HOW TIR WORKS

Traumatic Incident Reduction therapy can be regarded as a type of exposure technique. Its goal is to help clients become more aware of a traumatic event in order to desensitize them, leading the client to dis-identify with the thoughts, emotions and other inner experiences resulting from the trauma. The client begins to see the trauma and inner experiences as separate from the self. This can occur with just one session, or it can take five or more sessions, depending on the severity of the trauma and how many traumas are being addressed.

A Traumatic Incident Reduction therapy session typically lasts between one and two hours. During TIR, the client is made to feel safe and secure in the session, which starts with an assessment to determine what the ideal outcome will be. Then, while the therapist listens without distractions, interjections or judgments, the client re-tells and re-experiences the trauma to completion, then does it again, and again. During the re-telling, clients examine how their emotions and behaviors interact and how the trauma has affected them and the people in their lives.

With each re-telling, repressed memories may arise, and details may emerge that were suppressed. In the process, the client releases painful emotions and negative thought patterns and releases resistance to re-experiencing it. The “end point” of Traumatic Incident Reduction occurs when clients feel their attention become unattached to the trauma and the trauma loses its ability to negatively affect them. They typically experience one or more important insights or realizations that can be further explored in another session.

Traumatic Incident Reduction helps people eliminate self-harm behaviors, develop healthy, trusting relationships, gain control over their symptoms and achieve a high level of self-care.