Understanding Bilateral Stimulation Options

What Is Bilateral Stimulation?

Bilateral stimulation is at the heart of EMDR therapy and your EmEase experience. Put simply, bilateral stimulation involves alternating attention between the right and left sides of your body or your awareness. This back-and-forth pattern appears to help the brain process emotional material more effectively.

When you use bilateral stimulation while focusing on a distressing memory or feeling, something remarkable happens. The brain seems to access its natural healing abilities, similar to what occurs during REM sleep when your eyes move rapidly from side to side.

In EmEase, you have several options for bilateral stimulation. Understanding these options helps you customize your experience for maximum benefit.

Visual Stimulation: The Moving Ball

The most common form of bilateral stimulation in EMDR is visual—following an object moving from side to side with your eyes. EmEase recreates this experience with a ball that moves across your screen.

How Visual Stimulation Works

When you start a session with visual stimulation, you’ll see a colored ball moving across your screen. Your task is simple—follow the ball with your eyes without moving your head. This eye movement creates the bilateral stimulation effect.

The visual stimulus engages parts of your brain involved in memory processing and emotional regulation. Many users find that as they follow the moving ball, their thoughts flow more freely and emotional material becomes more accessible yet less overwhelming.

Customizing Your Visual Experience

Ball Size

Small: Subtle and less visually dominant
Medium: Balanced visibility and tracking ease
Large: Maximum visibility, easier to follow

The right size depends on your preferences and screen size. Many users find medium works well on phones, while small might be better on larger tablets or computers.

Movement Speed You can adjust how quickly the ball moves across your screen:

Slower speeds may promote deeper processing and are often good for complex emotional material
Medium speeds work well for most processing tasks
Faster speeds sometimes help maintain attention if you find your mind wandering

If you’re new to EmEase, start with medium speed and adjust based on what feels most engaging without causing eye strain.

Movement Patterns EmEase offers two movement patterns:

Horizontal Movement The ball moves in a simple side-to-side pattern across your screen. This straightforward pattern is:

Easy to follow
Similar to traditional EMDR therapy
Often preferred by beginners
Good for most processing needs

Hourglass Movement The ball moves in a figure-eight pattern, creating a more complex visual path. This pattern:

Engages more visual tracking
May help maintain attention for some users
Creates a different rhythm of bilateral stimulation
Can be useful when the horizontal pattern feels too predictable

Try both patterns to see which one feels most effective for your processing style. Some users find different patterns work better for different types of targets.

Audio Stimulation: Alternating Tones

EmEase also offers audio bilateral stimulation through alternating tones played in each ear. This option requires using headphones or earbuds to experience the full bilateral effect.

How Audio Stimulation Works

When you select audio stimulation, EmEase plays a tone that alternates between your left and right ears. This creates a bilateral effect similar to visual stimulation but through your auditory system instead.

Audio stimulation can be particularly helpful:

When you want to close your eyes during processing
If you experience eye fatigue easily
When visual tracking is difficult for any reason
If you process information better through sound than visually

Getting the Most from Audio Stimulation

For effective audio bilateral stimulation:

Use stereo headphones or earbuds that fit comfortably
Adjust the volume to a level that’s clearly audible but not too loud
Make sure you can distinctly hear the tone alternating between ears
Consider closing your eyes to enhance focus on the audio experience

Combining Visual and Audio Stimulation

EmEase allows you to use both visual and audio stimulation simultaneously. This dual approach provides maximum bilateral input and may enhance the processing effect for some users.

Benefits of Combined Stimulation

Using both visual and audio stimulation together:

Engages multiple sensory channels at once
May help maintain focus if one type of stimulation alone isn’t enough
Creates a more immersive processing experience
Can be particularly helpful for complex or deeply rooted emotional material

Finding the Right Balance

While combined stimulation works well for many users, others find it overwhelming or distracting. If you’re trying this approach:

Start with the volume lower than you would use for audio-only stimulation
Make sure the ball size and speed feel comfortable
Pay attention to whether the combination enhances or detracts from your focus
Be willing to switch to a single stimulation type if the combination feels too much

Choosing the Right Stimulation for You

There’s no single “best” type of bilateral stimulation—what works most effectively varies from person to person and sometimes even between different processing targets.

