Bilateral Music and Sounds for Relaxation

Calming ocean, rain, stream or wind that drifts slowly from ear to ear, with soft chimes on top and a timer. Relaxation audio, not EMDR therapy.

Adults Teens Calm & regulate Relaxation

3–20 minutesIn person and on video

Free interactive tool

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Use with care

Calming audio only.

Don't use it on your own to go over traumatic memories, and don't listen while driving. Keep the volume low.

How to play

Put on headphones and run the left and right test.
Pick a sound and soft tones if you like.
Set a timer and press Play. Close your eyes if you want.
When it ends, notice how tense you feel now.

About the technique

Bilateral audio alternates sound slowly between the left and right ear. The idea comes from EMDR therapy, where Francine Shapiro originally paired eye movements with recall of a traumatic memory (Shapiro, 1989) and practitioners later substituted alternating tones or taps. Here the sound is used in a different and much simpler way: as a calming background to help someone settle, not as a method for processing memories.

The evidence needs to be stated carefully. EMDR as a full protocol, delivered by a trained clinician with preparation and safeguards, is well researched and recommended in international guidelines (World Health Organization, 2013). A meta-analysis found that eye movements add a moderate effect when distressing memories are recalled (Lee & Cuijpers, 2013). Tones look weaker: in a study of patients with PTSD, eye movements outperformed alternating tones, and it was unclear whether tones added anything to recall alone (van den Hout et al., 2012). For bilateral sound used purely for relaxation there is no good research, so any calming effect should be understood as the ordinary benefit of slow, predictable sound and a few quiet minutes, rated as weak evidence.

Clients may find it useful before sleep, between sessions or as a short reset in a session. It is not EMDR, and it should not be used alone to go over traumatic memories; reprocessing belongs inside a structured treatment with a clinician. If memories or strong feelings surface while listening, stop and switch to grounding. Avoid using it while driving or doing anything that needs full attention.

For therapists: how to run it

Goal

A few minutes of calm, with tension lower after listening than before.

In session

Use it to close a session gently: send the link so it plays in stereo on the client's own headphones (screen-shared audio is often mono).
Run the left and right test first.
Afterwards ask what they noticed in their body.

As homework

Open the link, put on headphones and press Play for 5–10 minutes.
Rate how tense you feel before and after.
Tap Copy for my therapist, then paste it into your therapist's secure messaging (client portal) or bring it to your next session. Nothing you type is saved, so copy before closing.

Good to know

Slowly alternating left-right sound is widely used for relaxation. It is not EMDR therapy: EMDR is an eight-phase treatment done with a trained clinician, and listening to bilateral audio on your own does not treat trauma. All sounds are generated in your browser, so nothing downloads.

Worksheets that pair with this tool

Sources & credibility

Method: Calming bilateral (left-right alternating) audio
Developed by: Adapted from the auditory form of bilateral stimulation in EMDR (Francine Shapiro)
Approach: Relaxation
Evidence: Limited evidencePeople often find slow, alternating sound relaxing, but there is no good research on bilateral music by itself. EMDR therapy is well researched; this audio is not EMDR.

References

Background only (supports EMDR therapy, not bilateral audio on its own): Shapiro F. (1989). Efficacy of the eye movement desensitization procedure in the treatment of traumatic memories. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2(2), 199–223. Source
Lee, C. W., & Cuijpers, P. (2013). A meta-analysis of the contribution of eye movements in processing emotional memories. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 44(2), 231-239. Source
van den Hout, M. A., Rijkeboer, M. M., Engelhard, I. M., Klugkist, I., Hornsveld, H., Toffolo, M. J. B., & Cath, D. C. (2012). Tones inferior to eye movements in the EMDR treatment of PTSD. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 50(5), 275-279. Source
Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
World Health Organization (2013). Guidelines for the management of conditions specifically related to stress. Geneva: WHO. Source

How it was made

Built by the Mentalyc team from the original method and the published sources listed here. Nothing you enter is stored.

Questions people ask

Does bilateral music actually work?

Many people find slow left-right sounds relaxing, but research on bilateral music outside EMDR therapy is limited. Treat it as relaxation audio, not as a treatment for trauma.

Do you need headphones for bilateral music?

Yes. The left-right drift only works with stereo headphones or earbuds. Keep the volume low.

How long should I listen to bilateral music?

There is no set rule; 5 to 20 minutes is common for relaxation or winding down before sleep. Stop if it makes you feel dizzy or uneasy.

Is bilateral music the same as EMDR?

No. EMDR is a structured therapy delivered by a trained clinician, and bilateral stimulation is only one part of it. Bilateral music can feel relaxing, but there is little research on it as a standalone treatment.

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Michael Thompson, MSc

Michael's background combines doctoral training in clinical psychology with research on motivation, learning, and emotional regulation.

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