Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.
Product reviews for Ego State Therapy
Positive Health Barry Winbolt DHyp BHR(Distinguished) FSSM, Magazine
This is a clearly written book, well constructed around a subject that will have an instant, intuitive appeal for many people. It is always refreshing to read something that actually conforms to the tried and tested format of beginning, middle and end, even when one does not agree whole-heartedly with the content.
“Ego state therapy”, says the author, “is based on the premise that personality is composed of several parts, rather than a homogeneous whole. any one expressing itself at a given moment.” These “states' are created at different points in our lives. They are coping mechanisms that develop in response to repeated experience - or a single incident or trauma - and are “a normal part of the healthy psyche”. The state that is conscious and overt at a given time is called the executive state.
Needless to say, these states can become troublesome, leading to conflict and confusion in people's lives. For example, a child punished by their parent may develop a passive response to cope with the situation. This -˜withdrawn' state might then become an ego state that will return throughout life whenever the individual feels threatened by an authority figure.
The person may have difficulty changing this response so therapy ” which uses hypnosis for maximum effect - is directed at communicating directly with the troubled ego state so a change can be made.
Emmerson describes the process and underlying theory with great clarity all the time drawing freely on psychodynamic theory. This is why I said that I think the book will have an intuitive appeal for many people; the metaphor that we are being -˜run' by our defence mechanisms is a well established one in our society so it feels right when we read about it. The author is also duly authoritative: “The average person has five to 15 ego states that are used during the week”; “Ego state theory is more than a theory of therapy. It is also a theory of personality.” The emphatic style of writing will charm some therapists, and this, I think, is a serious down-side to the book.
Exploring ideas around any of the 200 or so talking therapies we are exposed to in the UK makes interesting reading particularly when laid out as they are here. But the theories supporting ego state therapy and the clear methodology fall into the common trap of popular therapy how-to books, of separating the process from the people. Therapy is interactive and -˜success' due in large part to the quality of the interaction. Little space seems to be given here for the quality of the relationship or the uniqueness of individual clients; therapy becomes something we do to people rather than something we do with them.
Emmerson says that he does not want to give recipes, but that is what he does. There are bullet pointed lists to reinforce the main points as well as transcripts to illustrate the process. The result is a book which, if taken too literally by inexperienced or unthinking therapists, simply becomes more dogma; a product with which the therapy market is already too well served. He also compares his approach with several major schools of thought, or, as he puts it “related therapies”: psychoanalysis, gestalt therapy, transactional analysis and cognitive behavioural therapy. In contrasting the latter he says that Ego State Therapy provides “a causal solution, not a coping strategy”. This is a continuation of the pro-psychoanalysis view that the newer approaches to therapy can only provide quick (and by implication superficial) solutions.
The author is clearly committed to his viewpoint and, as the case studies and other examples show, his expertise and experience clearly benefit his clients. It has often been observed that experts fail to recognise their own level of expertise. Emmerson's over simplistic reliance on method may overlook the essential qualities which make his therapy effective: his own qualities as a human being. This book is interesting to read but should not be taken too literally. However -˜good' the technique, there is no substitute for a good therapist.
“Ego state therapy”, says the author, “is based on the premise that personality is composed of several parts, rather than a homogeneous whole. any one expressing itself at a given moment.” These “states' are created at different points in our lives. They are coping mechanisms that develop in response to repeated experience - or a single incident or trauma - and are “a normal part of the healthy psyche”. The state that is conscious and overt at a given time is called the executive state.
Needless to say, these states can become troublesome, leading to conflict and confusion in people's lives. For example, a child punished by their parent may develop a passive response to cope with the situation. This -˜withdrawn' state might then become an ego state that will return throughout life whenever the individual feels threatened by an authority figure.
The person may have difficulty changing this response so therapy ” which uses hypnosis for maximum effect - is directed at communicating directly with the troubled ego state so a change can be made.
Emmerson describes the process and underlying theory with great clarity all the time drawing freely on psychodynamic theory. This is why I said that I think the book will have an intuitive appeal for many people; the metaphor that we are being -˜run' by our defence mechanisms is a well established one in our society so it feels right when we read about it. The author is also duly authoritative: “The average person has five to 15 ego states that are used during the week”; “Ego state theory is more than a theory of therapy. It is also a theory of personality.” The emphatic style of writing will charm some therapists, and this, I think, is a serious down-side to the book.
Exploring ideas around any of the 200 or so talking therapies we are exposed to in the UK makes interesting reading particularly when laid out as they are here. But the theories supporting ego state therapy and the clear methodology fall into the common trap of popular therapy how-to books, of separating the process from the people. Therapy is interactive and -˜success' due in large part to the quality of the interaction. Little space seems to be given here for the quality of the relationship or the uniqueness of individual clients; therapy becomes something we do to people rather than something we do with them.
Emmerson says that he does not want to give recipes, but that is what he does. There are bullet pointed lists to reinforce the main points as well as transcripts to illustrate the process. The result is a book which, if taken too literally by inexperienced or unthinking therapists, simply becomes more dogma; a product with which the therapy market is already too well served. He also compares his approach with several major schools of thought, or, as he puts it “related therapies”: psychoanalysis, gestalt therapy, transactional analysis and cognitive behavioural therapy. In contrasting the latter he says that Ego State Therapy provides “a causal solution, not a coping strategy”. This is a continuation of the pro-psychoanalysis view that the newer approaches to therapy can only provide quick (and by implication superficial) solutions.
The author is clearly committed to his viewpoint and, as the case studies and other examples show, his expertise and experience clearly benefit his clients. It has often been observed that experts fail to recognise their own level of expertise. Emmerson's over simplistic reliance on method may overlook the essential qualities which make his therapy effective: his own qualities as a human being. This book is interesting to read but should not be taken too literally. However -˜good' the technique, there is no substitute for a good therapist.
Guest
|
14/09/2004 01:00
Was this review helpful?
(0/0)