Sleep Restore vs EMDR Therapy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sleep Restore
This app uses bilateral stimulation, inspired by EMDR therapy, to help reduce stress and anxiety-related insomnia. It offers guided sessions and personalized recommendations to promote natural sleep. Ideal for those struggling with sleep due to PTSD, medical issues, or general worry.
- Bilateral stimulation for stress reduction
- Guided meditations, music, and natural sounds
- Sessions for falling asleep and returning to sleep
- Overcoming worry and tension
- Personalized recommendations
- Customizable playlists
- Indefinite session looping
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Uniquely designed for sufferers of stress-related insomnia, this app harnesses the power of bilateral stimulation (bls) to turn off tension and worry and restore normal sleep functioning. Bilateral stimulation is a treatment element of EMDR therapy, a psychological treatment method which harnesses your brains ability to process sensory information to de-activate the physical and mental distress which inhibits sleep. The resulting normalization of brain activity creates the conditions for sleep to happen, naturally and effortlessly. If you suffer from insomnia related to PTSD, medical problems or just general stress and anxiety this app is for you. This app works best with a good internet connection and headphones. Key Features - 6 sessions of guided meditations, music, natural sounds and bls, + 10 = 16 sessions, over 5 hours listening (premium version only) - Different sessions for ‘getting to sleep’ and ‘getting back to sleep’ - Different sessions for overcoming worry and tension, the 2 main causes of insomnia - Individualized recommendations based on sleep assessment questionnaire results - Ability to create individualized playlist - Ability to loop sessions indefinitely Plus: - 6 x unique sleep hacks for stressed people (premium version only) - Selected inspiration quotes to counteract negative attitudes and beliefs that might be contributing to your insomnia - Assessment Questionnaire indicates whether you might be suffering from a more serious sleep disorder
EMDR Therapy
This app simulates EMDR therapy using advanced digital techniques. It guides users through bilateral stimulation with visual, auditory, and vibration cues to help process distressing memories and reduce their emotional impact. Recommended by mental health professionals, it aims to aid recovery from trauma, depression, PTSD, and anxiety.
- Simulates EMDR therapy techniques
- Bilateral stimulation (visual, auditory, vibration)
- Guided processing of distressing memories
- Aids recovery from trauma and anxiety
- Customizable settings for user preference
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This application uses many advanced digital technics and simulates EMDR therapy. EMDR is a technique recommended by psychotherapists and Psychologists. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched psychotherapy method proven to be effective and help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences which are including depression, PTSD, panic disorders, anxiety. The American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs/Dept. of Defense, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the World Health Organization among many other national and international organizations recognize and recommend EMDR therapy as an effective treatment. First, put on your headphones, think of a traumatic and disturbing event. Follow the ball in the EMDR tool, focus on the transition of sounds in your left and right ears, and feel the vibrations. Thus, the effect of traumatic disturbing events that will provide the data flow between the right and left brain as in REM sleep will decrease. Focus on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. While you bring the details of that memory to mind, This tool will guide you through a series of side-to-side eye movements, auditory (with direction), and vibrations. As you learn to process the memory and related feelings it brings up, you’ll gradually be able to reframe that memory in a more positive light. Use three types of BLS: visual, auditory (with direction), and vibrations and modify your settings to suit your preferences. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy developed by Francine Shapiro in the 1980s that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In EMDR, the person being treated recalls distressing experiences whilst doing bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movement or physical stimulation, such as tapping either side of the body. According to the theory behind the approach, traumatic and painful memories can cause post-traumatic stress when you don’t process them completely. Then, when sights, sounds, words, or smells trigger those unprocessed memories, you re-experience them. The 2013 World Health Organization (WHO) practice guideline states that EMDR "is based on the idea that negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are the result of unprocessed memories. The treatment involves standardized procedures that include focusing simultaneously on spontaneous associations of traumatic images, thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations and bilateral stimulation that is most commonly in the form of repeated eye movements. This re-experiencing leads to the emotional distress and other symptoms recognized as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). EMDR aims to reduce symptoms of trauma by changing how your memories are stored in your brain. In a nutshell, an EMDR therapist does this by leading you through a series of bilateral (side-to-side) eye movements as you recall traumatic or triggering experiences in small segments, until those memories no longer cause distress.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: EMDR Therapy at none against Sleep Restore's 1. EMDR Therapy also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). Sleep Restore's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Sleep Restore sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. EMDR Therapy asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Sleep Restore against 4.3 for EMDR Therapy. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 15 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Sleep Restore's written reviews are positive against 89% of EMDR Therapy's.
Sleep Restore ships an update every 2 months, EMDR Therapy every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sleep Restore | EMDR Therapy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (34 ratings) — better | 4.3 (15 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.3% of reviews | 88.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | 15 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 108 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | trauma and pain management services pty ltd | Ahmet Emre Kilinc |
Customer experience
Sleep Restore
EMDR Therapy
In-app purchases
Sleep Restore
- Premium Access$7.99
EMDR Therapy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sleep Restore free?
Is EMDR Therapy free?
Which has better reviews, Sleep Restore or EMDR Therapy?
Do Sleep Restore or EMDR Therapy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sleep Restore or EMDR Therapy?
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