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Reviews of Beyond Trauma

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Michael G. Tancyus, LCSW, DCSW, Augusta Behavioral Health: September 2004

michael g. tancyus

This book introduces the Trauma Incident Reduction (TIR) model of treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The author argues that traditional treatment of PTSD stresses management of symptoms or encourages clients to have a cathartic experience to release pent up emotions about the traumatic event. Advocates of Trauma Incident Reduction therapy advocate the idea that permanent resolution of PTSD is incumbent upon the recovery of repressed memories (Anamnesis).

This book describes techniques of the TIR model and presents the psychological foundations of TIR It provides examples of the usefulness of the model with combat veterans; those who have experienced the loss of a loved one; victims of crime and perpetrators; victims of terrorism; accident victims and with children. It describes how to integrate TIR with other therapeutic models, particularly the cognitive behavioral models and discusses its relation to spiritual and metaphysical issues.

Finally, it offers resources for training and certification in Trauma Incident Reduction as a therapist who is competent to provide this type of therapy.

For those who are interested in this area of practice, Beyond Trauma: Conversations on Traumatic Incident Reduction is an excellent resource to begin one's mastery in this area of practice.

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Review by Jeni Mayer, Body Mind Spirit Magazine: September 2004

Written for both mental health workers and PTSD sufferers, "Beyond Trauma: Conversations on Traumatic Incident Reduction" explores an apparently profoundly effective means of dealing with trauma.

Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) which is a method of healing past traumas, was developed by Dr. Frank Gerbode, Gerald French and others, and seems to provide a unique regression and repetitive desensitization procedure for those suffering with PTSD.

This book, while providing ample information on the method itself, is compiled with conversation from a large number of facilitators and other practitioners who have used TIR in their practices.

This book is an asset to mental health facilitators and anyone who is suffering from PTSD. It offers PTSD sufferers a glimpse at a light at the end of the tunnel, while providing mental health workers with a revolutionary technique that could increase their success rate with traumatized clients.

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Review by Dr Bob Rich ( AnxietyAndDepression-Help.com ) : August 2004

Dr. Bob Rich

'Traumatic Incident Reduction' is a technique developed by Dr Frank Gerbode in the 1980s. Volkman's book is intended to publicize the technique to sufferers and professional helpers alike, through 'conversations' with qualified exponents of the technique, and with people who have been helped by it.

As he points out in the Introduction, the general perception is that trauma produces scarring for life, and sufferers can achieve no more than to learn to live with the results. As I know from my own work, this is simply untrue, and if Beyond Trauma does nothing beyond attacking this myth, then it will have been worthwhile.

The opening chapter is by Frank Gerbode, in which he writes, "Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) operates on the principle that a permanent resolution of a case requires… recovery of repressed memories, rather than mere catharsis or coping." This is because "…you can't stop doing something you don't know you are doing."

The second author in the collection, psychologist Dr Robert Moore, refers to TIR as "a regressive desensitization procedure for reducing or eliminating the negative residual impact of traumatic experience." This will immediately orient most people with psychological knowledge. 'Desensitization' is getting rid of a fear by safe exposure. A 'regressive' technique is one that goes back in time. And there you are.

Just having read this opening chapter told me that TIR works, because it is based on sound, scientifically validated principles. I use hypnotic regression combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy with trauma survivors. The style and activities may be different. The processes invoked are very similar.

Also, I am pleased that the cart is not put before the horse. All the research on the outcome of psychotherapy shows that the major part of what we do depends on forming a strong, positive, trusting relationship with the client, and an ability to mobilize the client's strengths and resources. Specific techniques are less important. TIR emphasizes being 'client centered', and insists on the attitude that the client makes the choices. This is necessary for any successful therapeutic encounter.

After the Introduction comes an illuminating, and very moving chapter on the Vietnam experience. Anyone with no understanding of war MUST read this. Especially, since some of the horror is what presumably well-meaning professionals did to them in the name of therapy.

I was moved to tears by a wonderful tape transcript, recorded by Colonel Chris Christensen about several of his cases. I wish I'd met him...

Experimental studies supporting the efficacy of the approach are cited. TIR is shown to work at least as well as other ways of approaching trauma victims. Then there are a series of case presentations, by professionals working in a wide variety of settings.

