Integrative Psychotherapy: Combining Ego-State Therapy, Clinical Hypnosis, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in a Psychosocial Developmental Context

Abstract

The principles of this conceptual framework are: (1) personality organization is dissociative as well as associative, consisting of ego states, and progresses through stages of psychosocial development; (2) inappropriately activated ego states cause dysfunction, which is habitual or due to the intense affect of disrupted development or unresolved grief or trauma; (3) completely overcoming dysfunction requires therapy with both individual ego states and the personality system; (4) clinical hypnosis provides techniques to enhance accessing ego states; and (5) EMDR combines ego-state therapy with eye movements (EMs) to produce a powerful psychotherapy method. During assessment, ego states responsible for dysfunctional emotional reactions and behavior are identified together with those that could be appropriate instead. Included in the treatment protocol, EMs and clinical hypnosis promote: (1) corrective developmental experiences; (2) resolution of grief and trauma; (3) acquisition of skills and abilities; (4) co-consciousness; and (S) negotiation among ego states. The outcome is an integrated “family of self” that has effectively overcome developmental crises, grief, and trauma, is aware of essential inner resources, and can consciously activate appropriate ego states.