What is Transactional Analysis?
Transactional Analysis investigates how we communicate with others. Understanding this leads to better communication and more functioning relationships. There are four different fields in TA - Psychotherapy, Organisation, Education and Counselling. At TAC we focus on the psychotherapy path.
What is TA Psychotherapy?
TA psychotherapy explores how our communication and self-story is based on our relationship within ourselves and with our past.
In 2001 Bromberg said, ‘..We do not treat patients… to cure them of something in the past; rather we are trying to cure them of what they still do to themselves and to others in order to cope with what was done to them in the past. (p. 237)
We are curious about the complex thoughts that drive humans to behave and relate in certain ways. Often the inappropriate ways of communicating and behaving are as a result maladaptive and archaic decisions made by us when we were children. They were good survival strategies at the time for maintaining attachment with parent figures, but they are now outdated and generally unhelpful.
Out of awareness we continue to replay these patterns of attachment, communication and behaviour in our current lives. If the parent figure was particularly abusive the unconscious decision that the child made will have had to be quite extreme, for example, ‘No one is safe, therefor I will never be vulnerable or trust anyone ever!’ ‘The only safe option is to get them before they get me!’ The problem with these beliefs is that they become rigid and stuck blocks to natural and healthy growth. Sometimes the individual feels so bruised and damaged, that they have been unable to create a cohesive narrative about themselves.
How does TA work in practice?
In TA we invite autonomy in our clients. We define autonomy as awareness, intimacy and spontaneity. We do this through challenging these maladaptive decisions in different ways. We listen to our client’s stories to let them know that they are important. Through uncovering the unconscious meanings that have been made, we are able to re-write these stories together.
Central to TA is this concept of the Ego States.
Eric Berne developed this concept to explain the complex ‘voices’ that we all hear and act out.
Transactional Analysis investigates how we communicate with others. Understanding this leads to better communication and more functioning relationships. There are four different fields in TA - Psychotherapy, Organisation, Education and Counselling. At TAC we focus on the psychotherapy path.
What is TA Psychotherapy?
TA psychotherapy explores how our communication and self-story is based on our relationship within ourselves and with our past.
In 2001 Bromberg said, ‘..We do not treat patients… to cure them of something in the past; rather we are trying to cure them of what they still do to themselves and to others in order to cope with what was done to them in the past. (p. 237)
We are curious about the complex thoughts that drive humans to behave and relate in certain ways. Often the inappropriate ways of communicating and behaving are as a result maladaptive and archaic decisions made by us when we were children. They were good survival strategies at the time for maintaining attachment with parent figures, but they are now outdated and generally unhelpful.
Out of awareness we continue to replay these patterns of attachment, communication and behaviour in our current lives. If the parent figure was particularly abusive the unconscious decision that the child made will have had to be quite extreme, for example, ‘No one is safe, therefor I will never be vulnerable or trust anyone ever!’ ‘The only safe option is to get them before they get me!’ The problem with these beliefs is that they become rigid and stuck blocks to natural and healthy growth. Sometimes the individual feels so bruised and damaged, that they have been unable to create a cohesive narrative about themselves.
How does TA work in practice?
In TA we invite autonomy in our clients. We define autonomy as awareness, intimacy and spontaneity. We do this through challenging these maladaptive decisions in different ways. We listen to our client’s stories to let them know that they are important. Through uncovering the unconscious meanings that have been made, we are able to re-write these stories together.
- We invite healthy contact through therapeutic relationship - and at times work with the transferences that occur in the therapeutic relationship to stimulate change for our clients.
- We challenge Discounts and offer new Frames of Reference that expand our client’s horizons. We empower our clients to think for themselves.
- We make contact with the wounded Child held within our clients through dream work, two chair work, play, art, movement, symbols and through re-connection with the environment.
- We challenge the abusive internal voices that distort reality and support our clients to Re-Parent themselves (behave in a more self-nurturing way).
- We encourage integration of new ways of thinking, feeling to create a more cohesive sense of self.
Central to TA is this concept of the Ego States.
Eric Berne developed this concept to explain the complex ‘voices’ that we all hear and act out.
- The Parent Ego State represents the lineage of beliefs that we inherit both through our families and culture.
- The Child Ego State represents how we personally have reacted to these beliefs. We see traumatic experiences, un-met needs as well has how people have adapted to events in their lives as represented in this ego state.
- The Adult Ego State represents how we respond to the here and now. We also see this Ego State as being flexible, growthful and full of energy.
At TAC we see a relationship to the natural environment as fundamental
Why is this so important to us as counsellors and psychotherapists?
As humans we have become alienated from natural environments.
As counsellors and psychotherapists we are faced both with mental health and environmental crises.
Nature provides a place where healing and learning can occur.
This relationship goes both ways. As we find wholeness in nature, we also seek to come into a better balance with our natural environments.
How does this help learning?
As we attach to each other and to our natural environment we become more aware of our whole nature, and more able to trust.
As trust develops, learning is taken in not just by the head, but also through the body and heart.
How does this help the environment?
Within a world where we are necessarily accounting and accepting cultural difference, we believe it is also vital that we learn to live together in relationship to the planet. In this way counselling and psychotherapy becomes not just a way of knowing the self, and making sense of relationships with other humans, but also about healing a relationship with the natural environment. As we become more aware as therapists, we are able to pass this awareness to our clients.
An area of outstanding beauty and ancient myth:
The training centre is on the edge of the virgin oakwood, Tycanol. Below are the sacred stones of Pentre Ifan and above are the Cairns of the sons of Owen. On the horizon is Cairn Ingli - the Mountain of Angles. Red kites hover above the river Teifi coursing through the valley below to the sea.
Trainees and tutors find that they leave the training weekends resourced and ready for their busy weeks.
Why is this so important to us as counsellors and psychotherapists?
As humans we have become alienated from natural environments.
As counsellors and psychotherapists we are faced both with mental health and environmental crises.
Nature provides a place where healing and learning can occur.
This relationship goes both ways. As we find wholeness in nature, we also seek to come into a better balance with our natural environments.
How does this help learning?
As we attach to each other and to our natural environment we become more aware of our whole nature, and more able to trust.
As trust develops, learning is taken in not just by the head, but also through the body and heart.
How does this help the environment?
Within a world where we are necessarily accounting and accepting cultural difference, we believe it is also vital that we learn to live together in relationship to the planet. In this way counselling and psychotherapy becomes not just a way of knowing the self, and making sense of relationships with other humans, but also about healing a relationship with the natural environment. As we become more aware as therapists, we are able to pass this awareness to our clients.
An area of outstanding beauty and ancient myth:
The training centre is on the edge of the virgin oakwood, Tycanol. Below are the sacred stones of Pentre Ifan and above are the Cairns of the sons of Owen. On the horizon is Cairn Ingli - the Mountain of Angles. Red kites hover above the river Teifi coursing through the valley below to the sea.
Trainees and tutors find that they leave the training weekends resourced and ready for their busy weeks.
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Transactional Analysis Cymru is located at:
Tycanol, Brynberian, Crymych, Pembrokeshire SA413TZ |
