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2025 Ego State Therapy Training Program to be Announced

15 CPD hours per seminar / 21 Sessions / 105 CPD hours

2025

EST I: Introduction, Safety and Stabilisation

EST II: Accessing and Utilising Resourceful Ego States

EST III: Therapy with Symptom Associated Ego States 

EST IV: Therapy with Trauma Associated Ego States 

EST V: Therapy with Destructive Ego States and Introjects 

EST VI: Establishing Internal Safety, Integration and Coherence 

EST VII: Masterclass: Advanced Treatment Planning for Flow, Embodiment, Self-actualisation & Post Traumatic Growth  

The complete training to become a certified Ego State Therapist is divided into 7 x 3-day trainings. Participants do not have to complete the 20 day training to be able use Ego State Therapy in practice.

Ego State therapy is the creation of Dr John and Helen Watkins from the United States. The Watkins’ did not conceptualize the ego as one monolithic entity, as Freud did, but rather as consisting of parts, or so-called ego states. Their theory was based on the original work of Paul Federn, a close associate and colleague of Freud. Federn conceptualised ego states as shifting energies within the personality. John and Helen Watkins formulated a theory and treatment model for what became known as Ego State Therapy.

Probably the most significant difference between ego state therapy and other parts approaches is the fact that this approach conceptualizes the personality of a human being not only as consisting of dissociated ego states, but also of resourceful ego states which help us to self-regulate and to function as an integrated whole. Thus, ego states are neuro-physiological manifestations which may develop as a reaction to certain life experiences both positive and negative.

Rather than exorcists casting out demons, trauma and other deficits, ego state therapists nowadays look more like treasure hunters seeking the unrecognized resourceful and useful ego states in their client’s lives and personalities.  Ego State Therapy is a powerful tool for helping clients plumb for the best in their own personalities and assist directly to untap resourceful ego states associated with determination, survival, resiliency, hope, optimism and love that ultimately allow clients to flourish.

Designed for beginners & experienced practitioners

Live clinical demonstrations

Stimulating blend of theoretical, vicarious, and experiential learning.

Lecture-demonstration-practise format.

These seminars are part of  a series of consecutive workshops which lead to internationally recognized certification as an ego state therapist by Ego State Therapy International (ESTI).

Seminars

Probably the most significant difference between Ego State Therapy and other parts approaches is the fact that this approach conceptualizes the personality of a human being not only as consisting of dissociated ego states, but also of resourceful ego states which help us to self-regulate and to function as an integrated whole. Thus, ego states are neuro-physiological manifestations which may develop as a reaction to certain life experiences, both positive and negative.  Ego State Therapy is a powerful tool for helping clients plumb for the best in their own personalities and assist directly to untap resourceful ego states associated with determination, survival, resiliency, hope, optimism and love that ultimately allow clients to flourish.  Participants will mainly learn techniques for enhancing experiential activation of resourceful ego states by combining Ericksonian and Ego State Therapy techniques. Ego States are usually activated hypnotically to reach those ego states that are implicit and not readily available to conscious awareness. In this workshop Carl Hattingh will explain and demonstrate the experiential activation of and communication with resourceful ego states. Designed for both beginners and the more experienced practitioner, this workshop will also feature live clinical demonstrations. The training utilises a lecture-demonstration-practise format. Hence, the training is a stimulating blend of theoretical, vicarious, and experiential learning. This workshop is the second in a series of consecutive workshops which lead to internationally recognised certification as an ego state therapist by Ego State Therapy International (ESTI).

Seminar III:  Symptom Associated Ego States

Activation & Work with Symptom-Associated Ego States

2025

Presented by Carl Hattingh

SUPER Early Bird till… $ 775 

($ 295 Full-time Students and Interns)

Early Bird until :  $ 875

($ 345 Full-time Students and Interns)

Full Registration: $ 975

($ 395 Full-time Students and Interns)

Training Times:

14h00 – 19h30 AEST (Sydney Time)

It is a known fact that some ego states (parts of the Self) are “split off” in the face of trauma to “help” the individual to survive and cope and then continue to “carry” some of these symptoms on an intrapsychic level. Ego State Therapy addresses these symptoms by providing unique ways to access these states, also referred to as symptom-associated ego states, and to restore self-regulation, physiological and psychological flow and coherence.  In this second workshop Dr Hartman will mainly focus on ways of allowing highly aroused survival energies such as fight and flight responses bound up in traumatized individuals and dissociated ego states, to be discharged and completed, thereby facilitating self-regulation, flow, re-integration and post-traumatic growth. Ways of how to achieve corrective mind-body experiences and how to recreate wholeness, self-regulation and coherence in our clients will be demonstrated through live demonstrations. The training utilises a lecture-demonstration-practise format. Hence, the training is a stimulating blend of theoretical, vicarious, and experiential learning. This workshop is the third in a series of consecutive workshops which lead to internationally recognized certification as an ego state therapist by Ego State Therapy International (ESTI).

