Ego State Therapy E-Book

Gordon Emmerson

• Herausgeber: Crown House Publishing
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2007

Seitenzahl: 385

Beschreibung

Emmerson's innovative book presents the theory and practice of working with ego states, helping to understand them, recognize and use them. "will be a very valuable addition to the subject" Professor V M Mathew MBBS DTM&H DPM MRCPsych MPhil, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director, West Kent NHS and Social Care Trust

Leseprobe

Praise for Ego State Therapy

An interesting and, in many ways, invigorating new look at Ego State Therapy has been presented by Dr. Gordon Emmerson of Australia in his new book. Dr. Emmerson takes the technique away from the usual neurosis therapies and/or personality dysfunctions and strides into the realm of developing innovative techniques with which to approach therapeutic dilemmas, experienced by the patient/client as ambivalence, feeling ‘stuck’ in old patterns of behavior and interactions, processing intrusive traumatic experiences, and dealing with unwanted parts and aspects of the self.– Marlene E Hunter, MD, FCFP(C), Past President, ASCH, ISSD, CSCH(BC), Director, Labyrinth Victoria Centre for Dissociation

Gordon Emmerson brings to contemporary Ego State Therapy a voice that is creative, unique, and helpful. Ego State Therapy will undoubtedly serve as a handbook for many who want to learn more of the ‘hands on’ aspects of this form of treatment. He is to be commended especially for his applications of Ego State Therapy to the difficulties of the ‘walking neurotic’.– Claire Frederick, MD, Editor, American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, co-author of Healing the Divided Self: Clinical and Ericksonian Hypnotherapy for post-Traumatic and Dissociative Conditions and Inner Strengths: Contemporary Psychotherapy and Hypnosis for Ego-Strengthening

Mind, matter and life are the three distinct factors that instil Man with inconceivable possibilities, of which Ego forms a crucial part. Ego determines whether he becomes his own creator or destroyer. In him are found both evil and virtue, both criminal tendencies and saintly characteristics. He may either be a blessing or a curse to himself and others. Thus the good old saying, “some are wise and some are otherwise.” Ego State Therapy by Gordon Emmerson incorporates hypnotherapy and presents innovative techniques of working with Ego States. The theories of Ego State and the practical methods illustrated in this book will enable the reader to master the therapy with ease and thus to harness his own resources. This book will be a very valuable addition to the subject of Ego State Therapy.– Professor V. M. Mathew MBBS, DTM&H, DPM, MRCPsych, M.Phil

This book will be a very useful addition to any therapist’s library and particularly beneficial to those new to the profession, in that it will give them an even greater grasp of the technique known to many as “Parts Therapy”. Although the book is, in essence, based on the Watkins’ Ego State Therapy, the author has built on the technique and used innovative ways of expanding its use. Some of the case studies in the book are fascinating and are used to enable the reader to more easily understand how the technique works and the uses it can be put to. I must confess that I had never thought of using the therapy in some of the ways that the author does and can see that its use could be expanded in any number of different directions, thus enabling the therapist to do brief therapy with many clients who might have been considered too difficult to treat quickly. Gordon Emmerson has drawn on some of the different therapies which use these techniques, including Transactional Analysis. Gestalt Therapy and Voice Dialogue Therapy and he illustrates how Ego State Therapy can be incorporated into and used alongside almost any discipline to very good effect. I found this book very enjoyable and easy to understand and I felt as if I’d added considerably to my tool-box after reading it.– Pat Doohan, FIDELITY _ The Journal for the National Council of Psychotherapists

Ego State Therapy is a rapid psychotherapeutic method which uses the recognized advantages of hypnosis to produce the lasting positive outcomes characteristic of psychoanalysis with intervention times rivaling cognitive-behavior therapy. Representing the new generation of Ego State Therapists, Dr. Emmerson casts the masterful development of the approach over the years by John G. Watkins and his associates into the first true textbook on Ego State Therapy that clearly, accurately and succinctly shows clinicians and advanced clinical psychology students how to use Ego State Therapy with their patients. Much more than a “how to do” approach, Ego State Therapy keeps the series of well developed and time proven specific interventions accurately grounded in the underlying theory. It will become a classic as an essential text for those psychologists and psychiatrists who recognize the importance of Ego State Therapy to the needs of their clients.– Professor Arreed Franz Barabasz, EdD, PhD, ABPP, Washington State University, USA, Editor, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, President, American Psychological Association Div. 30 Society for Psychological Hypnosis

