If you’ve been researching BWRT® (BrainWorking Recursive Therapy), you may have come across practitioners mentioning “Level 1” and “Level 2” work.
At first glance, these terms can sound quite technical. Clients sometimes wonder whether one is better than the other, or whether they need a specific level of BWRT® for their issue.
The reality is much simpler.
Both approaches are designed to help create meaningful, lasting change. The difference lies in what is driving the problem and where the therapeutic work is focused.
BWRT® Level 1: Changing the Emotional Response
Level 1 BWRT® is often used when a specific situation, trigger or experience creates an unwanted emotional response.
For example:
- Fear of flying
- Fear of the dentist
- Public speaking anxiety
- Phobias
- Panic in specific situations
- Performance anxiety
- Distressing memories
In these cases, the brain has learned to react in a particular way when faced with a certain trigger.
You may know logically that you’re safe.
You may even understand that your fear is irrational.
Yet your body still responds automatically with anxiety, fear or panic.
Level 1 BWRT® works directly with this learned response, helping the brain create a different reaction to the trigger.
Many clients describe feeling as though the emotional “charge” has been removed from the situation.
The memory remains.
The trigger remains.
But the emotional response changes.
BWRT® Level 2: Working With the Blueprint
Sometimes the issue isn’t linked to a single event or situation.
Instead, there seems to be a deeper pattern running quietly beneath multiple areas of life.
You may notice things such as:
- Repeated self-doubt
- Chronic people-pleasing
- Feeling “not good enough”
- Fear of rejection
- Imposter syndrome
- Difficulty setting boundaries
- Persistent low self-worth
- Repeating the same relationship patterns
These experiences often stem from deeply held beliefs the brain has developed over time.
Level 2 BWRT® is designed to identify and update these underlying templates or “core identities.”
Rather than focusing on a single fear or trigger, Level 2 explores the unconscious beliefs shaping how you experience yourself, other people and the world around you.
An Example
Imagine two people who both struggle with public speaking.
The first person feels anxious only when speaking in front of an audience.
Outside of that situation, they are confident and comfortable.
In this case, Level 1 BWRT® may be all that’s needed because the issue is linked to a specific trigger.
The second person fears public speaking because they carry a deep belief that they will be judged, criticised or exposed as inadequate.
They may also struggle with confidence in other areas of life.
Here, Level 2 BWRT® may help address the deeper pattern driving the anxiety.
Do Clients Need to Choose?
No.
One of the benefits of working with a trained BWRT® practitioner is that you don’t need to know which level is appropriate for your situation.
The focus is always on understanding what is maintaining the problem and choosing the most effective approach.
Sometimes Level 1 work is enough.
Sometimes Level 2 provides the missing piece.
Often a combination of both creates the best results.
It’s Not About Better or Worse
People sometimes assume that Level 2 is more advanced and therefore better.
In reality, they’re simply different tools designed for different situations.
A fear of flying may be resolved effectively using Level 1 BWRT®.
A long-standing belief of being “not good enough” may benefit from Level 2 work.
The goal is not to use the most complex intervention.
The goal is to use the most appropriate one.
Looking Beyond Symptoms
One of the strengths of BWRT® is its flexibility.
Whether you’re struggling with a specific fear, anxiety or phobia, or you’re noticing deeper patterns of self-doubt, low confidence or emotional distress, BWRT® offers ways of working that can address both the symptom and the underlying cause.
Every person’s experience is unique.
That’s why therapy should never be about fitting people into a predetermined process. It’s about understanding what is happening beneath the surface and helping the brain create a healthier, more helpful response.
Key Takeaway
BWRT® Level 1 and Level 2 are not competing approaches; they simply address different aspects of human experience. Level 1 focuses on changing unwanted emotional responses and behaviours to specific triggers, while Level 2 explores the deeper beliefs and patterns that can shape how we experience ourselves and the world. Both aim to create lasting change, helping you move beyond the patterns that are keeping you stuck.