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A complete EMDR equipment set should make the practical side of bilateral stimulation easier to understand. For clinicians comparing systems, it helps to know what each component does, how the parts connect and which options can be added later.

The Mangrove Inspired Simple EMDR Set is designed and built in Australia around one physical master controller. It supports visual, tactile and auditory bilateral stimulation without requiring Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or an external app.

The Master Controller

The controller is the centre of the system. It connects to the lightbar, two tactile tappers and optional stereo headphones or earbuds. Physical controls allow the practitioner to make adjustments without navigating an app or touchscreen.

The main adjustments include:

• Speed: changes the pace of the moving light and connected bilateral signals.
• Amplitude: adjusts the strength of the tapper vibration.
• Phase: changes the timing relationship between the lightbar, tactile and audio signals.
• Length: adjusts and automatically centres the light’s total path, up to 66 centimetres.
• Colour: provides a choice of ten lightbar colours.

A selector allows the clinician to choose 4, 20, 30, 40 or continuous sets. The Start/Stop button can also end a sequence before the selected number is complete. Separate Flash and Distract functions are available on the controller.

The RGB LED Lightbar

The slimline lightbar provides the visual pathway. Its moving point of light can be adjusted for colour, speed and travel length from the controller. The lightbar uses a standard quarter-inch mounting point, allowing it to attach to the supplied mounting system and compatible camera-style supports.

The set is supplied with an adjustable stand or tripod according to the package selected. The tripod option uses a mounting plate and quick-release lever so the lightbar can be attached and removed without repeatedly unscrewing the complete assembly. Confirm the included mounting option when ordering.

Two Tactile Tappers

Two hand-held tappers provide alternating tactile stimulation. Each connects directly to the controller by its own cable. The clinician can adjust vibration strength with the amplitude control, while indicator LEDs provide a visible reference to the alternating output.

Direct cable connections are a deliberate part of the system. There is no pairing procedure, wireless battery routine or dependence on a clinic’s internet connection. As with any client-contact component, the tappers should be introduced and adjusted according to the client’s comfort and the clinician’s training.

Stereo Audio Output

The controller includes a standard 3.5-millimetre stereo output for alternating audio. Clinicians can connect suitable stereo headphones or earbuds; headphones are not listed as a standard included component. A headset with its own volume control may offer convenient client-level adjustment.

Power Supply and Cables

The documented set includes a power supply, a stereo cable for the lightbar and two mono cables for the tappers. Standard cables are two metres long, and extension cables are available when a room layout requires additional reach.

An optional 12-volt battery pack can support work away from a fixed power outlet. Practitioners considering portable use should still plan cable routing, stable lightbar positioning and safe transport of every component.

Simple EMDR Set or Simple ABS Set?

Mangrove offers two related configurations. The Simple EMDR Set includes the visual lightbar and mounting solution, while the Simple ABS Set does not include a lightbar. Both use the same master-controller platform and provide tactile and stereo-audio capability. This shared controller means a practice can begin with ABS equipment and add the visual modality later.

The equipment supports—but does not replace—clinical skill

Visual, tactile and auditory stimuli are recognised forms of dual-attention stimulation used within EMDR therapy. The device supplies and controls those signals; the trained practitioner remains responsible for assessment, preparation, modality choice, pacing and response to the client.

For current inclusions, mounting choices and available accessories, review the Mangrove Inspired Simple EMDR Set or contact Mangrove before ordering.

Sources: Mangrove Inspired Simple EMDR Set product documentation and tripod instructions; EMDR Institute: Dual Attention Stimuli.

For trained health professionals. Product specifications and package inclusions may change; confirm current details before purchase. This article does not replace EMDR training, supervision, individual assessment or clinical judgement.

For a clinician familiar with EMDR, a lightbar, pair of tappers or set of headphones may feel straightforward. For a client seeing the equipment for the first time, it may be unfamiliar, highly visible and difficult to interpret. A clear introduction before the first set can reduce uncertainty and establish an important expectation: bilateral stimulation is something the clinician and client can discuss and adjust together.

