psychotherapy confusion

mckell, check this out; it looks like what I'm looking for:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-101762677.html

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People tend to respond to similar situations with a characteristic ego state; the process of moving through the relatively few most used states becomes automated, or reflexive, and patterns once established tend to perpetuate themselves.

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This site is interesting.
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Some ego states are dysfunctional, or maladaptive, in that they choose behaviors which are not in the highest good of the individual. The strategy of therapeutic change is not to eliminate maladaptive ego states, but rather to encourage such an ego state to become more adaptive, to make behavior choices more congruent with the person's overall benefit.

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This sounds like what I want to do.

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mckell13 said:
Sunrise,
I've been to that site before. It seems to focus on hypnosis as a tool to isolating different ego states. I'm not sure I or my T is into hypnosis.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">In addition to mentioning hypnosis, that site actually has a lot of good information and background on what ego states are. In fact it has my favorite definition of ego state. More there than just hypnosis...

Here's the definition I like:
http://www.clinicalsocialwork.com/overview.html
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Federn believed that the personality was not simply a collections of perceptions, cognitions, and affects, but that these organized into clusters or patterns, which he called ego states. An ego state may be defined as an organized system of behavior and experience whose elements are bound together by some common principle.

When one of these states is invested with ego energy, it becomes "the self" in the here and now. We say it is "executive," and it experiences the other states (if it is aware of them at all) as "he," "she," or "it," because they are then currently invested with object energy.

Ego states may be large and include all the various behaviors and experiences activated in one's occupation. They may be small, like the behaviors and feelings elicited in school at the age of 6. They may represent current modes of behavior and experiences or, as with hypnotic regression, include many memories, postures, feelings, etc. that were apparently learned at an earlier age. They may be organized into different dimensions. For example, an ego state may be built around the age of 10. Another one may represent patterns of behavior toward father and authority figures and thus overlap on experiences with father at the age of 10. Behaviors to accomplish a similar goal may be uniquely different from one ego state to another, especially in true multiple personalities.

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By the way, my T also doesn't use hypnosis in ego state therapy.

This is also a good description of ego state therapy at another site:
http://www.azemdr.com/work_ego.htm

The first paragraph in particular was one that really matched what I was feeling:
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Have you ever felt that a part of you wanted to do something while another part of you did not? Or, you really want to kick a habit of some sort but no matter what you do, it feels like some part of you won’t let you? Or, have you ever found yourself reacting to someone in a surprising way, possibly overreacting to something….just watching yourself react and not being able to stop…and feeling remorse or embarrassed afterwards?

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Another site I quite like is the one on the Internal Family Systems model, which meshes ego state therapy and family therapy:
http://www.selfleadership.org/ifsmodel.asp

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The strategy of therapeutic change is not to eliminate maladaptive ego states, but rather to encourage such an ego state to become more adaptive, to make behavior choices more congruent with the person's overall benefit.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">McKell, that is how my T practices ego state therapy, although with all the states, not just the maladaptive ones.

If you can get past the title of this article, it has a ton of good info on ego states and ego state therapy in general:
The Management of Malevolent Ego States in MPD.

I have some other good ones, but that's enough for now!

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Is there a part of you that has worked so hard and for so long to protect you, perhaps in a less than healthy way – perhaps this part is sabotaging you in the name of protection?

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Why, yes Ms. Sugar I believe there is!

I think I need to "reparent" myself :-) These are good links Sunrise. Thanks for sharing.

{quote] Sunrise posted this link: http://www.selfleadership.org/ifsmodel.asp

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This is a real interesting site. I think my exiles and firefighters are in a heated battle at the moment and the Self is missing.

Is there any specific questions I can answer about hypnotherapy for this thread?

Rick

Hi Rick,

Tell us how hypnotherapy might be helpful in learning about ego states? Can it be done with self-hypnosis?

Are there reliable self-hypnosis CD's out there? I would very much like to do that. I did a bit with a former T.

Yes Rick, I would like to know more about hypnotherapy in general. I notice your profile says you are certified. Is this a national certification? Is hypnotherapy a specialty with the larger psycholotherapy field? Is this profession/specialty regulated in most states?

Also do clients who have trust issues more difficult to hypnotize? I can't see this as being something I'm into do with another person, but maybe self-hypnosis might be acceptable.

If self-hypnosis would help me dialog with my ego states, I would love to learn to do it. I want a way that I can communicate with my ego states and not be dependent on another person to do hypnosis on me, one hour a week, or whatever. I would love to have "easy access" to my ego states. They are not malevolent so I am not worried about talking with them or getting hurt by them. If not self-hypnosis, then some other technique....

ECHOES,

Hypnotherapy can be very helpful in learning about ego states.

I stated earlier in another thread that I thought it would be difficult to communicate effectively with your ego states with self-hypnosis. The more I think about this I would like to revisit this. It may be possible, but it would be so much easier being lead by a hypnotherapist. The other option I see that may be a good choice for some is to go to a hypnotherapist to be taught and tested on it. Then you can have the hypnotherapist teach you a way to communicate with your ego states. This may work.

There are alot of reliable self-hypnosis CD's out there. But there are alot of not so good one's as well. For the purpose we are discussing in this thread, there is no such thing as a good CD. This type of work can only be done "live".

