🧠 EMDR Therapy Mechanism Simulator

Memory Recall & Bilateral Target Tracking

Patient holds the traumatic image in mind while following a moving target.

• Eye Mvmt: Stimulation modality (placeholder detail)
• ~1 Hz: Target sweep rate (placeholder detail)
• 0–10: Initial SUD range (placeholder detail)
• ~60 min: Session length (placeholder detail)

Target-tracking setup

Therapist moves a target left-right in front of the patient.

Memory activation

Patient briefly holds the disturbing image, thought, and body sensation.

Baseline distress

A baseline SUD rating anchors progress across upcoming sets.

Placeholder key insight about baseline distress capture.

Bilateral Stimulation & Working Memory Taxation

Tracking the target competes with vivid sensory re-experiencing of the memory.

• High: Working memory load (placeholder detail)
• ~40%: Vividness reduction (placeholder detail)
• Dual-task: Task type (placeholder detail)
• Gradual: Emotionality drop (placeholder detail)

Competing resources

Eye tracking and memory recall draw on shared cognitive resources.

Vividness decay

Divided attention blurs image clarity and emotional intensity.

Set structure

Short stimulation sets alternate with brief patient check-ins.

Placeholder key insight about dual-task resource competition.

Memory Reconsolidation Window

Reactivated memories briefly destabilize and can be re-stored in altered form.

• Hours: Window duration (placeholder detail)
• Labile: Trace state (placeholder detail)
• Altered: Restabilization (placeholder detail)
• Diverge: Content vs. affect (placeholder detail)

Labile state

Retrieval unlocks the memory trace for temporary modification.

Dual-task interference

Bilateral stimulation biases how the memory is re-stored.

Re-storage outcome

Facts remain, but emotional coding shifts toward neutral.

Placeholder key insight about reconsolidation windows.

Progressive SUD Reduction Within Session

Each additional stimulation set nudges the distress rating further downward.

• 0–10: Sets per session (placeholder detail)
• Curved: SUD decline shape (placeholder detail)
• 0–1: Target end SUD (placeholder detail)
• Per set: Check-in frequency (placeholder detail)

Set-by-set rating

Therapist asks for a fresh SUD score after every set.

Diminishing distress

Distress typically falls fastest in the earliest sets.

Session endpoint

Sets continue until SUD plateaus near zero.

Placeholder key insight about within-session SUD decline.

Outcome Across Multiple Sessions

Across sessions the memory keeps its facts but loses emotional charge.

• 6–8: Sessions to stabilize (placeholder detail)
• Near 0: Long-term SUD (placeholder detail)
• Retained: Memory content (placeholder detail)
• Reduced: Emotional charge (placeholder detail)

Cumulative effect

Each session starts lower than the last on distress.

Content preserved

Factual memory details remain intact and recallable.

Charge dissipated

Emotional intensity fades toward a neutral baseline.

Placeholder key insight about cross-session desensitization.