EMDR is an eight-phase psychotherapy, and bilateral stimulation is used during part of the process rather than being the treatment in isolation. Depending on the clinical plan, sets may involve eye movements, taps or tones. The EMDR Institute notes that the type and length of sets can differ between clients. Explaining this context helps prevent the equipment from appearing mysterious or becoming the centre of the session.

Explain the purpose without overpromising

Plain language is usually more useful than a technical lecture. A clinician might explain that the stimulus will move or alternate from side to side while the client notices aspects of an experience, and that the clinician will pause regularly to check what the client observes.

It is also worth being precise about what the equipment does not do. A lightbar, tapper or audio signal does not conduct therapy by itself, decide what should be processed or replace case formulation, preparation and clinical judgement. Avoid promising a particular emotional response or outcome from a modality or setting.

Let the client experience the controls before processing

Where it fits the clinician’s training and protocol, a brief neutral demonstration can help the client understand what to expect. This may include showing how the light moves, how a tapper feels in each hand or how alternating tones sound through headphones before the equipment is used with distressing material.

The demonstration creates an opportunity to check practical comfort:

• Can the client see the full visual path without strain?
• Do the tappers feel comfortable to hold?
• Is the audio clear and at a tolerable level?
• Are glasses, hearing differences, pain, migraine, sensory sensitivities or mobility relevant?
• Does the client know how to signal that they want the stimulation paused?

These questions are not a substitute for assessment. They are a practical check that the chosen setup is understandable and tolerable before the work proceeds.

Make feedback part of the process

Clients may assume that once a setting has been chosen they should endure it without comment. The clinician can counter that assumption directly: speed, intensity, brightness, volume, modality and positioning may be discussed, and discomfort should be reported rather than pushed through simply because the device is running.

Agree on a simple pause signal and check that it can be used comfortably. During the session, observe more than verbal reports. Squinting, pulling away, tightening the grip, losing the visual target or becoming preoccupied with the equipment may indicate that the setup is adding demand. Any response still requires clinical interpretation rather than an automatic adjustment.

Consent is ongoing, not a single sentence

Australian psychologists practise under the Psychology Board of Australia’s Code of conduct, which sets expectations for professional behaviour and good care. Within an EMDR session, informed participation is supported by explaining what is proposed, providing a genuine opportunity for questions and remaining responsive as the client’s experience changes.

A client may prefer one modality during preparation and find it less suitable during a later session. They may also need a pause, a different setting or a return to preparation. Treating feedback as useful clinical information makes adjustment feel normal rather than like a failure by the client or the equipment.

Keep the technology in its proper place

The best introduction is often brief, calm and specific. The client should understand what they will notice, how they can communicate and who remains responsible for the clinical process. Once those foundations are clear, the equipment can do what well-designed equipment should do: provide dependable stimulation without competing with the therapeutic relationship.

Sources: EMDR Institute: What is EMDR Therapy? and Psychology Board of Australia: Code of conduct.

For trained health professionals. This article is general information and does not replace accredited EMDR training, supervision, informed-consent requirements, individual assessment or applicable professional standards.

EMDR sessions can generate a large amount of information: target details, ratings, shifts in affect and body sensation, bilateral stimulation settings, pauses, modality changes and closure decisions. The challenge is not to record every moment. It is to create a clear clinical record that supports continuity of care and explains the reasoning that mattered.

Australian health-record guidance emphasises records that are accurate, current, factual, objective and respectful. For EMDR practitioners, that principle can help distinguish useful documentation from a minute-by-minute equipment log.

Document the treatment, not just the device

Bilateral stimulation is one component within EMDR’s eight-phase approach. A note that records only “lightbar used” or “tappers used” says little about the therapeutic work. Depending on professional obligations, workplace policy and clinical relevance, a useful note may identify:

• the phase of treatment and purpose of the session;
• the target or agreed focus, described with appropriate regard for privacy;
• relevant assessment measures or client-reported ratings;
• the bilateral modality used—visual, tactile, auditory or a clinically relevant combination;
• material changes made in response to comfort, access or presentation;
• the client’s response and significant clinical observations;
• any departure from the planned approach and the reasoning for it;
• how the session was closed and the client’s state on leaving; and
• the plan for re-evaluation or subsequent work.

