Ego State approaches are becoming more popular. People are reflecting on their own identity and notice that they actually aren’t one whole, they have ‘parts’. After the ‘Inner Child’ trend in the 80s we are experiencing a new trend where people talk about ‘their inner child’ or ‘their inner teenager’ in an Ego State context. […]
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Epiphany #9: Not Alone
The voice of shame tells us that we are all alone. Nobody else experiences the same things. . Nobody else is wearing a mask all the time and never lets anyone see the real person behind it. Nobody else keeps up the pretense at work and crumbles once the apartment door closes behind them. Nobody […]
Separating facts, feelings and fiction
This exercise is a specific form of a reality check that can help us when we are not stuck in a full flashback but something got triggered and we get confused about reality. Maybe our emotions are too intense and hijack our mind or we entertain fantasies about how the situation will continue, make up […]
Conversations with Shame
Sometimes shame is very persistent. All our efforts to silence it aren’t working. Getting rid of it is not an option because in the end we have to admit that it is part of us. It means we need to embrace and integrate instead of trying to remove. To be able to do that we […]
Hands technique for advanced DID SystemWork
A versatile yet simple technique for working with parts of a DID system uses our hands to represent different parts or groups of parts. All these exercises start with at least one part choosing a hand and imagining ‘going into’ that hand by moving their awareness there. In most of the advanced exercises 2 parts […]
Dual Awareness
Dual awareness is an important mental skill that is needed for regulation and trauma processing. For dual awareness we need to be able to pay attention to our inner reality and our senses, that tell us about the outside reality at the same time. That way we can stay oriented and grounded in triggering situations. […]
The Space In Between – an alternative approach to mindfulness
Here is a collection of exercises that all focus on the space in between instead of the thing itself. It is easier to understand once you try it, so let’s jump right in. The space between subject and object Take a deep breath and let it out. Then look around and pick […]
Dealing with trance logic in dissociative disorders
Trance logic describes logical glitches that can exist when people get hypnotized and enter a trance state. In that state of mind we can accept statements as true even though they deeply contradict each other. We simply don’t notice that they can’t possibly be true at the same time. Nothing is questioned or reality-checked, it […]
Epiphany #8 : The Whole
Recently we posted an exercise that uses attention to move between awareness for the details and the whole. We need the same posture in DID therapy. We tend to get absorbed by single parts, their characteristics, needs, emotions, goals etc and explore every little detail. While that is valuable, it is not how we […]
Reenacting trauma patterns in therapy: neglect
Navigating attachment and dependency in therapy has always been difficult. Developmental trauma just adds a deep sense of desperation to the problem and makes it more complicated. There is a lot written about unhealthy dependency in therapy and how to avoid it. Today I want to shine a light on the effect that chronic […]
PEP- an additional technique for trauma therapy
PEP stands for Process- and Embodiment-focused Psychology. Like EFT it is rooted in Energy Psychology but it has moved away from these roots considerably and rejects the unscientific/new-age aspects. Tapping is still an important part of this technique, but it is complemented by cognitive interventions and is therefore useful for more than just emotional […]
Open and focused attention exercises
Our attention is one of the most basic tools we use in therapy and it is also an area of struggle for many. Sometimes we narrow our attention too much. It limits our awareness to that one area of experience that is painful or problematic. That way we are unable to notice all the other […]
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