We have all experienced good teachers in our time – someone who engages us, holds our attention and shares knowledge with us, filling us with enthusiasm for the subject. Gordon Emmerson is such a teacher. His practical approach of providing the theory of a technique, demonstrating the technique and then monitoring his students as they practice the technique is unsurpassed. Gordon has successfully transposed his teaching expertise into this book that has been described as “a classic as an essential text”. It is a book that meets the needs of all readers, regardless of their level of expertise in Ego State Therapy. The author discusses the goals and benefits of Ego State Therapy and the nature, development and permanence of ego states. He includes the steps to be taken in numbered point form, offering a full explanation of each step and “demonstrates” with client/therapist dialogue. The only thing missing is for the author to be there when the student practices. At the end of the book, we are taken through 3 sessions; each step is fully explained and there is no holding back of information. I have fulsome praise for this most welcome text that gives valuable insight into Ego State Therapy and a practical approach to using the techniques in one’s practice.– Lyn Macintosh CMAHA ASCH, Hypnopatter, Official Newsletter of the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association

A wonderful encapsulation of an approach to therapy that embraces the multi-level communication within our psychotherapeutic system. Students of Erickson and Gilligan will find further clarification of familiar processes and principles of healing through self-relating. Gordon Emmerson is another welcome voice in the movement of therapy that works to embrace and respect the forces of the unconscious/ego relationship, enhancing understanding, expression and tutilage of “parts” rather than removing or dismissing problem states as irrational or “unresourceful”. Many scholared and experienced therapists believe that there are many psychotherapies but only very few core psychotherapeutic processes. If so, Emmerson has done much to elucidate the practice and application of one of these core processes that obeys the natural laws of psychotherapeutic recovery and growth and is drawn from experience, skilled technique and wide knowledge.–Pamela Gawler-Wright, Beeleaf Training, www.beeleaf.com

Ego State Therapy is based on the premise that our personality is not a homogenous whole, but is formed of separate parts. This idea in itself is ancient - you can find it inferred in writers from Aristotle to Shakespeare. More recently it is echoed in the Parts Therapy approach which has its roots in the work of Fritz Perls and was further developed by Gil Boyne, Charles Tebbetts and Roy Hunter. Systemic therapists talk of our ‘Inner Others’, and Transactional Analysis has explored the term Ego States in a somewhat different way. The form of therapy that Emmerson describes derives from the work of John and Helen Watkins and is an eclectic mix with hypnosis being a strong ingredient. A reader of this book would have a very clear idea of the theoretical underpinnings of this approach as well as a wide range of techniques available to them by the time they had finished with it. With my NLP background I am familiar with working with Parts (or Ego States) with techniques such as Visual Squash and the Core Transformation process, but this book gave me new ideas about how to extend the range of my interventions. The detail provided is in-depth without ever being turgid, and would allow most practitioners to begin using this approach with confidence. Instinctively I am against therapies that take one aspect of our humanity and claim it as the single route to cure. Emmerson avoids this, for all his obvious passion and commitment to Ego State Therapy, offering a range of possibilities for working with a range of issues that are commonly brought to the consulting room. An intelligent, well-researched and well-written book. Put it on your wish list, but don’t leave it there for long.–Trevor Silvester, Hypnotherapy Journal

Ego State Therapy

Gordon Emmerson, PhD

Dedication

I would like to thank Dr John Watkins and Helen Watkins (2002) for their hospitality, reading and wisdom during my sabbatical stay in Missoula while working on this manuscript; my two young sons Daniel and Dylan for their unceasing love and understanding; and two dear and loving friends Dan Ramsey and Delwyn Goodrick for their reading and encouragement. I would also like to thank Lyn Macintosh for her determination that this text be read.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Foreword

