In my practice, I use Transactional Analyis throughout the session.  TA definitions give me and my clients a common language to talk about their issues. The TA diagrams can help people ‘visualize’ and analyze their problems. 

In my office, I have 4 posters on display.  I created these posters to help clients remember TA tools and concepts. 

I use the metaphor of a growing tree as a metaphor for a flourishing life. “The Seven Principles Tree” (left) shows seven positive Beliefs and Behaviors for Authentic Living using short statements, such as Principle 3 “Understand Self and Others” and Principle 7 Good Contracts and Agreements.

The TA Tree shows the corresponding TA Tool or concept used for each one. 

When a client is stuck, confused, or turn to  “The Seven Beliefs & Behaviors That Keep People Stuck in Life”(left)  and read each brief statement.  The client often knows the areas where they need work.  The ‘STUCK’ TA Tree shows the corresponding TA tools or concepts to analyze and resolve issues and problems.

Example: I said to my client (I’ll call her Sue)   Today let’s start by talking about beliefs and behaviors that keep YOU stuck in negative beliefs or poor behaviors.  We will briefly review each statement, and then ‘rule out’ the ones that don’t fit the situation with your BFF.”  Sue agreed.

Sue quickly focused on ‘Poor Communication and Negative Strokes’. She said “For years, I knew my relationship with my best friend needed work.  She’s very bossy with me. When I do everything her way, she’s happy. When I don’t, she is really critical with me. I’ve come to realize I’m getting almost all negative strokes from her.  That hurts.”

I said “Let’s look at this situation from a TA perspective. “We turned our attention to ‘The Stuck TA Tree,’ and looked at Crossed Transactions and Negative Strokes. We decided to start by analyzing her Transactions with her best friend.

Analyzing the Transactions: In TA, we analyze communication, or transactions, using the PAC diagram.  We drew the PAC-PAC diagrams on the dry erase board.  We reviewed the three types of transactions: Complementary, Crossed, and Ulterior.

  

Sue said “My best friend always talks down to me like I am a child.  She is critical most of the time”  I feel like I am always doing something wrong”  Then she said “I act like a Child around her. I do everything she tells me to do. I let her call the shots just so she won’t get angry with me.” She drew the arrows from P to C and reverse—a Critical Parent to an Adapted Child transaction.

We analyzed patterns of communication that Sue had with her best friend.  Sue observed that when she was a compliant Adapted Child (“Of course we can do it your way”),  BF was agreeable, smiled at her, and complimented her.

However, when Sue spoke from her Adult ego state, she was quickly discounted, rebuffed, criticized, or ignored by her best friend. This pattern had gone on for many many years.

At the end of the session, my clients’ mood had improved somewhat.    She was pleased to successfully use TA to analyze her communication and patterns. Now she had to put the new communication tools into operation!

She left the session appearing more confident. She had used her TA to ‘analyze’ her problem and used TA to come up with a few possible solutions.