Ego State Therapy (eBook)

Gordon Emmerson (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2007
232 Seiten
Crown House Publishing (Verlag)
978-1-84590-599-6 (ISBN)

Infos

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

Professor Gordon Emmerson is an Honorary Fellow in the School of Psychology at Victoria University, Melbourne. He is the author of the books Ego State Therapy, Advanced Techniques in Therapeutic Counseling, Healthy Parts Happy Self, Resource Therapy, and Resource Therapy Primer. He developed Resource Personality Theory and Therapy and has developed techniques for working with many psychological conditions using Resource Therapy and Ego State Therapy. Dr Emmerson is a registered psychologist and member of the Australian Psychological Society, and has published numerous refereed articles and has conducted and published experimental clinical research. He provides Foundation Training, a Clinical Qualification in Resource Therapy, Advanced Clinical Training in Resource Therapy, and Train the Trainer.

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

Textauszug

Chapter 2

Accessing Ego States in Therapy

How can the therapist learn to access and speak with the different ego states that exist within the individual? Imagine a classroom full of students. The students on the front row are awake and attentive, some more than others. Other students in the room often do not pay attention to what goes on in the room, but the students in the front row see and remember most things. The rest of the students in the room are paying varying degrees of attention. Some are in a sound sleep. Others are whispering in small groups. And some are watching what is going on at the front of the classroom. Occasionally one may act on a need and make a disturbance in the classroom. There may be a student hanging onto a lot of pain and turmoil, an unstable student ready to erupt. There is one rule in the classroom that the students honor. Only one student is able to talk at once.

The students are all different and all have different problems and talents. Some of them talk often, and some that have a lot to say, some talk very seldom. Some are afraid to talk, even thinking they may be asked to leave the room. Some students do not like each other, and often argue. Every classroom is made up of a different set of students. Each classroom has it own personality.

At the front of the room, standing next to the blackboard is the teacher. The teacher is visually blind. Although she has been in several classrooms before, she has never really known where she was. She has thought she was there to tutor a single student. When she talks, it is the students in the front row that usually listen and respond to her. Even though the voices of the different students sound different, the teacher has not paid much attention to that.

Of course, the classroom represents the family of ego states of a single person. The students on the front row are the surface ego states, those that most often become executive, those that maintain a good memory of the daily activities. The rest of the students represent the underlying ego states. The teacher is the therapist.

If the teacher talks to the class thinking that she is speaking to a single student, then the member of the class who really needs the help of the teacher may not even be listening. The student in the back of the room who carries pain may continue to feel neglected and unheard. Students who argue with each other, and those who do not like each other continue to make the classroom an uncomfortable place for all students. The students with specific talents may not be able to use them when the right time arises.

The question is, how can the blind teacher learn to recognize the students, draw them out, attend to their needs, help the group work together, and discover which students have special talents? How can the therapist learn to access and speak with the different ego states of the individual?

There are both non-hypnotic and hypnotic methods to access ego states. The non-hypnotic methods give access only to the surface states. In the classroom example, they give access only to the students on the front row. Recognizing the surface states (students on the front row) and talking with them individually gives more power in therapy than treating them as a single state.

Hypnotic access of ego states allows the therapist to work with both surface and underlying states. Often the client’s problems stem from underlying states, and it is only through hypnotic access that direct and efficient problem resolution can be achieved. Just as an angry child in the back of the classroom can affect the mood of the class, an underlying ego state can require direct attention and resolution for the client to feel peace.

It is important to note that every therapist already accesses ego states, whether or not it is consciously recognized. Any time we are conscious, an ego state is executive. When the client sits down and begins talking, it is one of that client’s ego states that is talking. The problem is that the state that is talking my not be the best state for therapeutic intervention. Talking with a rational, head state may allow the therapist to easily find an ally that is against the obsessive compulsive checking, an ally that wants the anger management client to be rational, or that wants the smoker to stop smoking. Ego State Therapy is about learning to access ego states, to talk directly with the state or states where intervention is most useful.