Introduction

Turning the Lights On: Ego State Therapy

Goals of Ego State Therapy

Benefits

1 What are Ego States and How Did We Learn About Them?

1.1 Ego States

1.1.1 The Nature of Ego States

1.1.2 Development and Permanence of Ego States

1.2 Introjects

1.2.1 Nature of an Introject

1.3 Inner Strength

1.3.1 Nature of Inner Strength

1.4 Ego States and Physiology

1.5 Ego States and Psychology

1.6 Beginnings

1.7 Efficacy

1.8 Related Therapies

1.8.1 Psychoanalysis

1.8.2 Gestalt Therapy

1.8.3 Transactional Analysis

1.8.4 Other Therapies

2 Accessing Ego States in Therapy

2.1 Non-Hypnotic Access

2.1.1 Empty Chair Technique

2.1.2 Conversational Technique

2.2 Hypnotic Access

2.2.1 Hypnosis

2.2.2 General Guidelines for Talking with Ego States

2.2.3 The Dichotomous Technique for Accessing Ego States

2.2.4 The Resistance Deepening Technique

2.2.5 The Resistance Bridge Technique

2.2.6 Accessing States that are Reluctant to Speak

3 Using Ego States in Therapy

3.1 Processing Trauma

3.1.1 Abreactions

3.1.2 Neurotic Reactions

3.1.3 Finding the Trauma

3.1.4 Tools for Processing Trauma

3.1.5 When is Processing Complete?

3.2 Improving Ego State Communication

3.2.1 Negotiating among Ego States

3.2.2 Encouraging States into Alternate Roles

3.2.3 Working with Difficult and Malevolent Ego States

3.2.4 When is Ego State Communication Good Enough?

3.3 Gaining Personal Awareness of Ego States

3.3.1 Ego State Mapping

3.3.2 Advantages of Knowing Your States

3.3.3 Personal Development with Ego State Therapy

3.3.4 Self Talk for Health: Experiencing Better Physical Health

3.3.5 How many States to know?

4 Applications of Ego State Therapy

4.1 Alleviating Psychosomatic Symptoms

4.2 Ego State Therapy in the Control of Pain

4.3 Couples Counseling

4.3.1 Bringing Relationships to a Higher Level: The Enhanced Relationship

4.4 Reducing Depression and Anger

4.4.1 Depression

4.4.2 Anger

4.5 Panic Attacks

4.5.1 Panic Attacks Stemming from Unresolved Trauma

4.5.2 Panic Attacks Stemming from Residuals of Non-Assertive Behavior

4.5.3 Talking with a Person who is having a Panic Attack

4.6 Ego State Therapy in the Treatment of Addictions

4.6.1 Drug Addiction

4.6.2 Smoking Cessation and Diet Control

4.7 Multiple Personality (Dissociative Identity Disorder)

4.8 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

5 The Ego State Session

5.1 Components of an Ego State Therapy Session

5.1.1 A Session to Resolve Trauma

5.1.2 A Session to Enhance Internal Communication

5.1.3 A Session to Promote Self Awareness and Knowledge of Strengths

6 Final Thoughts

6.1 Why Ego State Therapy?

6.2 Theoretical Implications of Ego State Theory

6.2.1 Blocked and False Memories

6.2.2 Nature/Nurture

6.3 Conclusion

Bibliography

Glossary

Copyright

What lies in the dark unconscious expanse of our psyche? What causes the words we hear in our mind? What internal dynamic produces depression, panic attacks, and addiction? How can learning what is inside bring back the love and wonder of childhood?

Foreword

It has been more than a century since Freud and his associates discovered unconscious mental processes. Other psychological pioneers, such as Janet, Binet and Prince, also made monumental contributions in this area, and a major psychological tradition called “Psychoanalysis” emerged. This approach stemmed from philosophical rationalism and was based on observations made of patients seeking help for mental conflicts, and on self observations through introspection.

Other seekers for human understanding, impressed by the contributions of the physical sciences, sought freedom from “subjectivism” by focusing on the “objective results” of mental processes, e.g., “behavior”. Behavior was tangible and more easily lent itself to laboratory experimentation.

From these pioneers (which included James, Dewey, Thorndike, Watson and others) the second major psychological system, “objective empiricism” developed. Psychology re-defined itself as “the science of behavior”.

This tradition dominated the psychology of the 20th Century. From it, brief, active systems of psychological treatment emerged, such as behavioral and cognitive therapy.

Each tradition had its own limitations. Psychoanalysts, relying primarily on free association, dream interpretation, and the analysis of transference reactions as their research “tools” developed a system of therapy, which, though often effective, required the expenditure of many hours of treatment.

Although psychoanalysis has continued, and has developed more sophisticated theories, (object relations, self theory, Lacanian psychology, etc.) there has been almost no change in the basic “tools” of its therapeutic technique. Accordingly, psychoanalysis has languished as a “practical” treatment modality.

The empirical-behavioral tradition, while showing immediate therapeutic results, has done so by ignoring conditions and behaviors which are mediated through sub-liminal, “unconscious” processes, thus severely limited the scope of its operational area. Also controversial, is the long-term permanence of symptomatic improvements achieved through cognitive-behavioral therapies.

Abandoned by psychoanalysts, and initially ignored by academicians (because of the ill-repute of stage demonstrations) clinical and experimental hypnosis has continued to occupy the focus of an active group of investigators and practitioners. Small in number, but sparked by such well-respected academicians as the Hilgards at Stanford University, and innovative therapists, like Milton Erickson and many others, this third tradition has continued and flourished. Their findings are publicized through several hypnosis journals and within national and international hypnosis societies.

In the past 30 years a small group of such hypnotherapists, seeking to develop a more rapid treatment methodology, which would combine the speed and efficacy of the cognitive-behavioral approach, plus the depth of the psychoanalytic tradition, have been developing a therapeutic system known as “Ego State Therapy”.

Based on the psychoanalytic theories of Paul Federn, John and Helen Watkins and their associates (including Frederick, Phillips, Hartman, McNeal, Morton and others) have published many papers and several books detailing Ego State Therapy techniques. Other investigators, (such as Kluft, Torem, Fraser and Hunter) have further advanced the use of Ego State Therapy in the treatment of dissociation.

