Edible Bilateral Fixation Targets in Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Margherita-Right, Capricciosa-Left Saccadic Tracking Shortens Phase 4 Threefold and Reduces Body Mass — A Randomized Controlled Trial
Katsarava N.
Journal of Appetitive Reprocessing. 2026;4(3):e0144-e0162.
BAF shortened Phase 4 threefold (mean 42 to 14 minutes; p < 0.049, barely) and produced greater SUDS reduction than finger-tracking (Δ = −2.6). Saccadic velocity was higher toward the Capricciosa, scaling with topping count (r = 0.94), suggesting salience is carried by the toppings. Unexpectedly, BAF participants lost weight (mean −3.1 kg) across eight weeks spent looking rapidly at warm pizza they were not permitted to eat — attributable to sustained appetitive exposure without consummation and to the cardiovascular cost of brisk bilateral saccades. The participant who swapped the pizzas reprocessed nothing and gained 0.4 kg.
PMID: 81960726 · Cited by 3,880 ·Randomized Controlled Trial