Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Bilateral Stimulation?How Is Bilateral Stimulation Performed?Risks of Bilateral StimulationIs Bilateral Stimulation Right for You?

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Table of Contents

What Is Bilateral Stimulation?

How Is Bilateral Stimulation Performed?

Risks of Bilateral Stimulation

Is Bilateral Stimulation Right for You?

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With a range of therapies available formental health disorders, it can be challenging to know which technique will be most beneficial for you. Take anxiety disorders, which 19.1% of adults and 7% of children live with in the United States, according to the National Association of Mental Illness.

According toDr. Dana Wang, a psychiatrist and the co-founder and CEO of RIVIA Mind, bilateral stimulation is all about rhythmic patterns, such as walking, playing the drums, or even following a ball as it moves back and forth in a tennis or ping pong match.

Bilateral stimulation “can re-associate the past traumatic memories with a relaxed state, rather than a distressed state,” adds Wang.

This seemingly simplistic technique can be tremendously impactful in uncovering and healing from your experience. “From the perspective of the therapist, it’s almost as if the client can get to the other side of a trauma they keep reliving or a ‘stuckness,’” saysAriana Cardozo, LCSW, a senior clinician certified in EMDR at Mountainside Treatment Center.

As you are recalling a distressful memory under the guidance of a therapist, your eyes move from left to right and then back in a rhythmic way to induce you to be in a conscious but relaxed state.—DR. DANA WANG

As you are recalling a distressful memory under the guidance of a therapist, your eyes move from left to right and then back in a rhythmic way to induce you to be in a conscious but relaxed state.

—DR. DANA WANG

Thenervous system-calmingtechnique “involves alternating stimulation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. This is often done through guided eye movements, auditory tones, or tactile sensations,” saysNilou Esmaeilpour, a registered clinical counselor at Lotus Therapy.

According to Esmaeilpour and Cardozo, bilateral stimulation can include:

Your therapist will control or instruct you on the speed and frequency of each activity. “The idea behind this stimulation is to mimic the natural process of the brain during the REM sleep phase, where traumatic memories might be processed,” says Esmaeilpour. “By alternating stimulation, therapists hope to help the brain reprocess traumatic or anxiety-provoking memories in a controlled and safe environment.”

EMDR and its specific techniques have shown success in treating anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, explains Esmaeilpour.

Like any form of treatment, results vary from person to person. “I have worked with clients who have felt the results are almost miraculous and clients who find it awkward and don’t want to engage in this modality at all,” says Cardozo.

Memories are not forgotten, but the emotional hold of the memories lightens.—ARIANA CARDOZO, LCSW

Memories are not forgotten, but the emotional hold of the memories lightens.

—ARIANA CARDOZO, LCSW

In cases where it’s found to be effective, the benefits are vast. According to Cardozo, bilateral stimulation can:

Bilateral stimulation is not the right fit for everyone and may produce the opposite of its intended effect. Without the proper guidance, you may feel exposed to the difficult event without benefiting from the experience.

Even when done effectively, you might experience temporary emotional discomfort due to these painful memories returning to the surface, adds Esmaeilpour.

So, when should you try bilateral stimulation for anxiety or other mental health symptoms? It should always be after the experience causing these feelings has ended.

“When they feel ready to process trauma, when they are stuck in specific emotions or behavioral patterns, when they want to be free from, and when they are “ready to do the work,’” says Cardozo. “A candidate for EMDR therapy should not be currently enduring a trauma if they want to effectively process and release trauma.”

Wang recommends exploring bilateral stimulation if other types of treatments or talk therapy alone isn’t proving to be beneficial. If you’re currently seeing a therapist, it can help to discuss this and other options with them. You might need to find a different mental health professional—one who is trained inEMDR—and it might require some time on a waitlist.

1 SourceVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Alliance on Mental Illness (2017).Anxiety Disorders. [online] Nami.org. Available at: https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Anxiety-Disorders.

1 Source

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Alliance on Mental Illness (2017).Anxiety Disorders. [online] Nami.org. Available at: https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Anxiety-Disorders.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (2017).Anxiety Disorders. [online] Nami.org. Available at: https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Anxiety-Disorders.

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