Moreover, the “First World Congress of Ego State Therapy” was held March 20–23, 2003, in Bad Orb, Germany, sponsored by German and European hypnosis societies.

Ego State Therapy promises rapid, long-lasting results in much shorter time than psychoanalysis, and several empirical, efficacy studies have already been published demonstrating its validity (Watkins & Watkins, 1997, pp. 162–194; Emmerson, 1999; Emmerson & Farmer, 1996).

This present work, Ego State Therapy, by Gordon Emmerson is a major building block in the emerging body of literature which marks this developing approach. It is comprehensive in covering the field, and will be a basic reference on Ego State Therapy for years to come.

Newcomers to this approach sometimes have difficulty conceptualizing just what is meant by “an ego state”. A strength of this work is the way Emmerson, using metaphors and other explanatory methods, clarifies just what an “ego state” is, and how it functions in the psychic economy of the entire person.

He clearly delineates states that represent more conscious moods, which he terms “surface” ones, and states that are normally below the threshold of awareness, for which he uses the term “underlying”. These latter ones generally require hypnotic activation to make them accessible for therapeutic interventions.

While he does not severely criticize other systems of treatment he points out that the “cognitive therapies” must of necessity deal with “surface states”, and he opts for more depth in therapy noting that, “to paste a coping skill on the surface of an injured personality is to further remove that person emotionally from ‘Self’”.

Emmerson presents the therapist/client verbalizations in many different cases, which help the reader to understand just how he, and his colleagues, practice Ego State Therapy.

In these, he himself often employs the Socratic-questionings commonly used by cognitive therapists. However, he demonstrates how much deeper insights can be achieved when these are administered to a “hypnotized” client, and he advocates the learning of hypnotic skills by more therapists.

The message here is that Ego State Therapy is not simply a specific, coherent treatment approach, but that its techniques can be adopted and added to the armamentarium skills of the cognitive therapist, the psychoanalytic therapist and other practitioners.

His text differs from that of the Watkins and Watkins (1997)1 in that his broad experience has been apparently drawn from working with non-hospitalized private clients. His cases are more like those treated by Helen Watkins than the severe neuroses and dissociations which John Watkins encountered in military and Veterans Administration Hospitals. Thus, his cases and treatment techniques complement those found in the Watkins’ text. The goals of insight, integration, and personality reorganization, however, are similar in both volumes.

Therapists and counselors will find this work an excellent and well-written textbook for the learning of Ego State Therapy – especially when combined with study in clinical hypnosis.

John G. Watkins, PhD Professor Emeritus University of Montana

1 Watkins, J. & Watkins, H., 1997, Ego States: Theory and Therapy, Norton, New York.

Introduction

Turning the Lights On: Ego State Therapy

What is the ego? It is our awareness of the “me” inside. It is the “me” that is sometimes focused and working, sometimes playful and laughing, sometimes in pain, and sometimes illogical in feeling and reaction. We each experience our ego from our own special states, states that have been formed through our experiences.

Think about how you feel, right now, and point a finger to yourself. You are thinking about and pointing to your ego, your selfness, your “me state”. You have more than a single “me state” or “ego state”. You are made up of an ego family of states. At times you may feel like a different person in attitude, logic, and emotion. You are actually a single person who is made up of a number of different states; each has its own feeling of power, weakness, emotion, logic, or other personal traits. On another day or at another time, when you point to yourself, you will probably be pointing to a different ego state. The other state may be angry, logical, lighthearted, or fearful. It may be talkative or pensive. When we say, “Part of me wants to”, we are talking about an ego state. When we say, “I feel at peace with myself on this issue”, we are talking about our ego states agreeing, not having an internal struggle. Our various states help to make our lives rich, productive, and enjoyable.

Because we have many states from which we can choose at a given time, it is possible to learn to change from a state that feels out of control to a state that has a feeling of competence. Because we have states that carry pain, it is possible to find and help the specific states that need resolution. Working with ego states can foster an improved psychological and physical experience of life. Understanding these ego states, learning to recognize them, and to use them in therapy is the purpose of this book. Learning to work directly with the state that needs help provides therapists the shortest distance between the two points, the goal and the solution.

Goals of Ego State Therapy

The goals of the therapy are:

To locate ego states harboring pain, trauma, anger, or frustration and facilitate expression, release, comfort, and empowerment;To facilitate functional communication among ego states (the statement “I hate myself when I am like that” indicates two states lacking in proper communication); andTo help clients learn their ego states so that the states may be better used to the clients’ benefit (e.g., allowing the client to, at one time, be open to enjoy emotional experiences and, at another time, be assertive when challenged).

