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When you tap EMDR in the call toolbar, the Configure modal opens on top of your video session with a preview of the scene. Your client’s screen shows that scene while you’re still choosing, and every change you make is visible on their side as you make it — worth knowing before you scroll through all sixteen backdrops in front of them.
Rivet remembers your last configuration. The modal opens pre-populated with the settings you used last time — so a returning client who wants the same BLS as last week is one tap to Start Set 1.

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Per-client saved settings

When the session is tied to a client in your records, Rivet can remember that specific client’s settings separately from your general defaults. If the client has saved settings, the modal shows a quiet caption — “Using this client’s saved settings” — and pre-fills the configuration from them. To save the current configuration as that client’s defaults, check Save as this client’s defaults before you start or apply changes. Leave it unchecked and saving works the way it always has — your practitioner-level defaults, not tied to any one client. If the session isn’t linked to a client record, this option doesn’t appear and nothing changes.

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Mode toggle — EMDR 2.0, Classic, and Flash

Top of the modal, mode pills. EMDR 2.0 is the default. Tap Classic or Flash — Beta to switch. Flipping the toggle resets every parameter to that mode’s defaults. If you’ve tweaked the rate or the sound and then flip modes, your tweaks are replaced — by design, so the mode swap is clean. EMDR 2.0 is a research protocol rather than an EMDRIA-adopted one; see The research behind EMDR for where it stands. Flash mode is a different technique entirely — see the Flash technique section below.

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Rate

The slider runs from 0.3 Hz to 2.0 Hz. A “cap 2.0 Hz” label sits at the right edge.
The 2.0 Hz ceiling is a hard cap, not a UI suggestion. It holds wherever the speed can be set — this slider, the stepper during a running set, and any stored setting. See Photosensitive epilepsy safety for why.
Useful reference points:
  • 0.3–0.7 Hz — slow. Used in early Phase 2 testing or when a client reports visual overwhelm at higher rates.
  • 1.0 Hz — Shapiro Classic baseline.
  • 1.5 Hz — EMDR 2.0 default. Midpoint of the de Jongh / Matthijssen published 1.2–2.0 Hz range.
  • 2.0 Hz — upper edge of clinical norm and of safety.

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Stimulus shape

Five options:
  • Dot — Shapiro Classic default. Maximum clinical familiarity.
  • Butterfly — EMDR 2.0 default. The EMDRIA-adjacent silhouette recognizable to EMDR-trained therapists.
  • Flame — a soft warm shape some clients prefer to a sharper geometric.
  • Star — a five-point shape with more visual texture.
  • Square — a clean geometric for clients who prefer neutral over symbolic.
All shapes render at the same pixel size and color regardless of the choice. See Visual bilateral stimulation for sizing and color.

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Modalities

Two pill toggles — V (visual) and A (audio). Tap to toggle either on or off. One has to stay on; turning off the last one puts visual back.
  • V is the moving stimulus. Turn it off for a client you’ve screened out of visual BLS and the set runs audio-only against a calm backdrop.
  • A is the tone, which sits in whichever ear the stimulus is currently on rather than merely moving at the same rate. See One movement, not three.
EMDR 2.0 expects multimodal stimulation. Classic defaults to visual only.

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Client phone haptics

A row further down the modal turns on taps in your client’s hand. Switch it on and a card appears on your client’s screen for them to scan with their phone’s camera — nothing to install on Android, a small Rivet companion on iPhone. Add a second phone issues a second code, so one phone can sit in each hand. A paired phone doesn’t run its own rhythm. It joins the one already running, so the taps land on the turns of the stimulus. Two phones hold opposite halves of the same rhythm without communicating with each other. While a set is running, a PHONE marker joins the stats pill so you can see at a glance whether a paired phone is still with you.

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Audio

A row of eight sound presets — Sine, Triangle, Soft drum, Chime, Click, Woodblock, Alpha drum, Tick. All are synthesized live in the browser; nothing is downloaded. See Auditory bilateral stimulation for what each sound is and when to reach for it. Below the preset, two values: the carrier frequency (default 250 Hz, clamped 200–450 Hz) and the audio volume slider.

