There is an infinite number of wrong ways you can get a pc's TA to read between 2.0 and 3.0 on a Meter.

The TA should move during session and high TA mid session is of no or little concern. Low TA may also simply come up again. But at the EP of a process you want to have the TA between 2.0 and 3.0. This is not an absolute. Per the valid definition of F/N  and CS Ser 99RA, the TA position is not part of the definition of an F/N. If you routinely get F/N's outside TA range 2.0 - 3.0 you need however to find and handle the causes of this. This chapter deals mainly with false TA and how to handle it. But first we will give you an overview of all possible causes.

The Meter measures resistance
The Meter measures resistance. The TA scale could have been marked to give a figure in Ohm's (the unit for electrical resistance). As a matter of fact TA at 2.0 =5.000 Ohms and TA at 3.0 = 12.500 Ohms. You use that when you adjust and calibrate your Meter.

As far as an auditor is concerned he looks to advance cases. He looks for one of two main causes, that the TA doesn't read between 2.0 and 3.0.
It is either caused by the pc's case or it can be false TA.

PC's Case
High TA. The most common case sources for high TA are: 

1) protest, 
2) overts, 
3) overrun and 
4) trouble with Interiorization.

You will learn about 1-3 and how to handle them later on this course.

(4) 'Trouble with Interiorization' needs an explanation. A pc can have a big win and go exterior. That means he moves out of his body as a thetan (with or without full perception). This is great - usually a big win. Later he will move back into his body. Usually this happens and he just goes on with auditing.
Occasionally this 'pc moving back into the body' can cause a certain type of restimulation that sends the TA up. This restimulation needs to be handled with a special auditing action, called 'The Interiorization Rundown' or 'Int RD' for short. This RD is taught on a later level of ST.

Low TA. The most common case condition that causes low TA is pc feeling overwhelmed. This is very often traced back to auditor's bad TRs and code breaks. The auditor is overwhelming or invalidating the pc with bad basic auditing.

False TA
The other cause for TA position routinely or chronically outside the 2.0 - 3.0 range is false TA. These are physical causes. a 'bad connection' or 'too good a connection'. These causes have to be found, ruled out and handled first since what you are interested in is auditing the pc's case.

We will go though each of the causes for false TA and then you get the actual check list. The check list is what you do with the pc in session to find any physical causes to false TA and the remedy for it.

Meter Trim
A Meter which is out of trim will give a false TA position. You trim the Meter at the beginning of the session with the cans unplugged by setting TA at 2.0 and adjusting the trim knob so the needle points exactly at 'Set'. You have to turn on the Meter and let it warm up a minute or two to settle before you do this.

After session you do a trim check by unplugging the cans (don't touch trim knob). You adjust the TA position until the needle points at 'Set' and you read the TA position. If it is 1.9 this shows what the error is. You write at your Auditor Report form Trim Check = 1.9. At the later part of the session there was an error of 0.1, meaning actual TA would be 0.1 higher than shown on the Meter.

During Session Trim Check
You can check the Meter trim during session if you need to. You quietly pull the can wire jack out of its socket (to disconnect the cans). You put the TA at 2.0 to see if needle is on 'Set'. If it isn't you turn the trim knob to adjust the Meter back into trim. You quietly slip the jack back in its socket. The whole check should be done without the pc noticing anything.

Discharged Battery
A Meter with a cadmium battery will discharge very suddenly when the battery goes flat.

This could happen mid-session. When the battery goes flat the TA will cease to respond correctly and will be false.

The remedy is to make sure your Meter is well charged up at the beginning of each session. See the user manual for your Meter about details.

A Meter should be tested before each session. You use the 'Test' mode. The needle should hit the stop pin to the right, bounce off and hit it again real hard. If it doesn't, you need to further charge your Meter before session.

One Hand Electrode
In advanced processing the pc is taught to audit Solo (he does audited actions on himself). The solo-auditor will use an electrode held in one hand (it consists of two small cans insulated from each other).

Solo cans will always give a false TA reading. The solo auditor will check the actual TA position by doing a check with two cans.

Moist Hands
If the pc has wet and sweaty hands you get low TA. The needle does not respond to sweat. But due to the moisture the electrical contact between hands and cans is a lot better than normal and this gives a low TA (less electrical resistance).

Before you say a case is 'low TA', make sure it isn't just a case of sweaty hands.

Paper napkins are usually available in the auditing room. They are used if the pc has a grief charge or burning eyes. They can conveniently also be used to wipe sweaty hands dry.

