Reachback
Encyclopedia
'Eric Berne
defined the useful term reach-back. Reach-back, in Berne's lexicon, is the period of time during which an impending event begins to influence one's behavior (and, we could add, his stress
level'.
, coined the term in his book What Do You Say After You Say Hello?. He considered that reachback 'is most dramatically seen in people with phobias whose whole functioning may be disturbed for days ahead at the prospect of getting into a feared situation, such as a medical examination or a journey'.
For instance, a person expecting to take a trip on Monday starts getting irritable and worried on Friday. He may start trying to clear his overflowing inbox, cut short his evening relaxation, start preparing and packing for the trip, worry about what clothes to take, and so on. However, 'for people who have unusual difficulties with anticipatory stress, the reach-back of an event such as a major vacation trip or a wedding may be several weeks'.
Berne differentiates reachback from forward planning, which is done to mitigate negative effects such as reachback.
The flip side of reachback is afterburn
, which is defined as the effect a past atypical event continues to have on a person's schedule, activities and mental state even after it is materially over. Berne considered that 'each person has a sort of standard "reach-back time" and "after-burn time" for various kinds of situations...domestic quarrels, examination or hearings, work deadlines, travel, visits from or to relatives, etc.'.
's prescription for equable living day-by-day, Berne explained that 'living day by day means living a well-planned and organized life, and sleeping well between each day, so that the day ends without reach-back, since tomorrow is well planned, and begins without after-burn, since yesterday was well-organized'.
Eric Berne
Eric Berne was a Canadian-born psychiatrist best known as the creator of transactional analysis and the author of Games People Play.-Background and education:...
defined the useful term reach-back. Reach-back, in Berne's lexicon, is the period of time during which an impending event begins to influence one's behavior (and, we could add, his stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
level'.
Berne's formulation
Berne, the founder of transactional analysisTransactional analysis
Transactional analysis, commonly known as TA to its adherents, is an integrative approach to the theory of psychology and psychotherapy. It is described as integrative because it has elements of psychoanalytic, humanist and cognitive approaches...
, coined the term in his book What Do You Say After You Say Hello?. He considered that reachback 'is most dramatically seen in people with phobias whose whole functioning may be disturbed for days ahead at the prospect of getting into a feared situation, such as a medical examination or a journey'.
For instance, a person expecting to take a trip on Monday starts getting irritable and worried on Friday. He may start trying to clear his overflowing inbox, cut short his evening relaxation, start preparing and packing for the trip, worry about what clothes to take, and so on. However, 'for people who have unusual difficulties with anticipatory stress, the reach-back of an event such as a major vacation trip or a wedding may be several weeks'.
Berne differentiates reachback from forward planning, which is done to mitigate negative effects such as reachback.
The flip side of reachback is afterburn
Afterburn (psychotherapy)
-Berne's formulation:Eric Berne, the founding father of transactional analysis, used the term "afterburn" to indicate the effect an atypical past event continues to exert on a person's daily schedule, activities and mental state even after it is over: to 'those occasions when it disturbs normal...
, which is defined as the effect a past atypical event continues to have on a person's schedule, activities and mental state even after it is materially over. Berne considered that 'each person has a sort of standard "reach-back time" and "after-burn time" for various kinds of situations...domestic quarrels, examination or hearings, work deadlines, travel, visits from or to relatives, etc.'.
Prevention
Following William OslerWilliam Osler
Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet was a physician. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at Johns Hopkins Hospital as the first Professor of Medicine and founder of the Medical Service there. Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a physician. He was...
's prescription for equable living day-by-day, Berne explained that 'living day by day means living a well-planned and organized life, and sleeping well between each day, so that the day ends without reach-back, since tomorrow is well planned, and begins without after-burn, since yesterday was well-organized'.