In most relationships there is an asymmetry of power. Both parties do not perceive each other to be of equal power. This asymmetry is constantly changing. Some times there is just a little power difference and sometimes there is a big power difference. Some times the power difference can completely change direction. A man and …
Silence in psychotherapy
Over the years there has been much written about silence in psychotherapy and most of the time in these articles and books silence means the absence of speech (Ehrenhaus 1988). A time when the client and therapist are not speaking to each other is defined as silence in psychotherapy. However to me this is not …
Permission and redecision
These are two different ways of achieving the same thing Permission is from the classical school Redecision is from the redecision school Both of them are designed to alter the injunctions in the life script. To change the injunctions Eric Berne proposed the permission transaction as shown below If the client accepts the permission then …
Mature love, immature love and the teenager
Research into adolescent development has described the process that the young teenager uses to develop a mature sense of love. When the teenager enters into early adolescence they begin to have romantic and love feelings for another person for the first time in their life. This has been described as learning how to develop a …
Psychic organs to ego states
Eric Berne transitioned from psychoanalysis to transactional analysis in his theory of ego states. As Raymond Hostie tells us he began that journey in 1956. There are three psychic organs The Exteropsyche The Neopsyche The Archeopsyche One sees diagrams like this Psychic organs are all connected up with psychoanalysis and it is how Eric Berne …
Schizoid personality type
I would suggest there are two discrete sub groups in this personality type
The bully victim dynamic
As any child therapist knows the ‘client’ is the child and the parent child relationship. They are a package deal.
Belief and thinking
Of course it works the other way as well. “Good” belief systems are also resilient and resistant to change.
Introjection in psychotherapy
This provides an interesting insight into introjection in this instance. She hasn’t introjected what I have said but instead introjected my voice sound and quality. Then she has applied that introjected voice to her own words.
Introjection and the integrated Adult
People are adding new introjections to their Parent ego state continuously through out life as part of normal psychological functioning.
Working with the rebellious person
Listening to a person talk about how they cut self is stress producing for most people including therapists. The therapist needs to be clear they do not fall into subtly pressuring the client into making the contract due to their own anxieties.
Confronting magical thinking about suicide
The magical thinking about suicide is that it can result in a relief from one’s pain.
Working through scared feelings.
I personally disagree with this. In my view humans are naturally communal beings and we need (are dependent) on others at least to some degree.
How many personality types is the right number?
In reality there are as many personality types as there are people on this planet, over 6 billion.
Four demons I have known
Since that time the work on this concept has continued and the demon like qualities that can also be found in the archetype of Lillith, are applicable to more people but in less pure form as described here.
Games and enactments
A game can then be viewed as an unsophisticated attempt by the person to repair self by bringing unconscious material to the surface.
Stroke intensity and life style
Really the only solution is to change from negative strokes to positive strokes but negative strokes always have more potency than positive strokes.
Reparenting today
If one can get beyond all the negativity about the Schiffs and begin to use these ideas in working with non psychotics they provide interesting treatment options and approaches.
Aspects of psychological games
A psychological game is a repetitive, unconscious pattern of self destructive behaviour played out in a relationship.
Odd psychotherapy
“When I phone you for an appointment I usually feel quite anxious and despairing. As soon as I have made the appointment it all goes away and I feel fine. Then I think I don’t need to go and see you.”
Fantasy stage of child development
This part of the personality is engaged with things like the Harry Potter stories. It can also be found in Batman with characters like the Penguin and the Joker. They are presented as mischievous, irreverent and yet appealing characters.
Introjection in therapy
Introjection involves a person ingesting or taking in the other person’s personality into their Parent ego state such that it becomes part of them.
Psychological strokes
Transactional analysis theory of strokes is central to the basics of the theory
Drivers & life script
Characteristics of drivers in the life script
Testing in relationships
The same testing behaviour can happen in the therapeutic relationship. Any client is already in a vulnerable and emotionally open position in therapy. Or at least that is what will have to happen soon for the person to benefit from the therapy, or little will be achieved.
The formation of life positions
If the child never resolves its state of primary narcissism then it will never adopt one of these five positions and remains as I+U? or I-U?, which is typical of the narcissistic, borderline and some anti social personalities.
Driver analysis and the life script
The final script payoff is of particular note. As people move into their 40s, 50s and 60s the final script payoff becomes much more obvious. We all have a life script and are all heading down that path through life to its inevitable conclusion.
Characteristics of experimental drug and alcohol use
The goal of experimental use is to experiment and find out what this thing called cannabis feels like. Once they have used a few times they have experimented and thus the reason disappears.
Characteristics of experimental drug and alcohol useRead More