Here is a quote from a client: 'Now with the therapy and everything I worked through, it was gradual. I couldn't see beyond this wall. Then it got further where there was a wall in front of me. Then I got to the point where I could see over the wall, but I couldn't get there. Then I finally got over that and I'm trying to get on with my life. Basically I think if I wouldn't have had TIR, I wouldn't even be here. I'm serious… I knew what I was going to do -- nothing. I would get up every day and I would just wait until 11 PM [to go to bed] because I couldn't wait for my life to be over.'

Some of the 'conversations' involve exponents of different approaches, some of whom also use TIR. This gives the book a depth and breadth I found very informative.

There are things that could be done to improve the book. One is to combine all the references as the end-at the moment, each author has a separate list, which can be hard to access later. "Now, which chapter was that book in?" Another minor point is the presence of repetition of content, perhaps inevitable in a collection from multiple authors. But, having read the book, I feel that I have already become better at working with distressed clients.

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Review by Carolyn Harris, MS

Beyond Trauma: Conversations on Traumatic Incident Reduction, Edited by Victor R. Volkman, is a new look at techniques available to mental health professionals and ministers. This collection of stories about Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) is valuable not only to professionals, but may help those suffering from past traumas better understand the healing process.

As a School Psychologist, I was particularly interested in the chapter on children and TIR which not only followed personal recovery stories, but suggested coping skills for traumatized children so they can move into society and become productive stable adults.

In the section on Fetal Perception and Memory, David B. Creek, MD discussed fetal perception in utero. Whether or not you agree, it’s an interesting section. He feels the birth process “can be very wonderful for some babies, but it is rough...The baby will pick up what is going on at that time, whether it is good or bad, and remember that.”

Beyond Trauma offers insight and positive suggestions for mental health professionals working with children, veterans, crime victims and the family members supporting them. Carolyn Harris, MS

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International Psychologist IPY Vol.44, No.3

Edith Henderson Grotberg, Ph.D. for International Psychologist: June 2004

Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), simply stated, operates on the principle that a permanent resolution of a case requires anamnesis (recovery of repressed memories), rather than mere catharsis or coping. To understand why clients have to achieve an anamnesis in order to resolve past trauma, we must take a person-centered viewpoint, i.e., the client's viewpoint and, from that viewpoint, explain what makes trauma traumatic. (p. 2)

TIR is a brief, one-on-one, non-hypnotic, person-centered, simple and highly structured method for permanently eliminating the negative effects of past traumas. It involves repeated viewing of a traumatic memory under conditions designed to enhance safety and minimize distractions. The client does the most important work in the session; the therapist or counselor offers no interpretations or negative or positive evaluations, but only gives appropriate instructions to the client to have him view a traumatic incident thoroughly from beginning to end. Hence, we use the term "viewer" to describe the client and "facilitator" to describe the person who is helping the client through the procedure by keeping the structure of the session intact and giving the viewer something definite to do at all times. The facilitator confines herself simply to giving a series of set instructions to the viewer, she offers no advice, interpretations, evaluations, or reassurances. (p. 246)

The technique is seen as simple and can be taught through training sessions to a range of service providers - including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, pastors, and even lay people. It is what is behind the technique that is interesting. The founder of the TIR method, Frank A. Gerbode, M.D. Dr. Gerbode makes a number of points to clarify the uniqueness of the method:

  1. It is quick. This is important when large numbers of people have experienced a common tragedy and are suffering from PTSD. The quick TIR method can be used by a wider range of professionals and semi-professionals, and can be helpful to children as well as adults. There is usually a shortage of trained people to deal with PTSD, especially in times of terror and violence, and the TIR method is seen as a more efficient technique to resolve the trauma quickly.
  2. It is client focused. This is important as it is quite different from the therapist focused techniques used by most therapists. They tend to feel they are in charge of helping the client, interpreting what is meant by what is being said, and deciding when success has occurred. It is interesting that Dr. Gerbode, who is an M.D., has rejected the therapist and gone, more in harmony with Rogerian (Carl Rogers) techniques of letting the client take the lead. I can remember when I was teaching a course in Abnormal Psychology, having a film on Rogers in action with a client, and there was a long pause when nothing seemed to be happening. My students became nervous and began to laugh. When the film ended, I stood up and explained that Rogers was waiting for the client to provide the information in response to his reflecting to her what she had been saying. We don't like spaces of silence!
  3. It is energy focused. The assumption is that an emotion is blocked and can't be released. This is quite close to the Eastern practices focusing on energy blocks and the wonderful recommended exercises to release the blockage. Dr. Gerbode makes a clear claim he has drawn from many sources to develop TIR.

