Is BWRT really too good to be true?

“BWRT quickly and permanently changes the way that the brain reacts to particular stressors. It can address pretty much any issue, from ‘simple’ anxieties and phobias, through to PTSD and even identity issues.” Too good to be true?

I first came across BWRT when I read an article in a broadsheet where the writer had been transformed by a therapy I hadn’t heard of: BWRT, or BrainWorking Recursive Therapy. 

Terence Watts, the founder of the International BWRT Institute, created BWRT in 2011 after learning that the brain’s natural processes involved a time gap between a stimulus being identified by one part of the brain, the ‘Reptilian Complex’ and it reaching conscious awareness. BWRT basically exploits this lag by replacing an unwanted conditioned reaction with one chosen by the client.

It seemed a bit too good to be true, but I mentioned it to a friend who, despite his own scepticism, found a PhD thesis by a clinical psychologist. Hayley Rose reported that it was being used by NHS Psychologists working with diverse conditions such as posttraumatic stress and depression. Her research supported the effectiveness of BWRT for non-complex trauma, substantiated by participants’ qualitative reports. 

Next, I found that BWRT is being extensively used in South Africa, championed by Terence Watts’ research partner, Rafiq Lockhat, a clinical psychologist. He had recognised its potential, training registered mental health professionals and set up BWRT South Africa.

I was further reassured by finding that an RCT (Randomized Control Trial, the gold-standard for effectiveness research) was underway by the University of Bergen. More on that later.

As the academic community were obviously taking BWRT seriously, I took the plunge, training and qualifying at Level One. Trying it out on willing volunteers, I found that it really was as amazing as people were saying. It addressed a severe phobia, caused by an awful childhood experience, in just one session. It helped another friend by removing anxiety when faced with a particular type of person in another single session.

I started offering it to clients as an option, and have had similarly great results. Sometimes the symptom returned, and further investigation identified another facet, which we addressed. It hasn’t worked for absolutely everyone; there isn’t a therapy that does, but I’ve been very impressed by the success rate so far. 

With Level One, I have treated phobias, panic attacks, trauma, anxieties including ‘generalised anxiety disorder’ and anger. It can help with goal achievement, performance, ceasing smoking and sugar addiction, misophonia, emetophobia, and more. It can even improve self-esteem/self-worth and assertiveness. I’ve continued to train in BWRT and can treat ‘free-floating’ anxiety: a persistent sense of unease not tied to anything specific, and depression, which can be a slow slog with the more conventional therapies. Complicated grief can be alleviated, leaving a ‘normal’ sadness of the loss. And I’ve helped with mild to moderate OCD.

I’m now qualified at Level Two, which can address core identity issues and addictions. The increase in confidence and change in clients is wonderful to see. And I have recently trained in the comprehensive programme to address codependency. You can see that I really do value this life-changing therapy.

What I really like about BWRT is the speed it addresses issues, and the fact that the effects are permanent. This is because, rather than working at the symptoms (unhelpful thoughts, emotions, behaviours, etc) it acts on the root cause; the neurological pathways that, once primed by a past event, always fire off an instruction whenever a related cue is identified. It doesn’t matter that the instruction results in unwanted outputs (panic, anger, avoidance or whatever) as you’re still alive; the primary aim of that part of the brain. And the more that you focus on the issue, the more the unhelpful neural pathways are strengthened.

With BWRT, all you need to do is choose how you would prefer to feel and use your imagination. The practitioner will talk you through the process of overwriting the unhelpful ‘instruction’ with how you’d prefer to feel, so that the next time a cue is identified, you feel that way instead. It requires a skilled practitioner, but the essence of it is really that simple. And BWRT’s strength is in its simplicity.

It also seems to be a barrier to BWRT’s take-up, as people think it’s too good to be true. However, there are now nearly 2,000 practitioners registered with the International BWRT Institute around the world, and they are constantly reporting amazing results. I understand that the RCT has now been completed, with excellent results, and the paper should be published by the end of 2025.

A final (for now) piece of validation is that the GRO, the biggest professional association for alternative therapists in the Netherlands (more than 7000 therapists), has accepted and accredited BWRT after a successful audit.

So, if you’d like to find out more or book a session, get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.

Photo BY: Metaweb