Traumatic Incident Reduction Association

TIRA eNotes – April 2020 (No. 21)

The Value of Assessing Readiness

Common sense tells us that assessing a client’s readiness to face up to past traumas needs to be a key step in any client-centered approach.  Traumatic Incident and related techniques provide a safe and client-centered space for someone to do this work, to face the traumas and come out the other side, free of the past effects of those past difficult experiences.  Even given the safety of the TIR/Applied Metapsychology model, we need to take care to plan for the best possible outcome.

Practitioners of TIR and related techniques do an intake session as the first step in working with a new client.  This initial action may be long or short, depending on the circumstances, and provides important information from which a case plan can be made.  The practitioner asks questions to gather information about the client’s general life situation, what they hope to achieve, and the areas of life that they most want to address.  The case plan developed from this data gives us a roadmap, as it were, from where the client starts toward a place of comfort and control of their own life.

We know that past traumas can have a large effect on someone’s quality of life.  What do we do if a client is not physically or emotionally ready to face up to these traumas?  What do we do if they are unwilling to “go there”?

First of all, we need to acknowledge that TIR is not for everyone.  There are circumstances that rule it out, such as situations where a potential client is unable to focus and stay with the method to achieve the desired end result.  (This is covered in the initial training level in the subject, the Traumatic Incident Reduction Workshop.)

That said, by far the majority of people are able to do TIR successfully, either immediately, if ready, or later, after unburdening some emotional charge and gaining strength and confidence by doing various lighter techniques.   (It is important to note that the lighter techniques produce case progress in themselves. They do not exist merely to bring about a readiness to address traumas.)

One of the great strengths of Applied Metapsychology (including TIR) is that it allows each of us to go at our own speed.  It gives us a path toward a happier state of being, achieved by reaching success points (“end points”) on relationships, situations, and incidents in our lives as we go.  As we unburden more and more, our ability to face up to difficult memories increases.

Key decision points in Applied Metapsychology sessions belong to the client:

  • What to address in a particular session
  • Whether a specific technique is working well for them
  • When they are ready to face something that may be especially difficult
  • When each technique and/or subject being addressed is complete to their satisfaction

A practitioner has dozens of techniques to choose from to:

  • Give their clients successes in facing past and current issues
  • Help assess client readiness to make use of TIR
  • Help clients gain strength and flexibility in dealing with mental, emotional and life challenges

In short, assessing readiness is fundamental to achieving life-changing results.