How TIR works in practice
This page explains what happens within a TIR session, the principles that guide the process, and what makes this method distinct from other therapeutic approaches. It is intended to give you a clear and honest picture of what to expect before you begin.
A different kind of therapeutic relationship
In many therapeutic settings, the practitioner takes an active role in interpreting your experience, offering advice, or providing reassurance. TIR works differently. The facilitator operates within a strict set of professional guidelines, known as the Rules of Facilitation, which are designed to keep the process entirely person-led.
The facilitator’s role is not to tell you what your experiences mean, how you should feel about them, or what you ought to do next. It is to hold a structured, attentive space in which you can review your own experiences, integrate them, and arrive at your own insights and resolutions.
Every answer you give will be acknowledged. Every concern you raise will be addressed. The process moves at your pace and the direction emerges naturally.
This approach is not passive. It requires close attention, precise communication, and a consistently non-judgmental presence. It is also why the results of TIR tend to feel genuinely owned by the person who experiences them.
What guides each session
01
No interpretation or advice
You will not be analysed, told what your experiences mean, or guided toward a particular conclusion. Insight emerges from you, in your own time, through the structured process of revisiting and reviewing.
02
You are always in control
If a question arises and you are not ready to explore it, you are free to pause, skip it, or return to it when you are ready. You will never be pushed to share or confront anything before you are ready. The session adapts to you.
03
Repetition as a tool, not a sign of failure
A distinctive feature of TIR is that the same questions or prompts are returned to multiple times. This is intentional. Each pass through a question or experience allows a new layer to surface, progressively reducing emotional intensity. This process is called unlayering.
04
Full confidentiality
Nothing discussed in a session will be raised outside of it, with you or with anyone else. The only exceptions are mandatory safeguarding obligations and consultation with a case supervisor, who is equally bound by the same rules of confidentiality.
05
A distraction-free environment
At the start of each session, you will be checked in with to confirm the environment is properly set up: phone off, sufficient food and rest beforehand, and anything else needed to support a settled, focused session. This is not incidental. The quality of your attention directly affects the quality of the work.
What happens within a session
Each session opens with a check-in on how you are and whether anything is currently holding your attention. If something is, it is addressed first, so that your focus is fully available for the main work.
The session then moves into the viewing process: a structured, calm revisiting of past experiences or unwanted patterns. A series of instructions and questions guide the process, returning to them as many times as needed until the emotional charge connected to what is being addressed has been fully reduced.
Before the session closes, you will be asked whether there is anything you want to say. The end of each session is clearly marked. You will not leave mid-process.
At times, more than one area may be addressed within a single session, each reaching its own end point. Occasionally a “flat point” is reached instead: a moment where all currently available emotional charge has been reduced, even if the work is not yet fully complete. Both are valid and productive outcomes for a session.
Terms you will encounter
01
End point
The moment at which an item has been fully addressed and the emotional charge connected to it is gone. It is characterised by a clear felt shift: attention moves from inward and past-focused to outward and present. An end point is not a decision or a conclusion. It is an experience.
02
Flat point
A moment at which all currently available emotional charge on an item has been reduced, without necessarily reaching full resolution. The session pauses here and may return to the item in a subsequent session once more charge has become available to address.
03
Unlayering
The repetitive questioning technique at the heart of TIR. By returning to the same question or experience multiple times, the process progressively uncovers deeper layers of the held charge, allowing each to be addressed and released in turn.
04
Unblocking
Alongside TIR, sessions may also draw on a technique called Unblocking. Where TIR works with specific past incidents, Unblocking addresses mental and emotional blocks around a particular subject or pattern, using a structured series of questions explored repeatedly until the topic reaches an end point. The questions are deliberately broad, designed to surface whatever is present across all possible directions of experience. Unblocking is most useful when a subject carries significant weight and feels worth exploring in depth.
05
Flows
The different directions in which an experience can flow. TIR explores not only what happened to you, but also what you may have caused to happen to others, and what you may have witnessed. Addressing all three directions produces a more thorough and lasting resolution.