Factors to Consider

Your Processing Style

Are you more visually or auditorily oriented?
Do you process information better with your eyes open or closed?
Do you prefer simplicity or more complex stimulation?

Physical Comfort

Does extended visual tracking cause eye fatigue for you?
Are headphones comfortable for your processing sessions?
Do you have any sensory sensitivities to consider?

The Nature of Your Target

Some emotional material may respond better to different types of stimulation
More complex or deeply rooted issues might benefit from more engaging stimulation
Targets with strong visual components might process well with visual stimulation

Your Environment

Is your processing space conducive to audio, visual, or both?
Are there privacy considerations that might make one option better?
Do you need to be aware of your surroundings during processing?

Experimenting for Best Results

The most effective approach is to experiment with different options and notice what works best for you. You might discover that:

Visual stimulation works better for some targets while audio works better for others
Your preferences change as you become more experienced with EmEase
Combining stimulation types is most effective for certain kinds of processing
Switching between stimulation types during longer sessions helps maintain engagement

Trust your experience and be willing to adjust as needed. The goal is finding what helps you process most effectively, not adhering to any particular “right way” to use bilateral stimulation.

Processing Sets: Pacing Your Stimulation

EmEase allows you to structure your bilateral stimulation into timed intervals called “processing sets.” This feature mimics the pacing used in therapist-led EMDR sessions.

How Processing Sets Work

When you enable processing sets:

Bilateral stimulation runs for your chosen interval length
A brief pause occurs between sets
This pattern repeats throughout your session

During the stimulation phase, you follow the ball or listen to the tones while focusing on your target. During the pause, you briefly notice what changed or emerged during the set.

Benefits of Using Sets

Processing sets offer several advantages:

They provide natural breaks to notice shifts in your experience
The pauses help prevent overwhelm by creating breathing space
The structure mimics professional EMDR therapy more closely
Sets can help maintain focus during longer sessions

Setting Up Effective Sets

In the session settings, you can enable sets and adjust the interval time. For most users:

30-45 second sets work well for general processing
5-10 second pauses provide adequate reflection time
Shorter sets (15-30 seconds) may work better for highly emotional material
Longer sets (45-60 seconds) can promote deeper processing for less activating material

Troubleshooting Common Stimulation Issues

”I find it hard to follow the ball without moving my head”

Try these adjustments:

Position your device at eye level to reduce the temptation to move your head
Decrease the speed of the ball movement
Try a larger ball size for easier tracking
Consider switching to audio stimulation if visual tracking remains difficult

”The audio tones sound uneven between my ears”

Check these potential solutions:

Ensure your headphones are properly connected and positioned
Test your headphones with music to confirm both sides work equally well
Adjust the balance settings in your device’s audio settings
Try different headphones if the problem persists

”I get distracted during bilateral stimulation”

These approaches may help:

Try a different type of stimulation
Adjust the speed—sometimes faster movement helps maintain attention
Enable processing sets with shorter intervals
Start with shorter overall session times
Practice brief mindfulness before beginning your session

”I experience eye fatigue quickly with visual stimulation”

Consider these modifications:

Reduce screen brightness
Use a larger ball size
Slow down the movement speed
Take more frequent breaks
Switch to audio stimulation or alternate between visual and audio

Conclusion

Bilateral stimulation is the engine that powers your EmEase experience. By understanding and customizing your stimulation options, you can create the most effective processing environment for your unique needs.

Remember that there’s no single “correct” way to use bilateral stimulation. The best approach is the one that helps you process effectively while feeling comfortable and engaged. Be willing to experiment with different options and trust your experience.

As you continue your EmEase journey, you may find your preferences evolving. What works best might change as you become more experienced or as you work with different types of emotional material. Stay curious and flexible in your approach to bilateral stimulation.

The EmEase team has designed these stimulation options based on research and clinical experience, but you are the expert on your own experience. By finding the bilateral stimulation approach that works best for you, you’re taking an active role in your healing journey.