Bas Oppenheim

Utrecht, the Netherlands

Bas Oppenheim

I studied psychology and philosophy and now build software, mostly for mental health.

I founded Apps for the Living in 2021. I research, design, program and support the products myself, usually in consultation with therapists and researchers.

Bas Oppenheim

Selected work

EMDR software

The EMDR app

Therapists use the EMDR app to provide visual, auditory and tactile stimulation during EMDR sessions. It has no self-guided trauma protocol. The app supplies the stimulation; the therapist remains responsible for treatment.

It is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro , and on Android . It was available on Apple Vision Pro from the platform’s launch day in February 2024. As of July 2026, a native Windows version is in testing. EMDR Connect lets a client join a remote session in a browser.

The EMDR app connected to Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers
Nintendo controllers can provide alternating vibrations. I reverse-engineered their Bluetooth protocol so the app can use them. Photo by Lyanne Sijbers

  • Assistive Access

    In a March 2026 review of more than 100 third-party apps, the EMDR app was the only app we found with a dedicated Assistive Access interface. Its interface is localized in 18 languages, all with VoiceOver support. Open the public register Implementation notes

  • Local control

    A therapist can control the app on a nearby device without an internet connection or account.

  • Native interfaces

    I design and develop a separate native interface for each platform.

CBT app

Thought Records

Guides people through a structured CBT thought record. Entries are stored in the user’s private iCloud database; I cannot read them.

Apple Vision Pro app

Our Focus

A focus timer for Apple Vision Pro. It can connect people who are focusing at the same time, without adding a chat or social feed.

Writing

Posts are occasional.

About

From 2019 to 2021, I worked at SD-Insights as a human-factors engineer and R&D Scrum Master, researching and designing NEXTdriver’s coaching app and management dashboards with the development team.

MSc Health Psychology & Digital Interventions (Erasmus University Rotterdam); BSc Psychology and BA Philosophy (University of Amsterdam).

I have hosted three master’s students from Erasmus University’s Health Psychology & Digital Interventions programme. In 2026, the third placement combines a practical internship with a master’s thesis on therapists’ use of the EMDR app.

Outside software, I make music and films.

Contact

You can contact me about research, product collaborations, interviews or talks.

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