If something does not feel right
You are encouraged to speak up at any point during a session if any of the following arise:
- You feel you may be done with what is being addressed
- The item no longer feels relevant or useful to explore
- Something feels wrong or uncomfortable in the session
- A concern arises that you want to discuss
Raising these things is not an interruption. It is part of how the process works. Addressing them promptly allows the session to remain productive and the space to remain genuinely safe.
It is also worth knowing that other people in your life may not fully understand the experience of releasing emotional charge. The shifts that occur through TIR can be significant, and it is not always easy for others to be in tune with what you are moving through. This is normal and does not indicate that something has gone wrong.
Questions about the method before booking? You are welcome to discuss any concerns or questions in an initial consultation.
TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTITIONER | TIR FACILITATOR
About Suzanne Ferreira
Suzanne Ferreira
Founder of SF Studios | Physiotherapist & Coach
Suzanne is a trauma-informed practitioner and facilitator with a background in physiotherapy, nervous system work, movement and whole-person wellbeing. Her work integrates clinical understanding with deep respect for the emotional and physiological impact unresolved experiences can have on the body and nervous system.
Suz creates a calm, compassionate and highly structured environment where clients feel safe, heard and supported throughout the process.
Qualifications:
- Physiotherapist (BPhysT, Cum Laude)
- Pilates Instructor (APPI)
- Certified Co-Active Coach ( ACC)
- Certified Coach with The International Coaching Federation ( ICF)
- TIR Facilitator (TIRA)
- Somatic Embodiment Training – Strozzi Institute (Embodied Foundation Training)
- Gestalt Foundation Training – Gestalt Institute
- Symphony of Self – Coaches Rising (currently in training)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) – Coaches Rising (currently in training)
FAQ's
I've had therapy before. How is TIR different?
Many clients seeking TIR have previously engaged in therapy, counselling or other forms of emotional support and found them valuable, yet still felt that certain experiences remained unresolved. TIR differs from traditional talking therapy. Rather than focusing on analysis, interpretation or coping strategies, the process is designed to help the nervous system safely process and release unresolved emotional charge. Clients often describe experiencing a greater sense of clarity, resolution and freedom, rather than simply learning to manage symptoms.
What if I'm not sure I have trauma?
Trauma is not always linked to one clear or dramatic event. Sometimes it presents more subtly through chronic stress, anxiety, emotional reactivity, burnout, relationship patterns, physical symptoms, hypervigilance, or a persistent feeling of being stuck or unsafe. An initial consultation will help explore whether TIR feels appropriate and supportive for your needs.
Will I have to disclose things I would rather keep private?
No. You will never be pushed to share anything you are not ready to share, and the process always moves at your pace. The facilitator's role is not to direct or interpret your experience, but to provide a structured, safe and non-judgemental space for processing to occur. If something does not feel right during a session, you are encouraged to say so immediately and the session will adapt accordingly.
Am I at risk of being re-traumatised?
Safety is central to the structure of TIR. Sessions are carefully facilitated and always work towards a natural stopping point, ensuring you do not leave feeling emotionally exposed or overwhelmed. The process is designed to reduce emotional charge through safe, structured revisiting, not through forced exposure. Sessions will only proceed once you feel fully informed and comfortable.
How will I know if the process is working?
The shifts experienced through TIR are often felt rather than intellectual. Clients commonly describe feeling calmer, lighter, clearer, more grounded, or less emotionally reactive to experiences that previously felt overwhelming. Many also notice changes in relationships, stress responses, physical tension, confidence and overall wellbeing in the days and weeks following sessions.
Is TIR suitable for everyone?
TIR is appropriate for many people experiencing unresolved emotional stress or trauma-related patterns. However, it may not be suitable for everyone. The initial consultation is designed to help determine whether this approach feels safe, appropriate and supportive for your individual needs. Where needed, appropriate alternative or additional support will always be recommended.
What Our Clients Have to Say
Testimonials
What Our Clients Have to Say
Testimonials
