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The visual modality is the default and most familiar form of bilateral stimulation. The set runs inside the session, with both of you in frame the whole time — there’s nothing for your client to install and nowhere else for them to go.
The visual speed is hard-capped at 2.0 Hz. The cap holds wherever the speed can be set — the Configure modal, the stepper during a running set, and any stored setting — and it can’t be raised. See Photosensitive epilepsy safety.

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Stimulus shapes

Five shapes — nothing extra to download. All shapes render at the same configured pixel size and color regardless of which one you choose. The shape is a stylistic preference, not a clinical parameter.

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Motion paths

Six paths control the trajectory of the stimulus across the canvas.
  • Horizontal — left to right oscillation. The default and most clinically familiar pattern. Matches the eye movement Shapiro’s original protocol used.
  • Vertical — top to bottom oscillation. Useful for clients who report visual fatigue on horizontal or who track vertical more comfortably.
  • Diagonal ↗ — bottom-left to top-right.
  • Diagonal ↘ — top-left to bottom-right.
  • Circular — continuous circular orbit around the center of the canvas.
  • Figure 8 — figure-eight loop.
The diagonals, circular, and figure-8 paths are options for clients who report habituation on a single axis. Clinical norm is horizontal; the others are tools to keep in your back pocket.

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Speed

The rate slider runs from 0.3 Hz to 2.0 Hz. The values you’ll reach for most often: The 2.0 Hz cap is enforced because sustained visual flicker above ~3 Hz can trigger photosensitive seizures in susceptible individuals (WCAG flicker guideline). 2.0 Hz sits comfortably below that threshold and also stays within EMDR clinical practice norms — every published EMDR and EMDR 2.0 protocol stays at or below 2 Hz.

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Size

The stim-size slider runs from 16 to 48 px. Default is 32 px. This is the size of the stimulus within the frame, not on any particular screen. The frame scales to whatever your client is on, so a 32-px butterfly reads the same relative size on a phone, a tablet, and a laptop. Larger sizes (40–48 px) read well on phones; smaller sizes (16–24 px) suit desktop screens at typical viewing distance.

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Color

The stimulus reads white against the backdrop, with a small indigo accent — high contrast, and legible across screens and lighting conditions.

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Auto-vary

A toggle in the Configure modal. When on, speed, size, and brightness each vary slightly over the course of a set — staying strictly inside the clinical bounds. Auto-vary cannot push the speed above 2.0 Hz or the size above 48 px. Rationale: monotonous stimulation lets working memory habituate. Mild variation keeps the dual-task engaging. Grounded in Engelhard / Littel working-memory taxation research. Default is off in both modes. Turn it on for sets where you want a less predictable visual envelope.

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Changing the visual mid-set

Nudge the speed during a set and the movement picks up the new pace on the next pass — no restart, no reload, no gap. The sound and any paired phone land on the same pass, because they come from the same movement rather than following it. See One movement, not three. Shape, path and backdrop change from the Configure modal and take effect when the next set starts, so a set never changes shape underneath your client. If the connection degrades mid-set, stop the set yourself. A set runs its own timer regardless of what the connection is doing — Rivet won’t stop it for you, and stimulation your client is receiving while you can’t see them isn’t stimulation you’re running.

Auditory bilateral stimulation

The audio modality — eight sound presets, L↔R panning, frequency, and volume.

Backgrounds and scenes

Eight gradient scenes and eight photo backdrops to settle the visual field behind the stimulus.

Photosensitive epilepsy safety

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