Holly Forman-Patel MFT

When I first got trained in EMDR therapy, I came very close to becoming one of the therapists who learned it… and then stopped using it.

At first, I was using EMDR with almost everyone. I was excited, I was practicing, and I was building experience.

And then somewhere along the way, I started pulling back.

Not because I did not believe in EMDR. I just did not feel confident enough actually using it with clients.

What helped me was continuing to learn, getting consultation, practicing, and building confidence over time instead of waiting until I felt completely ready.

And now I see the same thing with so many therapists after EMDR Basic Training. They know the protocol, but they are still hesitant to actually implement it.

That is exactly why I created a six-week program for therapists who finished Basic Training but still do not feel confident using EMDR consistently with their clients.

Six Weeks to a Confident EMDR Practice starts January 2.

Are you hesitant to start using EMDR therapy with your clients after Basic Training?

I remember feeling this way, and one of the things I eventually realized was that I was trying to control my clients’ reactions.

I wanted to make sure big feelings wouldn’t come up outside of session, that they wouldn’t become overwhelmed, and that I could anticipate everything that might happen.

But we cannot control every reaction a client has during or after EMDR reprocessing.

What we can do is assess readiness, provide appropriate resourcing and psychoeducation, and have the clinical skills to navigate and pivot when things do come up.

Learning to trust yourself to respond to what happens, rather than trying to prevent every possible reaction, is an important part of building confidence with EMDR.

If you finished EMDR Basic Training but still feel so unsure that you’re avoiding using it with your clients, I created a six-week program to help therapists build confidence actually implementing what they learned.

Six Weeks to a Confident EMDR Practice starts January 2. Registration opens October 15, and the waitlist is in my bio.

Thank goodness it’s October and almost my favorite holiday (Hollyween 🤣).

One reason some therapists hesitate to use EMDR therapy after Basic Training is the fear that reprocessing will get stuck and they will not know what to do next.
That fear can make it really easy to keep putting off using EMDR with your clients.
One of the first things I want you to remember when reprocessing feels stuck is: go back to target.

When a channel seems to have run its course or you are unsure where to go next, returning to the original target can help you see whether there is more material there, whether another channel opens, or whether the target has shifted.
You do not have to know every possible stuck point strategy before you start using EMDR. You need a few solid tools you understand well and the confidence to keep practicing.

If fear of getting stuck is one of the reasons you are not really using EMDR with your clients yet, I created a six-week program for therapists who finished EMDR Basic Training but still do not feel confident actually implementing what they learned.

Six Weeks to a Confident EMDR Practice starts January 2, and registration opens October 15.

If you join the waitlist, you’ll also get my new 40-minute training, Contain or Expand: Navigating the EMDR Therapy Reprocessing Continuum, free.

This can happen and it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong. Sometimes the relief at the end of a reprocessing session is so strong that the memory genuinely feels like a 0 in that moment.

Then the processing continues between sessions and new material, emotions, sensations, or associations can emerge. That is one of the reasons Phase 8 reevaluation matters so much. We want to check whether the treatment effects held and whether anything else came up that still needs attention.

Occasionally, a change like this can also be a sign that more dissociation is present, which is important to explore and may mean weaving in more advanced skills or other modalities.

A higher SUD at the next session does not automatically mean the previous session “didn’t work.” It gives us more information about what still needs to be reprocessed.

Three tips for using cognitive interweaves in EMDR therapy.

1. Only use one if it is needed

If reprocessing is moving, don’t get in the way. It is far more powerful when the client gets to the adaptive information themselves.

2. Know the stuck clinical theme
Is the stuck point about responsibility, belonging, safety, or power, choice, and control? Understanding the theme can help you choose an interweave that actually matches what is blocking processing.

3. Know whether the adaptive network is there or if one needs to be built

Sometimes the client already has the adaptive information and just needs help linking to it. Other times, that network may need to be built first.

Cognitive interweaves are not about jumping in with the “right” answer. They are about helping processing move when it is genuinely stuck.

If you recently finished EMDR Basic Training and using it still feels hard, that does not mean you are doing anything wrong.

Anytime we learn something new, there are going to be places where we get stuck, feel unsure, or need more practice before it starts to feel natural.

That is part of learning anything new, including EMDR therapy.

Keep going. Keep practicing. Keep asking questions. Talk with peers. Taking advanced trainings. Schedule a consultation.  You’ve got this.

And if you are finding that you are so unsure that you are avoiding using EMDR with your clients, I created a program called Six Weeks to a Confident EMDR Practice, which starts in January and was built to help you feel more confident actually implementing what you learned in Basic Training.

You’ll also get access to my 8 hour EMDR Refresher and my 3 hour Getting the Train Moving: When Reprocessing Gets Stuck training as part of the program.

Let me know if you have any questions and follow for more EMDR tips, treatment planning help, and practical support for actually using EMDR with your clients.