Is OEI the Same as Brainspotting?

OEI and Brainspotting both work with eye positions and the nervous system to process trauma. But they’re not the same. Let’s explore how they differ in approach, training, and technique—so you can figure out what might work best for you.

What Is OEI Therapy?

Observed Experiential Integration (OEI) evolved from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and was developed in Vancouver by Audrey Cook and my mentor, Dr. Rick Bradshaw.

OEI sessions are collaborative, gentle, and paced carefully to avoid overwhelm.

Observed: In a session, your therapist observes subtle changes in your eye movements, facial expressions, and body responses to track where trauma may be held and when it starts to release.

Experiential: The experiential part of OEI means you’re not just talking about what happened—you’re feeling it, noticing it, and working with it in the moment.

Integration: Integration means helping the brain connect fragmented parts of a traumatic experience so it can be processed as a past event rather than a current threat. The right and left brain also integrate to allow the nervous system to settle and creates a sense of completion, like the experience is in the past, which makes space for a whole new future. Clients often say they feel lighter, more grounded, or like something has finally shifted..

What Is Brainspotting?

Brainspotting also uses the visual field to help people access unresolved trauma. It was developed by Dr. David Grand. The therapist helps a client find a “brainspot”—an eye position linked to emotional or physical distress. The client holds their gaze there while noticing what comes up. Processing is less guided and often more client-led.

How OEI and Brainspotting Are Different

Structure: OEI uses a specific sequence of techniques and therapist-led interventions. Brainspotting requires the client finds a visual brainspot holds their gaze there, and simply notices what comes up—thoughts, emotions, body sensation

Therapist Role: In OEI, the therapist and client work collaboratively to tracks subtle signs observed and experienced in your eyes, face, and body, that are then integrated. In Brainspotting, the therapist holds space but intervenes less.

Experiential Tools: OEI uses a wider range of techniques including somatic tracking, bilateral stimulation, emotional expression work, and visual field manipulation to integrated the trauma, depending on what the client needs. Brainspotting usually focuses on one brainspot at a time, when the client’s eyes land on that spot, their brain and body may react—like feeling a wave of emotion or tension

Training and Certification: OEI has 2 levels of certification and is more intensive and requires more in-person practice. Brainspotting certification is structured but generally faster to obtain.

Which Trauma Therapy is Best

It depends on what you’re looking for. If you want more guidance and structured help through your trauma, OEI might be a better fit. If you prefer holding space for your own process with minimal intervention, Brainspotting could work well. Tram

OEI and Brainspotting both support trauma healing in powerful ways, but they do it differently. Trauma recovery is deeply influenced by the quality of the relationship between client and therapist.

Research consistently shows that a strong therapeutic alliance—built on trust, empathy, and collaboration—is one of the most important predictors of successful outcomes, and reduction in PTSD symptom. This alliance is especially critical in trauma therapy, where clients often struggle with trust and emotional safety.

Let’s connect.