There are no follow-up data beyond personal reports to indicate how effective the technique is over time. This would be a highly desirable effort to undertake.

My kudos go to Editor Victor Volkman, who took on the task of reaching more than 25 people to contribute to the book, including interviews with many of them. And the examples of cases the contributors provide offer a rich range of how the TIR technique has worked with a wide range of clients.

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Review by Sherry Russell, May 2004 author of Conquering the Mysteries and Lies of Grief

Beyond Trauma effectively provides proof that Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) works. The straight shooting book provides conversations, interviews, and contributions from many Metapsychology facilitators from around the world. They discuss TIR, how it works in relation to life's darker moments, and clients share the stories of how TIR has changed lives.

The book is for professionals as well as all people who believe their future to be sealed by lurking barricades at every turn. Beyond Trauma is also unique in how it can be read. Each chapter is self-contained so you can determine what you would like to read first or next without needing information from the previous chapter. There are twelve absorbing chapters covering trauma, TIR, grief, crime, traumatology, terrorism, children, accidents, integrating therapies, phobias, spirituality, and the philosophy of metapsychology.

TIR provides a way to look through the rear-view mirror of your life and to move forward with healing acceptance so your future once again is within your own reach. Beyond Trauma outlines the elements with clarity and insight as to how TIR will resolve wrestling with dilemmas, understanding your demons, and climbing out of a whirlwind of emptiness. The book is up front with the smack of a sledge hammer with the gritty realism that trauma invokes on all of us.

In Chapter 2, TIR and The Soldier's Experience, the use of language and violence isn't for everyone but the glimpse behind the curtain is astounding and the outcome of the effects of TIR is miraculous. Being in grief management for many years, I particularly found Chapter 7, Accident Victims" impressive. The chapter deals with the death of a child due to an auto accident and the loss of a spouse under very complex conditions. The results with TIR were more than convincing.

If you are a professional and would like to find a "highly structured method for permanently eliminating the negative effects of past traumas" then this is a must have book.

Sherry Russell
Grief Management Specialist
Reviewer for Midwest Book Review

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Susan M. Phillips, Spiralthreads, May 2004

Spiralthreads Reviews

If you have never heard of Traumatic Incident Reduction [TIR], you are not alone. This comparatively new therapy is claimed to be highly effective and speedy technique for reducing the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder that may be seriously affecting a person’s health and mental state. Aimed mainly at professional therapists, Beyond Trauma documents interviews with and articles by TIR therapists and makes fascinating and inspiring reading.

The main principles of the treatment are the isolation of the original traumatic event that could have begun a whole chain of reactions, often leading the victim to believe that another event entirely was the cause, and then encouraging that person to relate that specific event over and over again until it is no longer upsetting. Once this stage is reached, the treatment is complete. This, of course, is a great oversimplification and it takes training and skill to turn the idea into an effective therapy; but effective it is for many people from all walks of life, for all kinds of trauma. TIR has been used to help Vietnam veterans and those involved in the horrors of 9/11, as well as victims of almost any kind of abuse you can name. Where it differs most from the more common psychotherapy is in the time element. For suitable recipients, TIR generally takes less than two hours, whereas the same person may attend psychotherapy for weeks, months or even years and not reach the same point of healing.

When I read this book, I found myself thinking of numerous people who might be helped by the therapy and strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in helping those suffering from PTSD, phobias or other trauma related problems.

Review by Susan M. Phillips

Beyond Trauma Ed. By Victor R. Volkman
Published by Loving Healing Press
Price: Paperback £13.25 UK/$21.95 USA/$28.95 CAN
ISBN 1932690-00-x

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Harold McFarland, Readers Preference Reviews, May 2004

"Beyond Trauma" is a compilation of short essays about Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) as delivered by various professionals. It begins with an examination of trauma, the trauma incident network, and unblocking. This is followed by an excellent essay on the psychological foundations of TIR. Included in this chapter is an examination of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and why cognitive restructuring is required for successful treatment of PTSD.

After this foundational chapter the essays start examining particular types of trauma, how they function, how they are similar, how they are different, and how to work with them. First is an examination of the traumas of war, both as a civilian caught up in it and as a soldier. Then come essays on grief and loss, crime and punishment, terrorism, accident victims, accidental death, and various other type of emotional trauma.