Rick

mckell13,

Let's talk sunrise into reviving the Hypnotherapy thread from several months ago so everyone can absorb all of the wonderful information in it. If there are any additional questions after reading that please ask away. I am very busy but I will try to keep up.

Hypnotherapy is a stand alone profession. It is not really a part of the Psychotherapy field. With this said, from what I have experienced, a good part of the Psychotherapy field use hypnosis (or one of it's assumed names) in their practice. The American Medical Association approved hypnosis in 1958.

For the most part the states do not regulate Hypnotherapy, some do. There are several certifying organizations in the world. The National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) is the oldest and largest in the world, with members all over the world. This is the organization I belong to.

As far as trust is concerned, there needs to be at least a fair amount of trust between client and Hypnotherapist. The goal and purpose of the Hypnotherapist is to help you achieve your goals. That is it.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Rick

Sunrise,

Like I said above, it can be done in Hypnotherapy in an office being guided. I believe some can do it through self-hypnosis as well. The key is being taught how to do the self hypnosis effectively to make this happen.

Rick

ps. Please revive the Hypnotherapy thread from a few months back so everyone can absorb all of the wonderful information in it. Thanks,

Thanks Rick,

I did a few session with my fromer T. It was an awesome experience. We didn't get far, just a bit beyond guided imagery, but I remember how wonderful I felt when I left there.

I appreciate your reply and when I think about it, I agree that it would be best done in an office setting.

yeah i had one guided imagry with t where i left feeling really good, too.

Most of my session this week was spent discussing my ego states. I shared my charting of several ego states and the traits/emotions that go with each. I know I needed to do this if I am serious about improving my situation. However, I feel like I just jumped into the fire. My T seemed to make several comments that were laying the ground work for the next few sessions. I have a feeling our conversations are going to be getting a lot more personal. I don't know if I can really handle therapy at this point.

Ah, a decision point :-)

I always tried to trust myself and my inner workings of which I wasn't too sure, take a leap of faith that they and my defenses would keep me "safe". You wouldn't be where you are now mckell if you hadn't done that to get there. Entering therapy is a difficult work but you only go as fast as you go. I was in therapy 9 years each time. Nothing can happen "too fast" for you to handle because you and your defenses are in charge.

If you back up now, it only gets harder if you decide to try again later. Be brave and keep stepping forward :-) We're all here and will help support you

remember - you set the pace. if it is too much, say so. you are in the driver's seat with this whole process!

((((((((( hugs ))))))))))))
kiya

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Perna said:
Nothing can happen "too fast" for you to handle because you and your defenses are in charge.

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Thanks Perna and Kirya I needed to hear that.
I have a lot of f*&amp;$'ed up qualities but I am resilient and persistent. Despite all the unrest in my head, vacillations, plethora defensive and avoidance tactics at my command, I will ultimately "woman up" do what necessary to make a better life you both me and my children. It just may take me a little longer than most.

Lol - this isn't college... there's no set time limit. =) no such thing as "longer than most".
Hang in there.
Kiya

Kiya,
Sorry it took so long for me to chime in. Even more disappointingly, I have no idea about the answer to your question. Reading the replies has helped, though. Thanks!

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mckell13 said:
I will ultimately "woman up" do what necessary to make a better life you both me and my children.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">I'm not sure what it is that you will do eventually, but I wanted to share something with you that my T and I talked about a couple of weeks ago. He was talking about how divorce is a long process both emotionally and technically (how long it takes to do the legal and financial stuff, custody plan, etc.). He told me he had a male client who took 4 years in therapy before he was finally able to tell his wife he wanted a divorce. I've been with my T for almost a year and a half, and before that another counselor for a year. So I've been working on this forever, it seems. We still haven't filed for divorce, but at least we are separated now, have lawyers, etc. It just takes time, and emotions rear their heads all the time, and need to be dealt with.

So however you will resolve your issue, it's OK to take time (unless someone is in danger). Do what you are ready for, and try to heal along the way. A patient T is essential. Rushing is not always the quickest way to solve a problem.

mckell, this would be great to begin the next session with:

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I feel like I just jumped into the fire. My T seemed to make several comments that were laying the ground work for the next few sessions. I have a feeling our conversations are going to be getting a lot more personal. I don't know if I can really handle therapy at this point.


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I agree with the others about the pace; that is all up to you. It's understandable that It can also feel like too much when something new and exciting begins in therapy. Out of the comfort zone a bit maybe. But remember that the familiar began with the unfamiliar.

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ECHOES said:
But remember that the familiar began with the unfamiliar.

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I like this statement. I'll have to ponder on it while I workout today.

I'm not preparing for an major life changing event. Its just that we've been chipping a way at a core issue. My new awareness of various ego states is helping me demolish some old defenses and the conversation is getting progressively more personal. I would never have allowed myself to be in this is situation before. Now I am feeling "internal" pressure to talk about stuff I have never expressed or explored/questioned/analyzed before with someone else's help. It's just scary new territory. I have better skills now but the same old fears are still there.

Oh, thanks ECHOES and mckell for that thought. Reminds me of the one about how every ending is a new beginning.

I really liked lyrics from the song, "Closing Time" by Semisonic back in the mid-90's, "Closing time - every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" and, "Closing time - time for you to go back to the places you will be from..."

Nice! I just added the "Closing Time" by Semisonic song to my workout playlist on the ipod.