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David Lawrence Centers has added the evidence-based treatment tool called Trauma Incident Reduction (TIR) to our arsenal of outpatient therapies. Several of our therapists are already trained in the therapy and are using this effective technique to help clients suffering a wide range of aftereffects of trauma.

Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) is a short-term, memory-based therapeutic intervention for children, adolescents, and adults traumatized by any severe and shocking event. These include accidents, injuries, childhood traumas, bereavement, violent crime, or any sort of loss.

The approach is designed to resolve symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and low expectancy of personal success. It does this by integrating or bringing into harmony aspects of the traumatic memory that have become detached from the person’s awareness.

TIR involves repeated viewing of a traumatic memory under conditions designed to enhance safety and minimize distractions. The clinician provides direction to the client to walk through the processing of the traumatic memory from beginning to end. During the Trauma Incident Reduction, the clinician does not interrupt the processing of the incident by providing therapeutic evaluation.

TIR has been recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Center’s National Registry of Evidenced-Based Practice and Programs. It can also address unwanted, persistent emotions, sensations, attitudes and pains, even if a person has no conscious memory of traumatic incidents connected to that feeling.

TIR is a highly effective therapy. In most cases, it completely and permanently eliminates the symptoms of PTSD. It also provides valuable insights how the traumatic incident has impacted the client which the viewer arrives at spontaneously, without any prompting from the facilitator and hence “owns” entirely as his own.

Resolution of symptoms can sometimes occur in as few as one or two sessions. However, a condition that has been in existence for a while, or that has many aspects, usually takes longer to completely resolve. A single incident, such as a car accident, is typically resolved for the client in a few hours. Larger issues, such as a lack of self-esteem or self-confidence, or ongoing relationship problems, which may have a number of contributing factors, can take several sessions to resolve.