Teaching a Tool From Transactional Analysis in Trauma Treatment by Gregory Hasek MA/MFT LPC, LMHC
Dr. Eric Berne is known as the creator of the theory of Transactional Analysis. Berne identified three ego states in individuals. They were: Parent, Adult and Child. Berne defined an ego state as, " “a consistent pattern of feeling and experience directly related to a corresponding consistent pattern of behavior" (Berne, 1961).
How I describe these ego states to my clients is I ask them to imagine that each of us has like internalized scripts that cause us to think and behave based on those scripts or states. The goal being to think and act out of the healthy adult state versus an internalized critical parent or from a developmental stuck place of a child ego state. I give my clients a handout on each of these ego states and have them practice having the adult ego state sooth the child ego state. I also have them practice having the adult ego state stop the internalized critical parent ego state from beating up the child ego state within.
So what does this theory and tool have to do with working with clients who present with abortion related trauma in their past? Often times clients who have experienced an abortion decision in their past, carry a lot of shame. Often they will have established an internal dialogue that is quite critical. There are also times that clients will have a hard time self soothing from an attachment perspective. Instead of the adult nurturing the child ego state, the child ego state often seeks outside nurture which might look like addictive behavior for example.
As therapists we can teach our client's this technique toward the beginning of counseling as a tool to use throughout the counseling process. They can learn to sooth the child ego state in healthy ways. They can access the adult ego state and stop the parent ego state from beating up the child ego state as a result of the abortion decision. This can decrease the amount of shame they are experiencing. I love to use this technique with my clients who present with a variety of different issues.
As I have shared in previous articles, teaching coping skills to handle symptoms when they come up is critically important before any deeper trauma work. This is just one more tool to put in your tool box as a therapist who treats a client who presents with abortion related trauma or a variety of other issues.
References:
Berne, E. (1961). Transactional analysis in psychotherapy. Grove Press, Inc., New York
Dr. Eric Berne is known as the creator of the theory of Transactional Analysis. Berne identified three ego states in individuals. They were: Parent, Adult and Child. Berne defined an ego state as, " “a consistent pattern of feeling and experience directly related to a corresponding consistent pattern of behavior" (Berne, 1961).
How I describe these ego states to my clients is I ask them to imagine that each of us has like internalized scripts that cause us to think and behave based on those scripts or states. The goal being to think and act out of the healthy adult state versus an internalized critical parent or from a developmental stuck place of a child ego state. I give my clients a handout on each of these ego states and have them practice having the adult ego state sooth the child ego state. I also have them practice having the adult ego state stop the internalized critical parent ego state from beating up the child ego state within.
So what does this theory and tool have to do with working with clients who present with abortion related trauma in their past? Often times clients who have experienced an abortion decision in their past, carry a lot of shame. Often they will have established an internal dialogue that is quite critical. There are also times that clients will have a hard time self soothing from an attachment perspective. Instead of the adult nurturing the child ego state, the child ego state often seeks outside nurture which might look like addictive behavior for example.
As therapists we can teach our client's this technique toward the beginning of counseling as a tool to use throughout the counseling process. They can learn to sooth the child ego state in healthy ways. They can access the adult ego state and stop the parent ego state from beating up the child ego state as a result of the abortion decision. This can decrease the amount of shame they are experiencing. I love to use this technique with my clients who present with a variety of different issues.
As I have shared in previous articles, teaching coping skills to handle symptoms when they come up is critically important before any deeper trauma work. This is just one more tool to put in your tool box as a therapist who treats a client who presents with abortion related trauma or a variety of other issues.
References:
Berne, E. (1961). Transactional analysis in psychotherapy. Grove Press, Inc., New York
