Bilateral Stimulation

When you’re anxious, you tend to use limited parts of your brain – you get stuck in a neural feedback loop, replaying a vortex of imagined tragedy. However accessing under-used brain areas helps you pull yourself out of the emotional spiral to the present, safe moment.
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An easy way to do that is with bilateral stimulation. You use both sides of your brain by creating or honing in on rhythmic left-right patterns through:

• Visual tracking
• Listening
• Moving
• Touching

Many energy medicine techniques incorporate bilateral stimulation. And EMDR* (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) uses it to heal post-traumatic stress issues.

Bilateral stimulation** helps you to:

1. Relax, decreasing your body’s agitation
2. Become more flexible in your attention, rather than stuck imagining the worst
3. Distance yourself from feeling the problem is happening now
4. Decrease worry

​​​​​​​These are not only good ways to reduce anxiety, they’re pathways to rest…and sleep.