Applied Metapsychology is a method of helping people derived from principles established by such renowned psychologists as Ivan Pavlov, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Rogers. The subject is built on a series of highly disciplined and structured techniques that have been practiced by therapists and facilitators for over 25 years, and has proved highly effective at reducing the stresses of intense emotional experiences for a wide range of people, as well as bringing about personal growth and development. Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) is one of many effective techniques in the subject of Applied Metapsychology (AMP).
The subject is recognized by several prestigious professional associations in the U.S., Canada and around the world.
“Meta” means “beyond”. The term metapsychology, coined by Freud, has been defined by Frank A. Gerbode, MD (developer of the subject) as follows: “The science that unifies mental and physical experience. Its purpose is to discover the rules that apply to both. It is a study of the person, his/her abilities, and experience, as seen from his/her own point of view. It goes beyond the study of behavior to the study of that which behaves, the person him or herself, and the person’s perceptual, conceptual, and creative activity.”
Applied Metapsychology then, (AMP for short), is the application of structured techniques within a generally person-centered context, designed to permit a person to examine his or her: life, mind, emotions, experiences (including traumatic experiences), decisions, fixed ideas, and successes, with the aim of resolving areas of emotional charge and returning to a more productive and satisfying life.
In other words, you are at the center of the work when you embark upon the adventure of applying this subject.
What is “viewing”?
Viewing is an essentially educational activity in which you, the viewer (the client), inspect some aspect of your life. This work is considered educational in nature because the knowledge, realizations and insights come from you, from the inside, rather than being evaluated for you, or given to you from outside yourself. Your job in a viewing session is the most important one, because only you know your own mental and emotional world. This is person-centered work.
Your partner in this process is your facilitator – who uses:
- A structured form of communication
- Rules built on a paradigm that establishes safety and confidentiality
- Tested, proven techniques
to assist you to look at troublesome areas of your life.
What is a “facilitator”?
A practitioner of Applied Metapsychology is referred to as a facilitator rather than as a “therapist” or “counselor” because these terms imply that something is done by one person to another, which is not the case in viewing. Also, because of the educational nature of the subject, not all Applied Metapsychology facilitators are licensed therapists or counselors. (See also Professional Training)
An Applied Metapsychology facilitator is defined as: a person using the process of viewing to help another; a person who helps another to perform the actions of viewing.
In other words a facilitator’s function is to help the viewer to view his/her world and thereby to alleviate the emotional charge contained therein.
What is an “end point”?
An end point is the point at which the cycle connected with an activity has been successfully completed. This is the point at which the activity should be ended.
In Applied Metapsychology, an end point occurs when you are satisfied that the area, incident or issue being addressed is complete. One area of life might produce many end points before complete resolution, but each aspect that is addressed, each technique used to address it, goes to its own smaller end point, until the whole area is complete to your satisfaction.
The end point of any activity always includes an improvement in emotional state and an unsticking of attention, bringing one more fully into the present, and often includes a realization and/or new viewpoint on the area being addressed.
This is the point at which a successful viewing session is finished/ended. This unique protocol is one of the more prominent that sets TIR and related techniques apart from other methodologies, and is a key piece to its effectiveness and success.
It is important for you as a viewer to be aware of this and to schedule sufficient time for your sessions to be taken to an end point. One and half to two hours is about average, though the sessions can be much longer or shorter than that. After you have some experience, you and your facilitator will often have a better idea of what is a normal session length for you. Session length also depends upon the severity or complexity of what is being addressed.