Benefits

Learning about ego states and how to use them is beneficial in two ways; it increases an understanding of personality, and provides an avenue for affecting rapid and lasting change.

Ego state personality theory allows the therapist and the client to have a clearer view of how the personality is composed, and where most psychological problems originate. It demystifies the “vast unknown subconscious”, revealing it to be accessible ego states. It illuminates the development of our ego state structure and the ability that ego states have to be malleable, to become empowered, and to release fear.

Where do psychological problems come from? Why do clients react the way they do? Both clients and therapists often guess at these answers. Ego State Therapy provides a process that can connect the problematic symptom to the causal stimulus, without the therapist or client having to guess or interpret. It facilitates empowerment, just where it is needed, so unwanted symptoms no longer manifest from unresolved states. The understanding of their ego states that clients gain allows a richer experience of living, with an ability to be assertive, fragile, angry, logical, and caring at preferred times. Internal turmoil, where two parts of the person cannot agree, can be changed to a cooperative and respectful acceptance of the various ego states and their roles. It is often the case that physical health improves following the resolution of trauma and the improved internal communication between states that Ego State Therapy produces. Improved psychological and physical health, and an improved self-understanding and richness of experience are benefits of ego state theory and therapy.

Chapter 1 of this book defines ego states and ego state theory. It explains ego states and how the theory relates to other therapeutic orientations. A short history of Ego State Therapy is provided. Various ways to access ego states, both hypnotically and non-hypnotically, are presented in Chapter 2. Methods for using Ego State Therapy are covered in Chapter 3, and some specific applications of the therapy are presented in Chapter 4. Typical Ego State Therapy sessions are outlined in Chapter 5, and theoretical implications of ego state theory are discussed in Chapter 6.

Chapter 1

What are Ego States and How Did We Learn About Them?

Ego state therapy is based on the premise that personality is composed of separate parts, rather than being a homogenous whole. These parts (which everyone has) are called ego states. The state that is conscious and overt at any time is referred to as the executive state. Some non-executive ego states will be consciously aware of what is happening, while others may be unconscious and unaware. If a person is feeling and expressing anger, the executive state is a state that has as one if its roles, anger. The person may make statements such as, “I am really upset with you”, or “You are no friend of mine”. The angry person will own the feeling, saying “I” and will have the strong feeling of truth in what is said. The feeling is, “This is me, and this is what I feel”. What is actually happening is feelings are being expressed by one ego state of the person. Other ego states (or parts) of the person may not have the same feeling. An hour later, when another ego state is executive the person may think and feel in a very different way, and statements may be made such as, “I don’t know why I said those things. Your friendship is really important to me”. At this time the feeling of “me” rests in a different ego state. A different ego state is executive.

The following examples will better demonstrate ego states.

I want to marry her: I don’t want to marry her

Matthew is in a new relationship with Emma. He sees Emma playing with a child. He feels and believes, “This is the woman for me. I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her.” Later in the same day she criticizes him about his job as a plumber. He feels defensive and feels and thinks, “What did I ever see in this woman. How can I get out of this relationship?” These responses may sound extreme, but they are not unusual for many people, and it is not unusual for a person to bounce among several ego states in the process of making a major decision (one state may be in favor, one may be against, and another indifferent). In one moment on one day Matthew may “know” he wants Emma as his partner, and in another moment he may “know” he does not. In this example Matthew has an ego state that loves and dreams of a family. It is a soft, caring part of him, and when he sees the woman he cares about playing with a child his “Loving/Caring” ego state becomes executive. While in this state, Matthew is capable of feeling very positive and interested in Emma. These are honest feelings. It is Matthew who is feeling them. It is Matthew’s “Loving/Caring” part. Later when Emma criticized his job, another part of Matthew is energized to become executive (comes out). Matthew’s “Defensive, don’t pick on me” ego state becomes executive. This is not a loving, caring part of Matthew, and probably cannot even feel love. Its role is to protect, by creating a shell and withdrawing from the attacker. While in this state, Matthew cannot imagine a life with Emma. This, too, is a part of Matthew, just as valid and needed as the other. If Emma and Matthew continue with their relationship these two ego states will begin to differ less in the way Emma is viewed, but when he switches between them each will always reflect its role. His “Defensive” state will probably gain assurance over time that Emma will not hurt him, and either he will not switch to that state as much, or when he does his “Defensive” state will be less reactionary in its attempt to protect him.

