiny can mislead vulnerable patients,” says Dr Sudhir Kumar.

Brainspotting sits in a delicate balance, promising but not definitive. On Olympic ice, athletes train for years to steady their gaze. Mental health progress is rarely that swift. Healing may involve where you look, but it ultimately depends on the evidence.