This workshop covers the nature of trauma, the consequences of traumatic incidents, and the Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) technique, a one-on-one, highly-structured, yet person-centered approach to resolving the emotional charge contained in traumas and permanently eliminating their negative aftereffects in a brief amount of time. It also contains data on how past traumas may be triggered, and how unwanted feelings, emotions, sensations, attitudes, and pains ("themes") arising from past trauma may be traced back to their origins and eliminated. The workshop also teaches Unblocking a technique that is highly useful in preparing a client for TIR and for handling issues that are not directly trauma-related relationships. Unblocking can be applied to broad areas of life (e.g. "your self-esteem", "your career", "your relationship with your spouse", etc.).

The TIR Workshop presents a new paradigm of safety and effectiveness for helping others. Upon completing this training, a practitioner can expect to get good results applying what has been learned. It is recommended that the newly – trained practitioner do a post–workshop internship to quickly raise his⁄her level of skill and confidence. An internship may also be conducted long–distance.

Objectives:

As demonstrated through examination and supervised activities, the student will be able to:

• Explain the theory of the traumatic network
• Explain the theory and practice of Traumatic Incident Reduction
• Explain the theory and practice of Unblocking
• Describe clients for whom TIR is not appropriate
• Predict how reactivation (triggering) affects clients' everyday lives
• Utilize communication exercises to increase rapport with clients
• Describe unresolved traumatic incidents as incomplete activity cycles
• Apply Traumatic Incident Reduction to a successful result
• Apply Unblocking to a successful result
• Use these structured, directive techniques in a client-centered way

Outline:

1. Introduction to TIR
   1. What is Traumatic Incident Reduction?
   2. Circumstances calling for the use of TIR
   3. When you can't use TIR
   4. Present consequences of past traumatic incidents
   5. The nature of traumatic incidents
   6. Triggering of past traumas
2. Facilitation
   1. End Points
   2. Differences between TIR and other methods
   3. The Rules of Facilitation
   4. False memories
   5. Emotions, acute emotions as indicators
3. Communication Exercises
4. Preparing a Client for TIR
   1. Unblocking and when to use it
   2. Repeating instructions without variation
   3. Session outline
   4. Remedial Recall List
5. TIR Technique
   1. Assessing in TIR
   2. Finding items to address
   3. Basic TIR
   4. Thematic TIR
   5. End Points in TIR

This workshop is appropriate for all levels of practicing social workers, psychologists, therapists, counselors, clergy, and critical incident stress debriefers. See also Continuing Education

While appropriate for use in a therapeutic setting, and while its results may be viewed as therapeutic in nature, Applied Metapsychology, its methods, and techniques, are a form of highly disciplined and structured integrative education, which results in personal improvement. The structure and safety built into the subject make it well suited for community mental health and peer co-counseling. See also Applied Metapsychology: Therapy or Personal Growth? by Dr. Frank A. Gerbode and A Psychologist Addresses Potential Concerns of the Mental Health Community by John Durkin, Ph.D.