TIR: Traumatic Incident Reduction

How to Register:
Contact me via WhatsApp (+27 73 801 7802) email (elizabeth.retief@gmail.com) or my contact page and I will send you the registration form and payment details. Payment of a R1 000 deposit secures your place, the remainder to be paid before the workshop starts. Payments can be made in two installments. Let me know if you would like to arrange a payment plan.

 What Does the Workshop Entail?

Through theory and practical work you will be thoroughly prepared to facilitate a TIR and an Unblocking session. Videos of actual sessions are used to demonstrate the techniques in practice, and you will also receive a comprehensive manual and workshop hand-out.

My TIR workshop is presented over four days of instruction and two days of practical sessions, with a break in the middle. This format allows for integration of the material and gives enough time for instruction and practice without being overwhelming. 

The workshop offers the following additional value not included in the standard version: 

• A module on how trauma affects the brain and body, and the formation of memories.
• A module on bereavement and how to use TIR and Unblocking to support those who are processing grief.
• Detailed, individual feedback on the practical sessions ensures you are fully prepared to facilitate the techniques.
• Optional post-workshop recap session.

Who can Attend? 

This workshop is suitable for anyone who works with traumatized people in a helping capacity. Counsellors, coaches, psychologists, social workers and lay counsellors are all welcome. 

Social Workers registered with the SACSSP will receive 30 CPD points upon completion (valid until August 2027). 

TIR

TIR is an Imaginal Exposure technique that enables people to fully process their memories of a traumatic experience in a safe environment with a trained facilitator. Imaginal Exposure has been proven effective at treating trauma symptoms, but has been criticized for having a high drop-out rate. In contrast, TIR is completed in a single, open-ended session. This protects the client from unnecessary re-exposure to the trauma and delivers powerful results in a short time.

Reminders of painful and overwhelming experiences often cause us to re-experience the feelings and sensory impressions we had at the time. This happens because of the way the body and brain reacts to trauma and how the brain stores memories while under intense stress. The key difference between a traumatic memory and a fully processed memory is that non-traumatic memories can be revisited without triggering emotional or sensory flashbacks.

The Basic TIR provides a powerful tool to process specific, known traumatic experiences.

Thematic TIR

The Thematic TIR is a variant of the technique that is used when a person experiences recurring, unwanted reactions or sensations. They might describe themselves as “triggered”, but  unsure of what original trauma is being triggered. The Thematic TIR allows a person to discover the root cause of these reactions, process it fully, and stop being triggered into unwanted reactions and sensations.

Thematic TIR can also resolve physical symptoms, phobias, and panic attacks that are rooted in trauma.

Unblocking

The Unblocking technique offers a framework with which to thoroughly and systematically examine a topic to the point that an answer or resolution is found. The facilitator does not re-frame or make suggestions, they simply guide their client through the process, creating and holding the space within which the client makes their own connections, draws their own conclusions, and comes up with their own solutions.

The technique is particularly useful for people who struggle to articulate their emotions and those who process verbally. It allows the person to gain clarity, insight, and closure by giving them the opportunity to disentangle the many different parts of the issue.

Since the facilitator does not make suggestions or guide the client towards a particular insight, whatever conclusions the client comes to are fully in line with their own worldview and value system.

Unblocking also works well in conjunction with TIR. TIR will addresses the traumatic experience itself, Unblocking allows them to understand the wider impact the experience has had on their lives, and figure out ways to deal with this.