Also talcum powder or anti-perspirant spray is used to remedy sweaty hands.

If the TA position is of critical importance have the pc use a napkin to wipe the hands so you can get the correct position. Also redo the trim check as above.

Note: very small cans for the pc's hands can give a slightly lower reading.

A true low TA means the pc feels overwhelmed or invalidated. Bad auditor TRs can do this and drive the TA low. A true low TA has to be repaired on the pc with the appropriate auditing actions. A correction of the auditor's basic auditing is also needed.

So it is important not to falsely brand a case low TA.

Dry Hands 
Some pc's have very dry hands. It can be caused by the use of chemicals such as chlorine, strong soaps and detergents etc. or by very calloused hands.

This can cause a very high TA.

A true high TA has to be repaired as the high TA means 'mental mass' of some kind in restimulation.

It is therefore important to first exclude a simple case of dry hands which is simply causing insufficient electrical contact with the cans.

You of course check the pc's hands by inspecting them and touching them.

One way to check the TA position is, to let the pc 'hold' the cans in his armpits (with full skin contact) and see if the TA is significantly lower.

Arthritic Hands
A pc can be so crippled with arthritis that he can't get a natural grip on the cans. It can cause insufficient contact and give high TA.

You can use wide wrist straps and that will give good contact and the right TA.

Loosens Grip
Sometimes a pc can loosen the grip on the cans which causes insufficient contact. This can simply be caused by wrong sized cans, usually too big for the pc.

This can cause a mysterious 'high TA'. The TA may come down to only 3.2 and F/N. The auditor may continue as he feels the process couldn't EP with TA above 3.0 (See also chapter F/N and EP). This will cause an overrun. 3.2 was a false TA caused by pc's loose grip on the cans. Overrunning the process now really cause the TA to go high. The pc can become desperate and believe "This thing is never going to release".

The thing to do is to keep the pc's hands in sight so you can see his grip on the cans. Instruct the pc how to hold the cans. You may need to get smaller cans for him as well.

Size of Cans
A very common fault is to use the wrong size of cans for the pc.

For a pc with normal or large sized hands a good size can would be about 7 cm diameter (2"5/8) and about 12 1/2 cm (4"7/8) long or tall; or a size with diameter 7.5 cm (3") and 11 cm (4"1/2) long.

This can be too large for some people - with small hands. Try with cans, diameter 5 cm (2"1/8) and 9 cm long (3"3/4).

A small child would not even be able to handle this size. You can go down to use the small metal containers used for 35 mm film. These are usually made of aluminum. They are not quite as good as tin plated steel cans, which are the normal, inexpensive soup cans.

The important thing is to have an assortment of can sizes with you in session and try them out until you find the size that works the best. The pc must be able to maintain a natural relaxed grip with good contact for the length of the session. The can should be tall or long enough to be visible on both sides of the grip.

PC is Cold
A pc who is cold may develop a false high TA.

Use a blanket to wrap pc in and warm up the room.

It is the responsibility of the auditor to regulate the room so it is comfortable for the pc to be audited in.

Late Night Session
Between 2 and 3 AM the TA may be very high. It can happen at other times, depending on the pc's sleeping habits. Avoid such periods as the pc is simply not sessionable.

Usually you will find normal hours work the best. (8 AM to 10 PM).

Rings
Rings on the pc's hands must always be removed (or covered with band aid or tape). They do not give false TA but can give false 'Rock Slams'.

Floating TA
There is a phenomenon known as Floating TA. It is actually a super-wide F/N. The FN is so wide so the TA has to be moved constantly to try to catch it on the dial. Up and down. A green auditor can become confused over this as he can't get a read on the TA position.

This is not a false TA by any means; but it needs to be mentioned here as it can cause TA concerns on the part of the auditor.

Old and Rusty Cans
Corroded or rusty cans can give false TA. Cans are inexpensive and you should replace them regularly.

Too Small Shoes
Some ladies love to wear real small shoes.

One lady would take them off in session and have a normal TA range. She would put them back on again and go to the Examiner. At the Examiner she would have high TA.

It took a while before it became clear the tight shoes was the cause. The Meter was accurate. The tight shoes was the problem.

Cold Cans
If the cans are cold it can give too high and false TA, especially with some pc's.

When the cans warm up the TA usually will fall considerably. The same can be the case if the pc is freezing and cold.

Before beginning a session the auditor may have to warm up the cans by rubbing them, keep them under his arm pits or leave them near a heater.

