BLS XR

This project develops an RT3D bilateral stimulation application based on EMDR to support trauma treatment through immersive extended reality environments. By enabling global digital access to evidence-based care, it aims to transform a clinically validated practice into a scalable and widely accessible therapeutic tool.

Partners

  • Metagate


    Metagate is an Italian startup that develops experiences and applications in Mixed Reality (XR) for headsets and smartglasses. We design interactive solutions that blend real and digital for training, culture, events, and new immersive services, focusing on rapid prototyping, user experience, and distribution on consumer and professional platforms.

    Website 

  • Tiarè

    Founded in 2000, the Tiarè Association integrates approaches and care models in adolescent psychopathology. It has developed a community-based clinical model in partnership with managing organizations, gaining experience across the various areas of developmental distress. Today it offers clinical intervention, training, and consultancy.

    Website 

  • Soleterre

    Fondazione Soleterre was founded in 2002 to protect the psycho-physical well-being of people in vulnerable conditions, in Italy and worldwide. It promotes the right to health as a common good, combating economic, social, and gender inequalities. It carries out socio-health projects, strengthens local organizations, and gives voice to health injustices with data and testimonies.

    Site 

BLS XR is a Mixed Reality bilateral stimulation application grounded in the EMDR approach, designed to support trauma-focused care through a real-time 3D (RT3D) experience on Meta Quest 3/3s. It matters because access to specialized trauma care is often constrained by cost, distance, and limited availability of trained services; the project brings a structured, supervised-capable tool into XR to reduce these barriers.

The concept is easy to understand: alternating left/right stimulation helps reduce the psychophysical impact of traumatic memories; here it is delivered through a Unity-built MR interface with configurable stimulus patterns and guided session flows.

The innovation is not “reinventing EMDR,” but enabling XR-specific advantages—precise parameter control, supervision-ready modes, and measurement-ready outputs. The roadmap is defined by three milestones:

  1. scientific validation (to test whether XR delivery presents differences in efficacy compared to existing literature on the use of EMDR under standard conditions, and whether measurable, repeatable patterns can be identified),
  2. in-person testing in Italy using shared-room multiplayer (two people in the same physical room) to refine UI/UX and supervised workflows, and
  3. international scalability via remote multiplayer (different locations, shared session via avatars) and simultaneous multilingual guidance, with future porting to additional headsets.