Even with a good setup, remote sessions occasionally hit a snag. The good news is that the same handful of problems come up again and again, and each has a straightforward fix. Here are the seven most common issues in remote EMDR and how to sort them out, without any blame attached. Technology hiccups; what matters is knowing the quick fix so a session stays on track.
Keep this list handy. Most of these you can solve in under a minute once you know where to look.
1. The dot animation looks choppy
If the moving dot stutters or lags on your client’s screen, the usual culprit is screen sharing. When you share your CloudEMDR screen through a video call, the platform sends your client a compressed video of your screen, and fast movement is exactly what compression handles worst.
The fix is to use a Pro Remote Session instead. Rather than sharing your screen, you send your client a link, and the dot animates smoothly on their own device with no compression in the way. Our guide on setting up a remote session walks through it step by step.
Most remote problems trace back to screen sharing
Choppy animation and visible controls, two of the most common complaints, both come from sharing your screen. A Remote Session link solves both at once: the client gets a smooth dot and never sees your controls.
2. The client can’t hear the bilateral sound
If bilateral sound isn’t reaching your client, work through these in order:
- Headphones. Make sure your client is wearing them. Laptop speakers can’t reproduce the left-right panning that makes bilateral audio work.
- Tab audio. In a Remote Session, the sound plays on the client’s own device, so check the volume is up and their device isn’t muted.
- Which end plays the sound. Decide whether the sound comes from your side of the call or the client’s, and confirm they can actually hear it in both ears before you begin.
A quick “can you hear the sound clearly in both ears?” at the start saves a lot of mid-session fiddling.
3. The client can see your controls
If your client can see the speed sliders, sound options, and buttons, you’re sharing your screen. Seeing the controls can distract a client and pull them out of processing.
A Pro Remote Session fixes this by design: the client’s screen shows only the moving dot, while you keep all the controls on your side. It’s one of the main reasons Remote Sessions exist.
4. The video call covers the dot
In a Remote Session your client sees only the dot, which is what you want, but it means the video window can end up hidden behind it, and then they can’t see you.
Most video platforms have a “keep on top” or picture-in-picture setting that pins the video window above everything else, so your client sees the dot and your face at the same time. We walk through it in our FAQ on keeping the video call visible. Set this up with your client in the first minute rather than mid-session.
5. The connection keeps dropping
Dropped calls are frustrating, and the real fix is preparation. Before the session, agree a backup channel with your client, usually a phone number, so that if the video drops you can reconnect calmly instead of scrambling.
On the technical side, a wired internet connection is more stable than Wi-Fi, and closing bandwidth-heavy apps helps. Our tech setup guide covers building a more reliable connection. If a drop happens mid-set, reconnect, ground your client, and only continue once they’re settled.
6. The client’s device is too small
Sometimes a client is on a small laptop or a phone, and the dot feels cramped or hard to follow at the default size.
CloudEMDR’s size slider adjusts the dot to suit the screen. Make it larger for a small display so the client can track it comfortably without straining. Ask your client how it looks on their end and adjust based on what they tell you, since you can’t see their screen directly.
Let the client be your eyes
In a Remote Session you can't see the client's screen, so a couple of quick questions, "is the dot a comfortable size?" and "can you follow it easily?", let you tune the settings to their device before you start.
7. There’s an echo or feedback on the call
An echo usually means someone’s microphone is picking up sound from their own speakers. The fix is almost always headphones on both ends. With headphones, the audio goes straight to each person’s ears instead of leaking back into the mic.
Headphones solve echo and enable proper bilateral sound at the same time, which is why they’re the single most useful thing to ask your client to have ready. Our teletherapy tech setup guide goes into the audio side in more detail.
When in doubt, prepare ahead
Notice how many of these fixes are really about preparation: using a Remote Session link, wearing headphones, agreeing a backup channel, and checking settings in the first minute. Run through our pre-session checklist before each session and most of these problems never come up at all.
And when something does go wrong mid-session, stay calm and matter-of-fact about it. Your client takes their cue from you. A brief “let’s just sort the sound out” handled without fuss keeps the session grounded and moving.
Fix the common problems for good
A Pro Remote Session solves choppy animation and visible controls in one step: your client gets a smooth, controls-free dot through a simple link, while you keep the controls and a session timer. The first three weeks are free.