month's article.

Ego-State Therapy is gaining a substantial following

In very general terms, ego-state therapy makes use of hypnotic or suggestive techniques in the therapy session to uncover and harmonize various aspects of the individual personality. We generally say that each aspect - each "ego state" - develops as a specific response to a developmental challenge and is distinguished by a specific role, emotion, behavior, memory, and/or cognitive function.

Even the healthiest individual has a variety of available ego states to assist in meeting life's demands.  Some are more readily available and some less so; we call these "covert" or unconscious ego states. These are the parts that are harder to reach or can take a longer time coming forward in the therapy sessions; often they are states which may be associated with buried trauma or experiences from very early childhood.

How do we distinguish between a healthy, functional set of ego-states and a condition called Dissociative Identity Disorder? 

As a general rule, people diagnosed with DID are those who have been so badly hurt that their sub-personalities (or ego states) are polarized to the point of complete isolation from one another through dissociation which can create a protective barrier from the rest of the personality. 

with trauma? 

Watkins & Watkins, creators of Ego-State Therapy, also describe a Center Core personality, the one in possession of what many would call "higher wisdom" or "essence" - a conflict-free state that is always understanding, capable of undoing shame and accessing unconditional loving toward the patient's own experience.

Over time, you can learn to even map out an entire Inner Community (Bonnie Badenoch's term for the collective intelligence accessible through ego-state work or an intergenerational Inner Family.

How do we access these states?
 

We can learn to use formal hypnotic induction as well as more indirect methods like imagery, metaphor, and storytelling. It may also be helpful to learn about somatic bridging and affect bridging, in which the therapist guides the client to locate a desired state in the body or in the memory in order to then bring it forward in a healing process. We may also use age regression or age progression in a similar way - to access hidden resources within the patient's own history or imagined future and bring them into play in the present time.

How do we help states to harmonize and cooperate with each other? 

Ego-State therapy values uniqueness among dimensions of personality. Unlike many models like Internal Family Systems, no uniform categories of states are used.  Rather, the therapist elicits and works with states that emerge relative to strengths and resources as well as those who are destructive or who reenact past trauma. Ego-State Therapy is also highly relational. Four types of alliances are formed and maintained : The therapist and whole personality of the client, the therapist and various ego states, the client and various ego states, and ego state relationships with each other.

1. A good place to start is the Ego State Intensive package offered above visit HERE.  
2. The book by Watkins, J., and Watkins, H. Ego States: Theory and Practice. New York: Norton. 
3. Related books by Phillips & Frederick, Healing the Divided Self, and by Frederick and McNeal, Inner 
   Strengths, will also be helpful.
4. Dr. Neil Fiore's "higher brain" affirmations.
5. Schwartz, Richard. (1995): Internal Family Systems Therapy. New York: Guilford.
6. Badenoch, B. (2008). Being a Brain-Wise Therapist: A Practical Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology. New York: Norton.

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter. Please send any questions to Peggy@maggiephillipsphd.com.

Enjoy your favorite autumn pasttimes,

Maggie