Let’s talk about interweaves. If you go in and try to interweave at the first sign of trouble then that’s you saying to your client, “You can’t handle this. It’s not okay for you to be experiencing pain. You can’t do this on you’re own. You should be getting better faster.” But the fact is, they survived it, and it is okay for them to have a strong emotional response to their pain. If you interweave at the first sign of trouble you are taking away the client’s much needed organic processing. EMDR increases a client’s overall autonomy, and the healing power is within them. EMDR is a self-healing therapy. They can get there. We hold the safe place. We trust the process of EMDR. We trust the client to find and accept their healing.
I often hear clients stress about interweaves and wanting to know which ones to use, or which ones to think of so they are best prepared. I tend to give the same answer: your rapport with the client and what is happening in the flow of the session determines which interweave to use. Also, remember that interweaves are only necessary when the client is stuck, looping, or to address an abreaction.
Wait at least three sets before you interweave. Just like we tell the client not to make anything happen make sure you as the therapist aren’t trying to make something happen with all your interweaves. One set is a typical, “go with that.” Two sets that are the same starts get sus. Three sets in a row with the same material is an indication that the client is stuck or looping and an interweave is needed to help them break out of it.
Creative interweaves don’t have to be intimidating. I know therapists can feel this pressure to have everything perfectly prepared in case the client experiences high emotional distress, but if you get to know your client, and are true to yourself, creative interweaves can be a time of artistic release that results in healing for your clients and confidence in your skillset for yourself. It’s also okay if you are wrong, or if the client does not accept the proposed interweave. “Cognitive interweave strategies must be used judiciously by a clinician who is willing to accept the client’s rejection of their suggestions, and who is willing to admit being wrong. Because EMDR processing appears to neither invalidate perceptions that are true nor add anything that is inappropriate, the cognitive interweave must be used in a flexible, exploratory way, so that clients feel free to voice any concerns or counterexamples that may have (Shapiro, EMDR 3rd Edition, pg 282). Meet the client where they are and be patient. Allow what happens to happen and hold onto the hope that your client will shift at the right time.
Trust the process.
Let them reprocess.