Life is good: I want to hide

Lisa is having a good morning. She has just driven her new car to her adult education class. She has been admiring the new car and she feels good about having it. It makes her feel good to drive it. She is in an “I’m good” ego state. Lisa has not taken care to watch the time and when she enters her class she is 10 minutes late. The teacher stops talking to the group and states, “In the future I would really like it if everyone was here at the beginning of class.” Lisa switches to a “Withdrawn” ego state, feels upset on the inside, and wants to shrink into a corner and hide. She feels exposed and in need of protection. She has negative feelings about herself, and about her ability to be a positive part of the group. Another person, or Lisa at another time, may respond in a very different way. We all have ego states particular to our own history. The ego state that becomes executive at a given time will depend on the activating events, and both on our recent history (how we have been feeling) and our complete history (what ego states we have developed and their relation to our other states). Lisa’s switching states is a normal part of how we respond. We all switch states in relation to our life circumstances.

1.1 Ego States

An ego state is one of a group of similar states, each distinguished by a particular role, mood and mental function, which when conscious assumes first person identity. Ego states are a normal part of a healthy psyche, and should not be confused with alters (multiple personalities in dissociative identity disorder, see section 1.1.2, h). Ego states start as defense coping mechanisms, and when repeated develop into compartmentalized sections of the personality that become executive (conscious and overt) when activated. Ego states may also be traumatized during a single incident of trauma. For example, an ego state may be traumatized with an auto accident, a rape, a robbery, or even during the first day of kindergarten. Our unconscious contains our ego states that are not executive, and some ego states have not been executive for many years. They maintain their own memory and communicate with other ego states to a greater or lesser degree.

Suppose a parent verbally punishes a four-year-old child. The child may find that withdrawing, becoming quiet and saying nothing is a way to cope with the situation. The “Withdrawn” state becomes an ego state after the withdrawing behavior continues to work for the child on different occasions. Throughout life, when the person feels “in trouble with an authority figure” the withdrawn ego state may return, with the same feelings experienced by that four-year-old child. The adult may enter the same state when an authority figure rebukes or complains. Therapeutically, it is important to speak directly with the troubled ego state so a change can be made.

Hypnosis, with ego state techniques, allows this “Withdrawn” ego state to be accessed and spoken with. When asked how old it feels, it responds with, “four”. When asked, “What images do you have of being four?” the client will often regain the memory of that first incident of withdrawal (for more detail in accessing troubled states see section 2.2.5, The Resistance Bridge Technique). Work that assists that four-year-old state to feel resolved and empowered is usually permanent and allows the client to stop withdrawing when coming into contact with authority figures.

1.1.1 The Nature of Ego States

An ego state cannot be eliminated, but it can be changed (see section 1.1.2, d).An ego state is normally able to express how old it feels. Usually it reports being younger than the client, although occasionally a state will say it feels older.Ego states may choose to hide or become inactive, and they can change. Sometimes when they change they prefer to have a new name (‘Frightened’ may become ‘Helpful’).Ego states, when asked, report they are a part of the person.Ego states have identity. When a state is executive (conscious) it speaks in the first person and speaks of other states as ‘other’.Ego states have feelings, and do not like derogatory comments made about them, directly or to other states. They may refuse to talk or co-operate.We all have ego states, although the dissociation between them varies among individuals.

1.1.2 Development and Permanence of Ego States

We all have ego states and no two people have the same ego states in the same way. Our ego state map is the map of our personality. This section will address the following questions:

a. How many ego states do we have?

b. Where do ego states come from?

c. What are surface states and underlying states?

d. How long do ego states last?

e. Can you get rid of an ego state?

f. Is there an age when we no longer develop new ego states?

g. What is ego state communication?

h. How do ego states differ from Multiple Personalities?

HOW MANY EGO STATES DO WE HAVE? The average person has approximately 5 to 15 ego states that are used throughout the normal week. These states are close to the surface of the personality and usually communicate well with each other. When we switch from one to another we generally remember what happened and what we were doing in the previous state, although this memory is not complete. When we walk from watching television into the kitchen and open the refrigerator door we often switch from a relaxing/spectator ego state to a more functional/doer ego state. We are able to remember where we came from (the other room) and what we were doing (watching TV), but occasionally we may not remember why we came into the kitchen. When we sit for an exam in a nervous ego state we may not remember well the things we learned in a relaxed ego state, but if we are able to switch into the state we studied in, our recall will be much better.

Other than the few ego states we normally use, we have many more that we have used in the past, or that we rarely use. When walking along a street, if we notice a smell we have not smelled since childhood we may be flooded by childhood memories. A childhood ego state that used to experience that smell has been jogged into the executive, being energized by the “smell reminder”. It would not be possible for a person to learn exactly how many ego states they have since some rarely come to the executive, but later in this book ego state mapping will be described. This is a process of naming and mapping the roles and communication lines of many of our ego states.

WHERE DO EGO STATES COME FROM? Anew ego state is created when a person is confronted with a frustration or trauma, and has no ego state that can respond. Most ego states start in childhood, and as the repertoire of states increases fewer are formed in adolescence, and fewer still in adulthood.