2.1 Non-Hypnotic Access

Non-hypnotic access of ego states is appropriate for therapists who are not trained in hypnosis, or who are not ready to work with hypnosis. It may also be useful for working with clients who are not able to consider a hypnotic intervention. Two methods of non-hypnotic access are presented in sections 2.1.1 and 2.1.2. The therapist who is familiar with ego states will often be able to recognize when the client changes states, even without using an access method. The informed therapist will be able to work cognizantly with ego states, gaining an awareness of when a different state becomes executive, and gaining an awareness of individual ego state needs.

2.1.1 Empty Chair Technique

One of the easiest ways to access ego states is the empty chair technique. Some therapists who are unaware of ego state theory use this technique, or a version of it. Gestalt therapists often use a two chair variety of this technique, so two ego states can communicate, or so an ego state can communicate with an introject (see sections 1.2 and 1.8.2).

Consider the example of Matthew from the beginning of Chapter 1. He sees Emma playing with a child, and 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?” At least two of Matthew’s ego states are disagreeing. He is experiencing internal turmoil, internal ego state argument.

The therapist can place two chairs in front of Matthew. In order to illustrate this technique the following example is presented:

Therapist: Matthew, I’m hearing that part of you wants to marry your partner, and part of you doesn’t. It would be really helpful for me to be able to hear exactly what each of those parts wants. (The therapist places two chairs in front of Matthew.) When you sit in the chair on the left I want you to tell me only the good things about getting married to Emma. I don’t want you to tell me about any reservations you might have. Then when I ask you to sit in the chair on the right, I want you to tell me only the bad things about your getting married to Emma. Nothing but reasons you should not marry her. Do you understand?

When they first hear about this technique, therapists seem to have more fear about it than clients do. Many therapists first think their clients will think it is silly, or will not cooperate. If it is presented professionally, and in a straightforward fashion there should be no problems. I have never had a client who, when offered it, did not participate, and clients find it very useful.

The next step, after answering any questions, is:

Therapist: All right, go ahead and sit in the chair on the left. Now tell me why you want to marry Emma. Tell me only the positive side of getting married to her.

Matthew should be encouraged to continue with reasons to get married. If he starts to inject a reason why he shouldn’t (a ‘but’), then the therapist needs to stop him immediately, and remind him that while in that chair he should only describe the reasons he wants to marry Emma.

When he finishes with ‘pros’ then the therapist can continue in the following manner:

Therapist: OK, now I want you to sit in the chair on the right, and when you do tell me only the reasons you do not want to marry Emma.

Again, Matthew is encouraged to relate only the aspects that are against his getting married to Emma. When he has been able to do this, the ‘cons’ side can be asked to respond to the ‘pros’ side. It is good to give each ego state a name so they can more easily be identified and called upon with questions.

Therapist: Thanks Matthew. Is it OK if I call you in the right side “Con” and you in the left chair “Pro” for the Con and Pro reasons you are expressing?

Matthew: Yes.

Therapist: Good. Now, just move to the Pro chair for a minute. Pro, did you hear what Con said about marrying Emma?

Matthew: Yes.

Therapist: Tell Con what you think about what he said. Just tell him exactly what you think.

Matthew is encouraged to continue switching between the chairs allowing the two ego states to discuss the issue. Occasionally, Matthew can be asked to sit back in the original chair, where he can be given feedback, and asked other questions. An example of this is:

Therapist: Matthew, just watching that conversation, I noticed when Pro was talking you were more animated, more excited about what you were saying about your future. When Con was talking it seemed like you had more fear about what she thinks about you now. I did not hear anything about your future. Can you comment on that?

Or:

Therapist: Matthew, I hear Pro saying … and Con saying … Can you see...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 10.1.2008
• Verlagsort: London
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Allgemeine Psychologie
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Psychoanalyse / Tiefenpsychologie
• Themenwelt: Medizin / Pharmazie ► Gesundheitsfachberufe
• Themenwelt: Medizin / Pharmazie ► Medizinische Fachgebiete ► Psychiatrie / Psychotherapie
• ISBN-10: 1-84590-599-7 / 1845905997
• ISBN-13: 978-1-84590-599-6 / 9781845905996