Free tool
Free EMDR light bar online
An EMDR light bar is a row of lights, or a single moving point, that your eyes follow from left to right and back. This free version runs in your browser. Choose a dot or a light bar, set the speed, and follow it for a few minutes to slow down and settle. It is a calming tool, not EMDR therapy.
Before you start
- This is a calming tool, not EMDR therapy. Use it to relax and focus, not to work through traumatic memories on your own.
- Stop if you feel dizzy, get a headache or eye strain, or start to feel distressed. Look around the room and name a few things you can see.
- If moving images bother you, or you have a vestibular or seizure condition, check with your doctor before using it.
- Do not use it while driving or doing anything that needs your full attention.
Tick the box above to turn on the tool.
How to use it
- Sit comfortably with the screen at eye level, about an arm's length away. On a phone, turn it sideways and use full screen for a wider sweep.
- Choose the moving dot or the light bar, and a colour and size that are easy on your eyes.
- Start slow, around 30 to 40 passes per minute, and adjust until it feels comfortable.
- Follow the light with your eyes only. Keep your head still and breathe slowly.
- After a few minutes, stop, look around the room, and notice how you feel.
Why eye movements
Eye movements were the first form of bilateral stimulation in EMDR. Francine Shapiro described them in her first study of the method, published in 1989. In therapy, a counsellor traditionally guides them by moving a hand back and forth across the client's view, and light bars were later made to do the same job.
One leading explanation for why eye movements help in EMDR therapy is working memory. Following a moving target while holding a memory in mind draws on the same limited mental resources, which can make the memory feel less vivid and less intense. In laboratory studies, eye movements taxed working memory more than beeps did.
Those findings are about eye movements used inside a structured therapy, with preparation and a trained therapist. Following a dot on your own is a way to slow down and focus, not a treatment.
When to work with a therapist
If a memory, a reaction or a pattern keeps pulling you back, that is work to do with support rather than alone. EMDR with a trained counsellor includes preparation, pacing, and a steady close to every session.
Mahsa Hamedanizadeh, MCP, RCC, has completed EMDRIA-approved EMDR training. She offers the full EMDR process in person in Langley or by secure video anywhere in British Columbia, in English or Farsi.
Questions about the EMDR light bar
- What is an EMDR light bar?
- A device with a row of lights that turn on one after another, left to right and back, so your eyes can follow a steady sweep. EMDR therapists use them to guide eye movements during sessions. This page reproduces the effect on screen.
- Can I do EMDR on myself with a light bar?
- No. EMDR therapy is a structured treatment with preparation, assessment and a safe close to each session, led by a trained therapist. A light bar on its own gives you the eye movements without the therapy around them. Use it to relax, and do trauma work with support.
- How fast should the light move?
- Start slow, around 30 to 40 passes per minute, and go faster only if slow feels sluggish. A comfortable speed is one your eyes can follow smoothly without straining.
- Should I use the moving dot or the light bar?
- Whichever is easier on your eyes. The dot is a single smooth target; the light bar shows the whole path and lights the point you are on.
- What does the tone option do?
- It plays a soft tone in the left ear when the light reaches the left edge, and in the right ear at the right edge. Use headphones for the left and right effect.
- What if I feel dizzy or get a headache?
- Stop, look at something still in the room, and rest your eyes. Try again later at a slower speed, or use the bilateral sounds instead, which need no eye movement at all.
Sources
- Shapiro, F. (1989). Efficacy of the eye movement desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2(2), 199 to 223.
- van den Hout, M. A., and Engelhard, I. M. (2012). How does EMDR work? Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 3(5), 724 to 738.
- van den Hout, M. A., and colleagues (2011). EMDR: Eye movements superior to beeps in taxing working memory and reducing vividness of recollections. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 49(2), 92 to 98.
Talk to someone about EMDR
Free, by phone, with no obligation. Ask whether EMDR fits what you are carrying, and whether online or in person suits you better.
Or get in touch with a question first.