Seminar IV: Trauma Associated Ego States

Activation & Work with Trauma Associated Ego States 

2025

Presented by Dr Woltemade Hartman

SUPER Early Bird till… $ 775 

($ 295 Full-time Students and Interns)

Early Bird until :  $ 875

($ 345 Full-time Students and Interns)

Full Registration: $ 975

($ 395 Full-time Students and Interns)

Training Times:

14h00 – 19h30 AEST (Sydney Time)

Ego states can be described as enduring states of mind. Once a state of mind has occurred, it can be recalled frequently depending on the circumstances. Repeated activation of a state of mind over weeks, months and years makes it more likely that it could again be activated in future. Thus: Particular states of mind may develop cohesion and clusters through their repeated activation. They may therefore develop into “self-states” or ego states. When confronted by trauma, some individuals’ nervous system reacts to such an extent that they dissociate into an immobilised freeze state or submit mode. This happens without conscious awareness. Before the individual becomes aware of what happened, the nervous system has already responded. The result could be the formation and processing of specialised “selves” or traumatized ego states in freeze.  In this fourth workshop Carl will mainly focus on ways of accessing dissociated, traumatised ego states, how to interview them and how to work with them therapeutically. Special emphasis will be placed on the role of a trusting therapeutic relationship and its importance in reengaging the ventral vagal system. Traumatised ego states are often beyond the threshold of conscious awareness and often need hypnotic activation. Carl will also demonstrate how immobilised clients and their ego states could be freed from their tonic immobility by using activation-, stimulation-, mobilisation-, breathing- and pendulation techniques, thereby facilitating self-regulation, flow, wholeness and post-traumatic growth. This will be demonstrated through live demonstrations. The training utilises a lecture-demonstration-practise format. Hence, the training is a stimulating blend of theoretical, vicarious, and experiential learning. This workshop is the fourth in a series of consecutive workshops which lead to internationally recognized certification as an ego state therapist by Ego State Therapy International (ESTI).

Seminar V: The Devil Wears Prada: Activation and Work with Destructive Ego States and Introjects

2025

To Be Announced

The handling and therapeutic intervention strategies with destructive ego states and introjects are controversial in many ways and often the centre of intense debate in academic circles. In this seminar Dr Hartman will specifically focus on etiology and clinical intervention strategies with destructive ego states and introjects. Such states pose a real challenge to a therapist in many ways. They are often elusive by nature but could emerge unexpectedly and without warning. This could result in the therapist being unprepared in how to deal with the situation effectively. The aim of this workshop is to prepare the therapist for unexpected appearances of both destructive ego states and introjects and how to activate, communicate and work with them clinically. In order to deal with them effectively they need specific and strategic intervention strategies. They are often very rigid in their demeanor due to their hybrid nature. The latter refers to the fact that they are both symptom-associated, in a defensive, fight mode and, on the other hand closely associated with a specific trauma. Destructive ego states and introjects are created on a neurophysiological level as a defense response to severe trauma. It is a mistake to regard them as so-called “foreign” entities and psychological constructs only. On the contrary, they are in fact, resourceful as they are neurophysiological manifestations of the autonomic nervous system response formed in the face of trauma to allow the individual to survive the traumatic experience. Such states should be dealt with clinically and therapeutically in order to re-establish coherence and self-regulation in the nervous system and then to modulate and reinterpret, re-script and re-contextualize their psychological meaning.  This will be demonstrated through live demonstrations. In this workshop Dr Hartman will also facilitate the learning process through role play exercises in order to gain a better understanding of the internal dynamics of these ego states.

Seminar VI: Becoming Whole Again: Re-establishing Internal Safety & Facilitating Integration, Internal Harmony &  Coherence 

2025

To Be Announced

This seminar will explicate how to systematically plan, implement and execute the five steps of the SARIA intervention model of Ego State Therapy in an advanced treatment plan for trauma and dissociative symptoms. Advanced techniques of activating ego states, strategic utilization and facilitating internal transformation as well as integration will be discussed and demonstrated. Specific emphasis will be placed on how to work with ego states hypnotically and through non-hypnotic externalisation methods such as the empty chair technique.  The presenter will also explicate how to analyse and utilize the continuum of symptom phenomena to re-create internal corrective experiences and advance internal transformation of ego state symptoms into solutions and resources.

Lastly, ways how to readjust to everyday life and how to facilitate post-traumatic growth will be elaborated upon. Useful ways of how to effectively integrate techniques from other psychotherapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioural techniques will be discussed and demonstrated. In this regard special attention will be given to the evidence based WOOP Model of intervention by Gabriele Oettingen (2014) to achieve the aforementioned goals.

Seminar VII: Masterclass: Advanced Treatment Planning for Flow, Embodiment, Self-actualisation & Post Traumatic Growth 

2025

To Be Announced

This seminar will explicate how to systematically plan, implement and execute the five steps of the SARIA intervention model of Ego State Therapy in an advanced treatment plan for trauma and dissociative symptoms. Advanced techniques of activating ego states, strategic utilization and facilitating internal transformation as well as integration will be discussed and demonstrated. Specific emphasis will be placed on how to work with ego states hypnotically and through non-hypnotic externalisation methods such as the empty chair technique.  The presenter will also explicate how to analyse and utilize the continuum of symptom phenomena to re-create internal corrective experiences and advance internal transformation of ego state symptoms into solutions and resources.

Lastly, ways how to readjust to everyday life and how to facilitate post-traumatic growth will be elaborated upon. Useful ways of how to effectively integrate techniques from other psychotherapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioural techniques will be discussed and demonstrated. In this regard special attention will be given to the evidence based WOOP Model of intervention by Gabriele Oettingen (2014) to achieve the aforementioned goals.