At the Examiner, where the pc is only there for a minute, the cans should be kept warm with a heating pad or the like. The right temperature would be body temperature.

PC Oddity
Very rarely you can run into a pc who wants to demonstrate to an auditor that he can control the Meter.

If the pc is 'in-session' (interested in own case and willing to talk to the auditor), you don't have to worry about this.

But here are some odd phenomena you should know about:

If the pc is outside his body (exterior as a thetan) he can move the TA up by simply go into his body again.

A pc can also have a trick for getting a F/N to get over with a process. The main trick would be to 'think of something else' and get an FN on that.

Since your first duty as an auditor is to get and keep him 'in-session' you may never encounter the above; but you should know about it.

Auditors with Odd Practices
Likewise some auditors can develop odd practices to beat a low or high TA.

One auditor tried to beat low TA by having the pc wipe the moisture off his hands every few minutes.

This practice not only put the pc's attention on the Meter, it interfered completely with any actual auditing going on. The pc's attention must be on his own case.

The best answer to pc's with nervously sweating in their hands, is to get them upscale. After all it is often a nervous condition.

Overwhelming TRs are often the reason for low TA. No wiping of hands is going to cure that.

Some auditors go stiff of fear when they think of high or low TA. It's time for more TRs and more study. They need better TRs as to not cause low TA and they need more data as to be able to handle the high TA.

Excessive use of hand cream can be used to 'get the TA down'. Talcum powder, anti-perspirant spray or wiping the hands can be used to dry pc's hands and get a low TA up. But none of this will handle the pc's case.

That is the only good reason for the auditor auditing the pc. He has to do something for the pc, not for the Meter or the report.

There is a known way out of these problems. Indicate F/N's regardless of TA position (per CS Series 99RB) and honestly note down the TA position.

Eliminate the sources of false TA by using the False TA Check List.

If the TA still remains high or low at the EP of processes, there is an underlying case condition that needs to be addressed. This is easy to do in modern processing. An advanced student will know how to audit a correction list known as CS 53RK. It addresses all the case reasons for high and low TA and there is a known handling for each possibility.

False TA Checklist
The following are the items that has to be checked by an auditor on any pc. It is done by visual inspection and physical checking the condition of pc's hands etc. It has nothing to do with a Meter Assessment. You do the action, note down the TA position. Any needle reads are irrelevant.

It only needs to be done once unless the check itself is suspected to be false or erroneous, or if the pc's hands etc. is suspected to have changed.

The list is kept in the pc folder and the action recorded in the Folder Summary.

The auditor obtains the information by checking pc's hands etc. himself. Auditor will feel the pc's hands to find out if they are wet or dry and so on.

You tell the pc the following R-factor:
"I am going to check the cans, your hands and various other things to adjust everything for best Meter accuracy."

1. IS THE METER CHARGED COMPLETELY?
   A Meter needs at least 1 hr. charge for 10 hrs. auditing (using 220V) and 2 hrs. charge for 10 hrs. auditing, using 110V. Do a TEST check before session.
   
2. IS THE METER CORRECTLY TRIMMED?
   Do a Trim check. Trim = 2.0
   
3. ARE THE CANS CONNECTED FIRMLY TO THE LEADS AND THE LEADS TO THE METER? 
   Inspect can clips and jack for bad connections. Use another can lead if something seems suspicious.
   
4. ARE THE CANS CORRODED OR RUSTY?
   You simply look over the surface of the cans. If bad, you get new ones.
   

5. DOES THE PC HAVE VERY DRY HANDS THAT NEED HAND CREAM?
   You feel the surface of pc's hands. Also you can have him hold cans under his arm pits (against his skin) to see if it gives a lower TA read. If false TA use vanishing cream (as Vaseline Intensive Care). Put on plenty of cream and let it soak in. Make sure to cover thumb. Then wipe off excessive cream with napkin. That will cure the problem for the length of the session. Note TA position before and after.
   

6. ARE THE HANDS VERY SWEATY AND NEED POWDER?
   Have pc wipe his hands dry. Note TA before and after. Anti-perspirant can be used on wet hands (spray or powder). Effect will hold for 2-3 hrs.
   
7. THE PC IS NOT BEING TOLD TO WIPE OFF THE HANDS ALL THE TIME?
   Answer the question. The handling is the same as above.
   
8. IS THE PC'S CAN GRIP BEING CHECKED ALL THE TIME, AS TO INTERRUPT THE PC?
   You can ask pc to keep hands where you can see them. But first make sure he has the right size of cans.
   
