TA in Pills 1-7.3 TA Racket Theory 3 - How to end Rackets 2

TA Racket Theory 3

(Racket is the name for inauthentic, repeating, attention gaining, manipulative expressions.)
"Words with special meaning are marked * in text and explained in Notes"

How to end Rackets (2)

• Mind Talk: Incessant mind talk. This is mind occupation with matters or issues with which we have no connection. They are not goal or purpose oriented. It is ended by asking oneself this: "What is this mind thinking." or "What matter is this mind occupied with." The mind will stop thinking. Next follow up with : "Do I need to think." and answer : "No."
• Action rackets: Actions that draw adverse attention of other(s). It may get them to say something adverse or point out mistakes. (See ** in notes) They are ended by accepting the observation (instead of justifying and protecting) and working on them. Acceptance generates heightened awareness for recurrence.  
• Behaviour Rackets: These are inappropriate behaviours that get automatically turned on. They are tics*. They include ways and manner of speech or expression. (These include volume, tone, syntax, use of abusive words or bad language in talking.); facial expressions (Raised eyebrows, smiles of kinds, lip shapes.); gestures (by head, shoulders, arms, hands, body wriggling, leg shaking); postures and poses. They are difficult to notice because they are not reported by others. One can request persons in close circle to report them if one wants to seriously work on them. 
• Being manipulative or exploiting or not bothered: This results in others being taken for a ride or being cheated or being treated unfairly. It comes by habit in some. This is second nature. It is overcome by noticing its effects on others. It can be noticed if people express anger after a few interactions.
• Game Initiators: Game interactions in close associations (between spouses for example) are repeating patterns at specific times for example while having morning or evening tea; or before, during or after a meal;  while returning home from a journey; Close observation reveals that they relate to action or behaviour of the other which the other protects or justifies. It can be ended by taking onus* for being the initiator.  
• Impulsive give backs or retorts*: These can be ended by being self observing.
• Remaining Stressed: Stress is a killer. Stress is generated because of lock-in with psychological time engagements. There are three types of time - clock time, goal time and psychological time. In clock time the time decides the activity (A shift in an industry. A game of football). In goal time the activity decides the time allocation. (A baseball match.**). Psychological time has no start time nor end time. It is a futile mind engagement. One of its varieties is called transactional racket in transactional analysis. It is generated by a set of reach backs and after burns. Its another variety is put forth by Eckhart Tolle*. The solution is the same as for mind talk. 

This blog comes from Ajit Karve from Pune. I am a qualified TA Practitioner. I specialise in using TA for personal growth, personal development, personal effectiveness and for transformational change. I can be reached on +919822024037. Please feel free to seek clarifications by writing to me on ajitpkarve@gmail.com or taforyouandme@gmail.com. 

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Notes:

*NVC: Non Violent Communication.
*Onus: A disagreeable necessity.
*Retort: Say something in answer to a remark, typically in a sharp, angry, or witty manner.
*Tic: an idiosyncratic and habitual feature of a person's behaviour.
*Transactional Racket: A set of reach-back and after-burn. Reach back is mind occupation with a goal or activity backwards in time. After-burn is mind occupation assessing performance, production, profit / loss generation after the goal or activity is over.
*Psychological Time: Eckhart Tolle has written an interesting section in his book "The Power of Now" titled "The insanity of Psychological Time". You may read it at: Click Here


** Some of the ones I have overcome are: Driving rashly. Making mistakes. Hurting myself. Not being careful. Not being attentive. Not being appropriate. Being counter phobic - killing fear by doing the very thing I needed to fear. Doing two things at a time. Delaying doing something routine, like having my bath and then hurrying through it. Being inattentive while eating my meal. Forgetting to carry my thing (like key or phone) and then causing inconvenience to another. Not remembering to do something which I promised to do. Offering help or solutions unasked for.)

** A baseball match: In terms of play structure, 9 innings, unless a game is tied, at which point they play additional innings until an inning ends with one team in the lead. In terms of time, a short baseball game takes about 2 to three hours generally, though there is not really any upper limit.

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