Lisa (from the introductory section) had an ego state called “Withdrawal”. When Lisa was small she had a parent who would become very angry and yell at her. She found that by becoming quiet and looking small, the yelling would subside. This became a coping skill she used and continued to use. Since this withdrawal worked for her it became a part of her personality. Her ‘Withdrawal’ state learned to be cued to become executive when she felt “criticized by an authority figure”. Later throughout her life her “Withdrawal” state would become executive during such criticism. This is what Freud called a situational neurosis. It is an inappropriate response to a life situation caused by an early trauma. The processing of early traumas in order to help free the person of related neuroses is explained in section 3.1.2.

Another example of ego states originating from usable coping skills is that of a child, Hank, who feels he is not getting enough attention from others. He tells a joke and finds this brings him the attention he needs. He tells other jokes, and says funny things, and gains more positive attention. A“Comic” ego state develops. Later in life when he feels a lack of attention he goes to his comedian ego state. This could be quite a positive ego state for him. Many of our states are positive and useful. We have states that allow us to feel love, to truly enjoy a sport, or a particular food. Smokers will have ego states that enjoy smoking and ego states that do not want to smoke. This is another example of two ego states wanting different things.

An ego state may change during a single trauma, such as a rape, or a bad accident, or a war trauma. If the trauma is repeated that ego state will often return, and it will probably return at other times, if related ‘reminder’ events occur. Sexual relationships may at times bring to the executive an ego state that experienced a sexual assault. The noise of a gun firing may bring to the executive an ego state that experienced a war trauma. Ego State Therapy allows the traumatized ego states to be brought to the executive and empowered so they may no longer have to negatively interfere with the person’s life.

Ego state formation may be described using a metaphor. Imagine the young brain as smooth, fertile, loose soil on a gentle slope. It has no channels for water to run. A number of small rains combined, or fewer major rainstorm, will make channels that become permanent in this soil. The channeled hillside will naturally direct any water that falls near a channel into it. As the small child repeatedly uses a working coping mechanism a neural pathway is established in the brain and events that are reminders of that coping mechanism will be channeled down that pathway to the associated ego state. A trauma can be seen as the major rainstorm that can alter a channel in a single incident. Reminders of that trauma will bring to consciousness (the executive) the associated ego state.

WHAT ARE SURFACE STATES AND UNDERLYING STATES? A distinction can be made between two types of ego states, surface states and underlying states. Surface states are those states that are most often executive in normal functioning. They have good communication between each other. This means that a surface state (e.g., one that is cognitive and deliberative) will remember what happened when a different surface state (e.g., one that is more emotional) was executive. There is relatively good memory between them. Daily routine is experienced by surface states.

Underlying states vary greatly in their relative closeness to the surface. Some very rarely become executive. Some have almost no communication with surface states. These states become executive only occasionally outside therapy. The person who sees a wall paper like that of a childhood room may experience an underlying ego state, bringing with it childhood feelings and memories. Some of these memories may have previously been unknown to the surface states. Clinically, underlying states are difficult to access without hypnosis. While most underlying states hold positive and pleasant memories, unresolved trauma is normally held in underlying states.

HOW LONG DO EGO STATES LAST? Can we get rid of an ego state? When we develop an ego state, will we always have it? There is some disagreement about this; Watkins (2000) believes ego states can leave. We can be sure that most ego states last throughout our lives. When speaking directly with ego states, using hypnosis, they reveal a need to continue existing, and often a fear that the therapist will try to get rid of them. They see their role as useful, and sometime believe the person will die if they do not continue to exist. The best way to help a client who has an ego state that is causing a neurotic response is to help that state change its role, rather than to attempt to get rid of it. Techniques for assisting clients in changing ego state responses are described in Chapter 3.

Occasionally an ego state will say, “It would be better if I leave.” and it will appear that the ego state leaves. It is probable that the state is merely becoming inactive. Since some ego states are elusive and some are reluctant to talk it is difficult to determine if a state has actually left.

Ego states will also claim to merge with another state. There is no compelling need to know whether states can leave or merge, since the goal of Ego State Therapy is to reach the goals of the client, not to determine the disposition of states. Related states will sometimes report that a state has left or merged, and while this lends evidence to the notion that states can leave or merge, it is not conclusive evidence. Often states are unaware of the existence of other states.

Conceptually, I view an ego state as a neural pathway that has been formed from intense use. This pathway may be accessed via other ego states (pathways) by lines of communication that may be connected, changed, or disconnected. With this interpretation, it does not make sense that the neural pathway could be erased, but it is conceivable that the pathway may be separated or changed in the connections of communication. It is not unusual for an ego state to be generally unknown by most other states.

