One of the Hallmarks (sign of) an expert auditor of any Scientology Classification is the ability to talk the TA down if it is high at start of session. It is not a new Technique. It has been done for many years by well trained auditors and is done at Flag simply and expertly as needed.

If one understands the anatomy of the human mind and what is by-passed charge he will understand this simple but important technique. Scientology auditors of all levels should be able to talk the TA down quickly and simply without restimulating the pc further.

The TA is not talked down by getting overruns, ruds or ARC breaks. It is not done by rehabbing former releases. It is done by the simple time honored action of asking the right question, getting it answered, and — letting the tone arm blow down.

By letting the tone arm blow down, it is meant that the auditor does not have any attitudes or ridges toward the preclear, and lets him blow off charge which will bring the tone arm down.

The auditor never interrupts the PC while the tone arm is moving.

To ask the right question on this technique, you must first know what you are trying to accomplish. Why do you want to bring the TA down?

The answer is simply, that the TA being high (3.5 or above), indicates that there is some mass the preclear’s attention is on. You want that mass out of the way so that you can direct the preclear’s attention where you want it.

So what you simply do is get the preclear to tell you what is in restimulation so that it will key out without driving the preclear further into his bank — and thus restimulating more mass.

You must not further restimulate the preclear’s bank because it already is restimulated by something. The mass is right there. You can see it reading on the meter. But as this is not the mass you came into session prepared to run, it would be a Q and A to change the C/S and program by running it.

So you must destimulate the pc by having him tell you what it is that his attention is on and thus free his attention so that you can run the major action.

Briefly, in talking the TA down, you are freeing the preclear’s attention from where it is so that you can then direct it where you wish.

Talking the TA down is simply starting the session as usual, and if the TA is high — 3.5 or above — asking the pc a question such as one of the following — using good ARC, excellent TRs, granting the pc beingness not soppy or sugary, but being there comfortably and even pleasantly if the preclear is not upset.

Some of the questions you could ask are:

“Do you have your attention on anything?“

“Is there anything you’d care to tell me?”

“Since your last session has anything happened you’d like to tell me about?”

“How have things been going lately?”

“How have things been going since your last session?”

Or on occasion you could ask “Have you had any wins lately?”

The question should be phrased to limit the time period to just what the preclear’s attention is on and not to drive him into his bank by restimulating new things.

It is lightly, lightly, with one eye on the pc and one eye on the meter so you can see if the Tone Arm blows down and what it blows down on.

This does not get wild and complicated. There is no Q and A. Perhaps the pc will say “no” and the question will not have any reaction on the meter. Try another question but stick to one of the types given.

If the meter reads and the pc says nothing and the tone arm is not blowing down you could ask “What was that?” or “Did you have a thought there?” (See Fishing a Cognition drill, BTB 25 June 70 Fishing a Cognition.)

You will also find certain subjects the pc mentions give a blow down. These can be used by noticing them, redirecting the pc’s attention to them when the pc changes the subject and the TA starts up. Example: He says “Mother”, TA blows down, he goes on to “Father”, TA starts up. Casually ask him about his mother again and it will go on down. This is dangerously close to a Q & A except it manipulates the TA. A little of this goes a long way.

When all else fails look back on your W/S for the lowest TA read and redirect the pc’s attention to that subject and you may get your F/N.

Don’t get accusative or abusive or evaluative.

The preclear will answer you and the tone arm will start blowing down. Sometimes the preclear will not answer, but will be looking, and the tone arm will start falling.

Never interrupt while the tone arm is blowing down, even if the preclear isn’t talking.

Write down on the worksheet whatever names, items, events or whatever it was that blew the tone arm down and circle it.

When the tone arm has stopped blowing down you can indicate to the pc what happened by saying: „There was charge on ……… (the subject which blew the TA down). “ (Warning: This may not be used as a substitute for a good TR 2 or to pull the pc out of session.)

The pc will usually say something like: „There sure is charge on the subject!“, and you’ll almost certainly get F/N, cog, VGIs. You would, of course, indicate on the worksheet what happened and write „indicated“.

You’d let the preclear have his win on this by indicating the F/N, then you would go on to your C/S actions. If your C/S stated „Fly a rud if no F/N. “ you wouldn’t have to fly a rud because you have your F/N.

The auditor observes the preclear. By his presence alone, the auditor can make the preclear feel safe and willing to be in session and this alone will often bring the tone arm down if it is high at start of session.

Auditors with presence have been seen to do this time after time. Auditor presence of this caliber is not unusual even at lower levels. It is the auditor who controls the session, the pc’s bank, the pc’s attention and the pc’s TA.

In talking the TA down, it is the action of getting the pc’s attention off the mass and into session which brings the tone arm down.

When the TA is down, the auditor skillfully directs the pc’s attention to that portion of the bank he wishes to restimulate and run in accordance with the C/S.

The major cautions in talking the TA down are:

1. Don’t turn it into a major action. Use it only to get the TA down and leave it.

2. Use talking the TA down only at the start of session and not in the middle of a session if the TA goes high.

An auditor should never start a session with the tone arm high. An auditor with good presence, good TRs and the ability to grant the preclear beingness will never need more than just a few minutes to talk the TA down and get into the C/S quickly.