The purpose is to preserve the clinical thread. Another appropriately authorised practitioner—or the treating clinician returning to the record later—should be able to understand what occurred, why key decisions were made and what needs attention next.

Record settings when they are clinically meaningful

It is rarely helpful to transcribe every speed or intensity adjustment. Settings become worth noting when they influenced comfort, access, engagement or the clinical course. Examples might include changing from visual to tactile stimulation because visual tracking became difficult, reducing audio volume after client feedback, or altering positioning to accommodate pain or mobility.

Use the terminology of the actual system carefully. A number on one controller may not correspond to the same sensation or speed on another. If a setting is recorded, include enough context for it to be meaningful rather than assuming a bare number will explain itself.

Separate observation from interpretation

Objective language improves clarity. “Client looked uncomfortable” is less informative than recording the observable behaviour, the client’s report and the action taken. For example: the client reported visual fatigue and repeatedly lost the tracking point; stimulation was paused and the modality was changed following discussion.

Interpretation still belongs in the clinical record when relevant, but it should be distinguishable from observation and linked to the clinician’s assessment. Notes should remain respectful and avoid unnecessary or judgemental detail.

Protect privacy through relevance

A comprehensive record is not the same as an indiscriminate record. Include the information required for safe, accountable care while avoiding unrelated detail. Follow applicable privacy law, professional standards, organisational requirements and the practice’s policies for access, storage, correction, retention and disposal.

Templates can help with consistency, but they should support rather than replace thinking. A checklist that automatically records “tolerated well” may conceal important variation. The clinician still needs to document what was relevant for this client, in this session.

Use documentation to support re-evaluation

EMDR’s phase-eight re-evaluation depends on understanding what changed and what remains active. A concise record of the target, response, meaningful stimulation adjustments, closure and next-step plan gives the following session a clear starting point.

Good documentation does not make the equipment the story. It shows how the clinician integrated the equipment into an assessed, responsive and ethically accountable treatment process.

Sources: Ahpra: Managing health records, Psychology Board of Australia: Code of conduct, and EMDR International Association: The Eight Phases of EMDR Therapy.

For trained health professionals. This general information does not replace professional, legal, organisational or insurer requirements for clinical records, nor individual supervision or clinical judgement.

The final minutes of an EMDR appointment deserve as much attention as the stimulation that came before them. A target may still feel unfinished when the session must end. The clinical task is not to force a tidy conclusion; it is to close the appointment deliberately, check how the client is leaving, and make a clear plan for what to revisit next time.

Closure is part of the treatment, not an afterthought

EMDR therapy is commonly described as an eight-phase approach. The EMDR Institute identifies phase seven as closure and phase eight as re-evaluation at the next session. It describes self-calming skills developed during preparation and a record of related material that may emerge between appointments as parts of this transition. Read the EMDR Institute’s treatment description.

That framework is a useful reminder that a session does not have to finish with every target fully processed. The therapist’s responsibility is to respond to the client’s presentation, apply their training and established protocol, and leave enough room for an appropriate close.

Build a workable pause into the session

In practice, it helps to keep an eye on time before beginning another set of bilateral stimulation. As the session approaches its end, the clinician can pause the equipment, invite the client to orient to the present room, and check what they notice in their body and attention. The exact intervention should follow clinical judgement and the client’s needs, especially if distress or dissociation is present.

Simple, predictable equipment supports this transition. When controls are easy to pause and put aside, the clinician can turn their attention fully back to the person rather than spending the closing minutes navigating a device. That is a design consideration, not a claim that equipment itself provides clinical containment.

Make the next session easier to enter

Closure also creates a bridge to re-evaluation. Briefly note the target and any material that remains active, agree on how the client can use the self-calming strategies already practised, and explain how they can raise concerns between sessions under your practice’s usual arrangements. At the next appointment, check what has changed before deciding whether to continue with the same target or alter the plan.

This is not a script to apply identically to every client. It is a prompt to protect the end of the appointment as purposeful clinical time. The quality of an EMDR session is not measured by how many sets were completed; it also depends on how thoughtfully the work is held between one meeting and the next.

For trained clinicians. This article is general information and does not replace EMDR training, supervision, individual assessment, or local clinical protocols.