IS THERE AN AGE WHEN WE NO LONGER DEVELOP NEW EGO STATES? Most of our ego states form in early childhood, with the formation of states in adolescence being fewer, but normal. By late adolescence we have gathered an array of ego states that can be applied to almost any life circumstance. After this time we switch into and out of states that are most energized to become executive at any time. A state will continue to evolve, but may have started at a young age. For example, early in school, or even before school, a “Study” state may begin. This “Study” state may evolve throughout school and adulthood, refining techniques and getting better at its craft. An early “Contemplative” state that may have started when left alone in a boring room in childhood, and may be the same state that ponders the basic constructs of the universe later in life.

It is possible to acquire new states at any time in life. These adult born states are more rare, and some individuals may not develop states in adulthood. Since most states are developed when the person has no existing states to deal with the current situation, adults will only develop a new state when placed in a situation where they are growing in a new way. Examples of this might include John (a man with a traditional male upbringing) developing a nurturing state to raise a baby when he became a sole parent, or Martha (a woman with a traditional female upbringing) developing a rough/tough state when going through basic military training.

WHAT IS EGO STATE COMMUNICATION? Ego states can be thought of as mini personalities. They are not complete personalities, but each has particular traits. States that often become executive have good lines of communication between each other. There are states that rarely become executive, and they may have poor or no lines of communication with the surface states. It is not unusual for a person to report having little or no memory from a number of years in childhood. Sometimes these individuals fear they may be hiding from some trauma by blocking memories. I have found that normally they have no memory because their life during those years was rather routine, with no major moves or life occurrences. Using Ego State Therapy and hypnosis, an ego state from the lost years may be accessed and introduced to a more surface state with the instruction that they will be able to continue to communicate. After this line of communication is established, memories from childhood will continue to become available to the surface states.

I have a child state that can feel very fragile. It can also truly enjoy a loving hug when it is safe. This child state has a strong line of communication with a fear ego state and my fear ego state has a strong communication with an anger ego state. My child state does not directly communicate with my anger ego state, but if it is threatened my fear state gets the message immediately and may contact my anger state and my anger state responds to the outside world. Before I learned my ego states my intellectual ego state had a knowledge that I was sometimes fragile, but there were no direct lines of communication between my child state and my intellectual state.

States sometimes communicate in clusters. An obsessive-compulsive state (of a past client) communicated well with some ally states, but not at all with most other states. A childhood fearful state would call upon the “Checking” state to create a safe single-mindedness where concerns could be excluded. The “Checking” state that continually checked locks and water faucets or taps was ‘hated’ by some other states that wanted to get on with life, have a job, and get sleep. She had difficulty maintaining a job, since it took her so long to continually check everything before leaving home, as well as her need to check things at work. Some of her states would say, “I hate myself, I have to check everything all the time. I want to get on with my life.” They were saying that they hated the checking state. Although there was an awareness of the existence of each other, there was no line of communication between these states and the “Checking” state. The “Checking” state communicated well with and responded to some fear states that needed the “Checking” state to take over, to escape from trauma they carried. When she was in the checking state it was as though she were in a trance avoiding the pain held by these fearful states. They would feel trauma and call on the “Checking” state to take over. The fear states and checking state made up a cluster of states that communicated together, and she had other states making up other clusters that communicated well together.

My child state, fear state, and anger state are a cluster that communicate together, and my anger state also has lines of communication with some more adult states that may call on it. Ego state mapping (section 3.3.1) allows people to learn about their states, the lines of communication, and the way the states feel about each other.

HOW DO EGO STATES DIFFER FROM MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES? Many people think ‘multiple personality’ when they first hear about ego states. There are major differences between Dissociative Identity Disorder or Multiple Personality and ego states (Watkins and Watkins, 1988, 1986). We all have ego states. Multiple Personalities are quite different. They develop in a small minority of cases when a young child experiences extreme abuse continuing over an extended period of time. When some children experience chronic abuse, as an unconscious coping mechanism there is a breakdown of communication between the ego states so the child can experience the next day without memory of the abuse the night before. Some children are able to learn to not remember what happened while in their previous ego state. Over time they can become so proficient at this “not remembering” that the ego states become separated in communication. When this happens, each state has to learn to take on a more full range of roles since it cannot as easily call on other states and retain a memory of what happened while in last state. Persons who are multiple experience periods of blackouts during their day, because often when they switch personalities they have no memory of what they were doing, or why they were doing it, just moments before. While a person with normal ego states may walk from the living room to the kitchen, open the refrigerator and think, “now why did I come in here?” a multiple may open the refrigerator and think, “Why am I here, how long have I been here, where was I before, and what was I doing?” Ego State Therapy is an excellent tool for working with multiples (see section 4.5), but normal ego state function should not be confused with multiple personality.

1.2 Introjects