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Path

Six motion paths:
  • Horizontal — classic left-right oscillation (default)
  • Vertical — top to bottom
  • Diag ↗ — bottom-left to top-right
  • Diag ↘ — top-left to bottom-right
  • Circle — continuous circular orbit
  • Figure 8 — figure-eight loop
Horizontal is the default for both modes and the most clinically familiar. The other paths are options for clients who report habituation or visual fatigue on horizontal.

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Sets

Two steppers — set count and set duration.
  • Set count — how many sets you plan to run before the session arc card closes the session. You can change this mid-session; the card respects the current count.
  • Set duration — clamped to 20 to 40 seconds in 5-second increments. Default is 30 seconds.
The label above reads “4 × 30s” — 4 sets, 30 seconds each.

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Photo backdrop

A horizontal row of 16 thumbnails — 8 gradient scenes plus 8 photo backdrops. Tap to apply.
  • Gradient scenes (no external fetch) — None, Indigo, Dark, Sunset, Forest, Ocean, Void, Warm
  • Photo backdrops — Forest, Ocean, Mountain, Sky, Lavender, Dawn, Lake, Dunes
See Backgrounds and scenes for which to pick when.

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Stim size + Audio volume

Two sliders side by side.
  • Stim size — 16 to 48 px. Default 32 px. The size of the stimulus within the frame, which scales to whatever screen your client is on.
  • Audio volume — 0 to 100%. Default 60%.

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Auto-vary toggle

Off by default. When on, the renderer applies small modulations to speed, size, and color brightness over the duration of a set — staying within clinical bounds at all times. Rationale: monotonous stimulation can let working memory habituate. Mild parameter variation keeps the dual-task engaging without leaving the clinical envelope. Engelhard / Littel working-memory taxation research is the backdrop.

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Dual-task prompts

EMDR 2.0 default is on, Classic default is off. When on, the running Workspace surfaces a panel with a dual-task prompt you read aloud during the set. See Dual-task prompts for the prompts, the five categories, and how to switch between them mid-set.

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SUD check-ins

A SUD check-ins control lets you choose how often the Workspace asks for a SUDS rating: Every set (the EMDR 2.0 default) or Baseline + end (the Classic default) — a check before Set 1, an optional check between sets, and a check at the end. Switching modes resets this to that mode’s default; you can override it either way. When Baseline + end is selected, the Start Set 1 button changes to Start — baseline first, so it’s clear a SUDS check happens before any stimulation begins. See The SUDS scale for exactly how each check-in works, and how optional VOC capture fits in.

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Flash technique (Beta)

Flash is a different technique from standard bilateral stimulation — select it from the mode toggle and the modal changes shape. Speed, path, stimulus shape, and audio rows disappear, because Flash doesn’t use a moving stimulus. In their place:
  • Positive engaging focus — a short text field where you note a calm, absorbing memory or image the client holds in mind. This stays on your device for the session only — it’s never saved to a Rivet server.
  • SUD check-ins are locked to Baseline + end — Flash captures a reading before you begin and one at the close, matching how the technique is run in practice.
During the running set, your client sees the positive-focus text on their screen — calm, steady type, no moving stimulus. When you’re ready for a blink, tap Flash on your overlay and a gentle cue plays on their side: the text pulses softly and a soft chime sounds. That’s the signal for the blink sequence you’re guiding verbally. See Practitioner controls for how the Flash button behaves during a session. Two buttons.
  • Cancel — saves your configuration and closes the modal without starting. The next time you tap EMDR, your settings are pre-loaded.
  • Start Set 1 — saves the configuration, closes the modal, and starts the first set. The Workspace transitions to the running state. If SUD check-ins is set to Baseline + end, this button reads “Start — baseline first” instead.
If the Workspace is already running and you open the modal mid-session, the Start Set 1 button changes to Apply changes — the running set inherits the new configuration the moment the next set begins.

Visual bilateral stimulation

Stimulus shapes, paths, sizing, and the 0.3 to 2.0 Hz speed range.

Auditory bilateral stimulation

Eight synthesized sound presets and the L↔R pan rate.

Photosensitive epilepsy safety

The 2.0 Hz cap, the first-use warning modal, and what to screen for.