9. CHECK TA POSITION FOR LARGE CANS
   Diameter: 7 - 8 cm (2"5/8 - 3"+) and long enough to make full contact with pc's hands.
   
10. CHECK TA POSITION FOR MEDIUM CANS
    Use medium sized cans. Write TA position.
    
11. CHECK TA POSITION FOR SMALL CANS
    Diameter about 5 cm (2") and long enough to cover pc's hands. Best cans are soup cans (tin plated steel).
    For small children 35 mm film containers of aluminum can be used. But aluminum is not the best metal. Make sure to match cans up with pc's hands.
    
12. IF PC A CHILD, MAKE SURE TO GET SMALL ENOUGH CANS.
    You can get tin plated steel as electrical conduit pipe or cut up a can to make it smaller (no sharp edges!)- or use 35 mm film cans. You need a ready assortment to take with you in session.
    
13. DECIDE ON A CAN SIZE FOR YOUR PC.
    Double check that pc can hold them with a natural grip (right size). Check the grip per can squeeze drill. (EM-4).
    
14. ARE THE CANS USED TOO COLD?
    Cold cans can give a false high TA. Especially with easily chilled pc's. Auditor should check temperature and warm them up (by rubbing them or hold them under his arms), then hand them to pc.
    
15. IS THE PC SUFFERING FROM ARTHRITIS IN HANDS?
    A crippled hand is incapable of a natural grip and will cause bad contact. You can use wide wrist straps (tin plated steel sheet strapped onto pc's wrists - no sharp edges!). Possibly have pc hold cans under arm pits (with full skin contact) as a double check of a correct TA position.
    
16. DOES THE PC LOOSEN HIS CAN GRIP DURING SESSION?
    Check can grip (per EM-4). Double check it's the right size cans used. Educate pc in how to hold the cans and keep them in sight during auditing.
    
17. DOES THE PC FEEL HOT?
    Make sure to control room temperature. Use fan or air conditioning; or ask pc to remove sweater.
    
18. IS THE PC WELL RESTED?
    Insufficient rest can cause false TA. As it is against Auditors Code to audit a tired pc the handling is, not to do it.
    
19. DOES THE PC FEEL COLD?
    Chilled or cold pc's can have false high TA. Use a blanket - or better get the room warmed up to the most comfortable temperature for the pc. The room is the auditor's responsibility.
    
20. DOES THE PC FEEL HUNGRY?
    Per Auditors Code, you have to ensure pc isn't hungry. Don't audit him in this condition.
    
21. IS IT TOO LATE FOR PC TO BE SESSIONABLE?
    The TA can go real high due to this. Check pc's regular sleeping habits and schedule sessions in pc's normal awake hours.
    
22. DOES THE PC WEAR RINGS?
    Rings can cause false 'Rock Slams'. Make sure the pc takes any rings off before session. If they can't come off cover the metal with tape, band aid or paper, so there is no metal to metal contact.
    
23. DOES THE PC HAVE TIGHT SHOES ON?
    This has been known to cause high TA. Tell pc to take them off in session - also at the Examiner.
    
24. DOES THE PC WEAR TIGHT CLOTHES OR A TIGHT BELT?
    Check out if the clothing causes false TA. If so, have pc remedy it and instruct pc to wear more comfortable clothes for future sessions.
    
25. IS THE HAND CREAM PUT ON CORRECTLY AND DOES IT COVER THE ENTIRE HAND?
    Make sure hand cream covers entire hand. Check especially the thumb. Some pc's may have to put cream on, let it soak. Then wipe off excess and repeat the process with a second application of cream.
    
26. IS THE PC'S CHAIR COMFORTABLE?
    If not; get a better and more comfortable chair. This whether it affects the TA or not.
    
27. IS IT ACTUALLY A CHRONIC HIGH OR LOW TA?
    At this point you can determine if high/low TA is caused by false TA or pc's case. If it is caused by pc's case it needs to be handled with auditing. The C/S will order a Hi-Lo TA Assessment list (a C/S Series 53) to handle the problem. It is done to F/N'ing list.
    
28. IS THE PC IN DESPAIR ABOUT HIS TA?
    The above list should handle the original causes for this. The pc may however still be upset about it. To handle the case side of the upset you can check on the Meter 'TA worries', 'TA hassles' and do a correction list (L1C) on the one(s) that reads.
    

To Print-out of False TA Check list