Everyone’s done the wave before, right?
That’s what I usually ask my patients before explaining what it is and why we’re about to do it.
You might be thinking, “I didn’t train for years to do the wave. Anyone can facilitate a wave!” Well, at least that’s what I thought when my supervisor suggested it to me years ago.
But the wave is one of the most powerful interventions I’ve implemented in group therapy sessions. It’s not because the wave is a revolutionary technique or a solution to everything. It really, really matters how you present it and lead the experience.
I once started a 20-person group session with the wave and we ended up passing around an imaginary video camera that showed each person’s life 5 years into the future.
How did it end up there?!
Well, let me first describe how I typically facilitate this experience. It starts out as a simple wave, really. Each person’s arms go up and down in a ripple throughout the circle.
However, I don’t start it before having confirmation that every person in the room is joining. If anyone is resistant, I try to encourage them by saying, “your contribution to this wave is really important. Without you, it won’t be the same wave.” That usually does it, but if not, I just acknowledge to the group that so-and-so won’t be in the wave.
Anything I can make more certain, I will say it out loud and confirm with the participants. I must be very clear about where the wave is starting, which direction it’s going, and how many times it’s going around the circle before it stops. I let the group know that whoever starts the wave also stops the wave.
It’s usually not very exciting to start. If I’m implementing the wave, it’s typically because the participants are withdrawn and disconnected from each other. Gaining momentum takes time and organic build-up.
Sometimes it’s a total flop. It’s just too difficult to attune to each other and there is no ripple. It’s more like popcorn.
Most other times, it’s amazing! I layer the wave slowly and smoothly and everybody just comes alive.
It usually happens in 7 steps. Each step is separated by a quick pause for grounding, processing, and giving new instructions:
1. We go through the basic wave several times. We only move on when everyone is really responding to each other with more eye contact and collective flow. That’s when you’ll see the ripple effect.
2. I suggest that each person make a sound during his/her turn. Like, “wooo!” or, “heeey!” It can be any sound as long as it’s not outright offensive. If the group does not seem ready for the wide possibility of sounds, I ask them to say “yes” or “no” during their turn. I make sure to model different ideas with my own voice. The yes and no often turns into “NO WAY!” or “absolutely not!” or “YESSS!” or a nonchalant “yep.” I usually witness a collective letting go at this point.
3. Participants are now moving with more ease and I want them to take more leadership. I encourage someone else besides me to start the wave and I ask them to be clear about which direction it’s going.
4. I ask if there are any other movements we can do besides taking our arms up and down. We usually explore a few different ideas, but eventually, almost always, someone suggests passing the wave with snake arms (skip to 1:50).
5. I take the snake arms wave to the next level. “Now,” I let them know, “anyone can change the direction of the wave. When someone passes you the wave, you can keep it flowing in the same direction, OR you can reflect it back to the person who just gave it to you… In order to communicate this clearly, you have to turn your head and look at the person who you’re passing it to, and exaggerate the arm that is gesturing towards the person you’re passing it to.. like this.” Of course, I model it in movement.
6. You’ll know the group is ready to take this wave even further if they’ve been able to communicate really well in step 5. Now, we can pass this wave anywhere in the circle – across, diagonally, their choice!
7. The “wave” movement organically become so many other things. It might become a ball of energy, a volleyball, a boulder, fairy dust – you name it and it’s possible. I demonstrate possibilities by passing and catching this wave on different levels, with varying weights, and imagery that I provide. However, most of the time they initiate the imagery themselves. The level of trust that has built up by this time is so strong that it seems to come naturally.
Their imagination can go any number of ways and it’s usually an amazing experience to witness.
Let’s revisit the video-camera situation I shared in the beginning of this post. This happened through the most touching sequence of events. The participants weren’t just passing imaginary unknown objects to each other. They were passionately creating life for each other. For instance, one participant pretended to plant a sunflower that grew very tall and then she passed it to another group member. Another participant reached up towards the sun and passed “bits of sun” to someone else.
At the end, one member said he had a video camera. He wanted to pass it around in a circle to hear about their lives in 5 years. I had a sense that he wondered if anyone else had hope for the future. Each and everyone of them shared something to look forward to. It was a truly beautiful experience.
So, that is how something as simple as a wave can turn into something so powerfully therapeutic. It’s not easy. It takes a lot of steps and a group willing to be vulnerable enough with each other. But when it happens, I feel immensely grateful to be a dance therapist. I feel positive vibrations throughout my body and everything just feels right. I feel certain that deep human-to-human connection is the most important thing in this world.
So, if you feel ready and qualified, try it out- and if you’d like more intervention ideas, come book a supervision session with me!
This is beautiful. Bringing 20 people together in community to deeply and willingly explore using movement is fantastic. It is also a great example that there is so much creativity in each of us; some families encouraged creativity in children and others didn’t. Creativity still churns inside to be let free. I love this piece – very hopeful!
Absolutely. I’ve heard many people over the years say “I’m not a creative person.” But creativity isn’t necessarily a trait – it’s a skill that every single person can gain. We just have to activate that “muscle” and not let our fears get in the way!