The final portion of the book examines working with TIR and children, integrating TIR and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, using TIR in a psychotherapy practice, and integrating TIR with other disciplines.

If you are working with trauma or just want to understand TIR this is a good beginning book. It clearly delineates the basics of TIR as a desensitization procedure and its effectiveness as a true resolution to trauma related problems. "Beyond Trauma" is a recommended book for the professional or for the lay reader who wants to know about this technique before possibly seeking out a practitioner.

Beyond Trauma: Conversations on Traumatic Incident Reduction
Author: Victor R. Volkman
Publisher: Loving Healing Press
Copyright: 2004
ISBN: 193269000X
Pages: 238 plus multiple appendixes

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Review by Gerald French, April 2004 author of Traumatic Incident Reduction

Beyond Trauma" represents a remarkable and readily accessible compendium of largely anecdotal data concerning TIR and its many healing applications. It should fit very well on the shelves of both lay persons and professionals. As editor, Volkman has done an excellent job of giving readers a "feel" for working with TIR. He combines and contrasts fascinating inputs from therapists and clients alike concerning TIR's approach to trauma. The book is a very well organized and persuasive combination of viewpoints, of a sort too seldom found in single volumes describing therapeutic tools.

Gerald French, MA, MACP, CTS

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Midwest Book Review

Midwest Book Review, Editor's Choice Award: March 2004

"Compiled and edited by Victor R. Volkman, Beyond Trauma: Conversations On Traumatic Incident Reduction is an anthology of engaging essays by learned authors discussing Traumatic Incident Reduction -- a desensitization procedure developed by Frank A. Gerbode, M.D., Gerald French, and others, as a useful aid to help those suffering from trauma-related conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and many other DSM-IV diagnoses. Straightforward dialogues concerning the treatment methodology, individuals it has helped, methods for incorporating Traumatic Incident Reduction into psychiatric practice, and more fill the pages of this superbly organized and presented survey. Beyond Trauma is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to professional and academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists."

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Jennifer Oliver, MyShelf.com: January 2004

Beyond Trauma, ably edited by Victor Volkman, suggests that there may be at least one very effective way of helping individuals with such diagnoses as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and severe panic or anxiety disorders. Reading the book has made this reader want to learn more about Traumatic Incident Reduction [TIR], the method discussed. Volkman's collection of engaging conversations presents TIR clearly and simply, and it is eminently approachable by both mental health professionals and their clients.

Throughout Beyond Trauma, an ecclectic range of therapists, ministers, and other members of the caring professions discuss TIR, for the most part in transcriptions of informal conversations with the editor. Each discussion describes specific cases in which TIR was employed -- following, in a number of instances, the failure of other approaches -- and describes how TIR was effective in helping that particular client. Of particular interest to this reviewer was the fact that the book offers not only the viewpoints of therapists and facilitators, but also descriptions of TIR by clients who have experienced it.

Beyond Trauma would appear to be a must for any clinician working with clients that have PTSD or anxiety disorder.

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Tami Brady, M.A. Blether.com Reviews: September 2004

Rating: 8/10 (Ratings explained)

Beyond Trauma: Conversations on Traumatic Incident Resolution is a book describing the benefits and wide variety of uses of Traumatic Incident Resolution (TIR). TIR is an innovative therapy in which the client is required to review the traumatic incident in various ways until he or she completely resolves the incident or string of incidents. This therapy is meant as a complete resolution of the issue behind these traumatic events rather than a coping mechanism or a cathartic episode. In this way, once TIR therapy has been undertaken, the client will find complete relief from all trauma symptoms and effects. Moreover, TIR is designed for quick treatment.

In this book, various therapists describe the benefits and uses of this therapy in their practice. These descriptions include therapy use for everything from post-traumatic stress disorders and violent crime victimization through accident and grief trauma to childhood trauma and phobias.

Beyond Trauma: Conversations on Traumatic Incident Resolution describes in detail the potential uses of TIR in the treatment of various traumatic incidents. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific type of trauma for easy reference. Moreover, the book contains several appendixes filled with frequently asked questions as well as information on TIR training and how to locate TIR trained therapists. This book is meant to direct clients and therapists towards the benefits of TIR, TIR trained professionals, and training resources not to teach the techniques of TIR.

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