Target Practice techniques are oriented towards life actions involving personal change. They are techniques which will directly help the person move in a direction they want to go in their lives. It is possible to spend a whole session on Target Practice, however it will usually be done after Discharge in a session. After Discharge Re-evaluation will frequently take place spontaneously. In this case Target Practice techniques will go on from there.
However Target Practice techniques can be applied even if discharge hasn't finished for the area of work, or if Re-evaluation hasn't taken place. We would recommend some form of Target Practice takes place every session, and that sufficient time is allowed for this before the finish time. Target Practice techniques may be exploratory, or they may be based on the individual's rational choice of what they want to do, or be, in their lives. The techniques can be divided into three types.
1. Coping With Restimulation
Techniques which provide ways of going against restimulated Distress and Patterns which the individual expects to have to cope with outside co-counselling sessions.
A) SEPARATIONS OF PAST DISTRESS FROM PRESENT REALITY. This involves the client being able to make statements of the following kind: "I am no longer that frightened child." "I can look after my needy child." "I'm no longer that past self." "In the present I'm strong and skilled."
When we are working on a particular area of Distress and have not fully broken all the Patterns, we are still likely to be restimulated when the Distress cues occur outside our counselling sessions. It is useful to identify the cues which cause such restimulation, as half the battle is knowing when we are distressed or patterned. This means being able to label it in terms of which particular piece of our past it comes from. If we can recognize restimulation as it occurs, and label it as past Distress, then we can often act against it immediately. In considering what cues can be looked for, consider stereotyped thoughts and actions as well as negative feelings.
B) CONSTRUCTING LADDERS OUT OF DISTRESS. This means building associations between the distressed, patterned state and the rational self so that the association acts as a ladder for climbing out of the Distress. If these associations are practiced in sessions, the result can be automatic emergence from the Patterned state after Restimulation. First learned in counselling sessions, the ladder can then be used in the rest of life. The ladder may be built on a Direction that disrupts the Pattern, when it is called Holding a Direction in life, or on Attention Switching.
1) In a situation where you feel lost for words you could say under your breath the direction, "I can say anything I like."
2) Finding a link between something in the distressing situation and your Special Place. (More about Special Places in Part IV.) This is most powerful if it is something that can be touched. This would be an Attention Switching association.
2. Rational Rehearsal
Techniques in which the individual rehearses how they want to be and act.
A) FUTURE ROLE-PLAY. This is taking a situation you will have to meet in the future, and acting out how you wish to behave. You might apply this to a specific situation already arranged, like an interview, or to an event you want to set up, like asserting yourself with your boss.
B) PRESENT AND FUTURE TIME REALITY. As client you make the assumption that you are Distress free now and you give an account of what this means, and how you will act. (Expect to discharge with this technique.) This is mentioned as 'Take charge now' in John Heron's 1979 manual.
C) COMMITMENT TECHNIQUES. These are currently being used in Re-evaluation Counselling and reference should be made to their literature.
3. Rational Thinking
Any techniques which utilize rational thinking as an aid to changing. (Note that rational does not just mean logical or emotionless. It is used to mean the flexible, caring Person with access to all their skills.)
A) CREATIVE THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING: Think out loud on any topic of relevance to you--how to relate better to your children, your pet scientific theory, the purpose of the universe, buying new clothes. A topic we often suggest at the end of workshops is, "What I want for myself in the next six months." This can be done as a group exercise, when it is known as a 'Think and Listen.' Counsellors are asked to give Free Attention only and not ask questions or make comments during or after the exercise. It is not necessary to talk all the time, but it is suggested you put your thoughts into words as much as possible. In doing this try to free yourself from organizing your thinking before expressing it; it is not an exercise in presentation, and you are free to change your mind at any time.
B) GOAL SETTING: Setting goals for yourself, sorting out priorities, and making general aims into specific changes that you want to make in actions or feelings.
C) ACTION PLANNING: Moving general plans into specific detailed forms. In this you can ask your counsellor to support you by asking you such questions as; "What are your aims?" "How will you know you've achieved them?" "What's the first step you need to take?" "Who do you need to talk to?" "When will you do it?" "What will you do/say?" "What might stop you?" "How can you overcome that difficulty?"
Another thing that can help is making a contract with your counsellor for support at crucial times, and for them to check with you how you are progressing. A mutual contract can be helpful.
D) CREATIVE ACTIONS AND LEARNING NEW THINGS. Anything where you want to improve your skills or which is likely to be hard. Try dancing, painting, drawing, singing, writing poetry or an important letter or computer programming, car repairs--whatever you want or need to do. Being able to do these things with your counsellor's attention, plus encouragement to discharge if you get distressed, means optimum learning. Such opportunities are hard to come by normally in people's lives.
E) REPROGRAMMING. This can be done in various ways. A simple method involves setting up some reprogramming statements for yourself--celebrations and descriptions of how you would like to be. Listen to the statements while in a relaxed state. This can occur naturally after Discharge or you can use a relaxation routine. (Practice in this will be needed if you do not already use one.) The statements can be said by your counsellor or can be read by you onto a tape beforehand; your own voice is probably more powerful if you can do this. (It's possible to buy one minute loop tapes for use here.) Counsellors need to be watchful that the client remains relaxed, and to stop the process if negative reactions begin to occur.
Target Practice techniques can be used as the basis for a whole session. This is useful when you find you have a lot of free attention at the beginning of a session and in areas where you have already put in a lot of work on the distresses and patterns.
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