Bilateral Stimulation
Tactile Bilateral Stimulation
Tactile bilateral stimulation delivers alternating physical sensations — taps, buzzers or self-tapping — during EMDR reprocessing.
Reviewed by the BilateralSync clinical team · Updated · 4 min read
Introduction
Tactile bilateral stimulation delivers alternating physical sensations on the two sides of the body — traditionally the therapist tapping the client's knees or hands, or the client using hand-held buzzers. Self-tapping variants such as the Butterfly Hug (Artigas & Jarero) are also widely used.
Evidence summary
Tactile BLS is included in the EMDR standard protocol as an accepted modality. Direct comparative trials are fewer than for visual and auditory BLS, but the working-memory account predicts similar mechanistic contribution.
Clinical use
Online, therapist-delivered tapping is not possible, but self-tapping and the Butterfly Hug remain useful — especially for grounding and resource installation. BilateralSync users often combine visual BLS on the client screen with instructions to self-tap on the shoulders in rhythm, giving a multimodal dual-attention task.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I do tactile BLS online?
- Have the client self-tap on their knees, shoulders (Butterfly Hug) or thighs in rhythm with a visual or auditory pacer displayed by BilateralSync.
References
- Artigas, L. & Jarero, I. (2014). The Butterfly Hug.
Related articles
Bilateral Stimulation
What is Bilateral Stimulation?
Bilateral stimulation (BLS) is alternating left–right sensory input used in EMDR therapy. Learn what it is, how it works and how clinicians use it.
Bilateral Stimulation
Visual Bilateral Stimulation
Visual bilateral stimulation is the classical BLS modality in EMDR — a moving target the client tracks with their eyes. Learn how it is used and configured.
Bilateral Stimulation
Auditory Bilateral Stimulation
Auditory bilateral stimulation uses tones alternating between the left and right ear. Learn how stereo BLS is used in EMDR and how to configure it online.