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.

Ego State Therapy has integrated contemporary understandings of interpersonal neurobiology.  Ego states are viewed as neuro-physiological manifestations of the autonomic nervous system which may develop through repetitive state activation in reaction to certain life experiences, both positive and negative.

Probably the most significant difference between ego state therapy and other parts approaches is the fact that this approach conceptualises 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.

The EST approach is very respectful of the unique development of each aspect of the self and therefore steers away from generalisation such as the “inner child” or trying to fit a state into a pre-defined schema or category such as an “inner critic”.  Contemporary approaches to EST appreciates top down (cognitive) and bottoms up (somatic experience) interventions in facilitating change.  New understandings of the role of the ventral vagal system role in interactive co-regulation, not only forms an integral part of the development of states, but also of the therapeutic process with states.

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.

EST is a phased oriented approach as recommended by most Complex PTSD experts and allows a client to firstly develop safety, stabilisation and ego strengthening skills.  Secondly, the clinician moves towards accessing resourceful states and then symptom or traumatised states to map the client’s inner self.  Thirdly, the person is supported to process trauma through corrective experiences integrating somatic aspects in the intervention.  Inner conflicts are resolved to create movement towards solutions and peace in the inner experience of the client.  Lastly, the client is supported to integrate more traumatised- and conflicted aspects of the self to develop a new sense of self and identity.

The Postgraduate Intensive in Ego State Therapy allows for the incremental development of clinical skills to establish safety, regulation and build ego strength to accessing and working with specific ego states related to the difficulties or trauma the client is experiencing.  Each aspect of the course is therefore designed to allow new and experienced practitioners to develop and expand their understanding and range of skills in working with ego states and trauma.

The training is a stimulating blend of theoretical, vicarious and experiential learning.  We have found that participants benefit most if the theory is taught, followed by live clinical demonstrations and the opportunity to practice in a supportive environment.

The foundational training consists of 6 seminars.  Each seminar consists of 3 sessions of 5 hours of online training over 3 days.  Even though experience is developed over the course of the whole training, each seminar contributes to skills a practitioner can already utilise in their work with clients.  Participants can therefore start integrating skills into their practice after each training session.

These seminars are recognised by Ego State Therapy International and contribute to the requirements to become accredited as an internationally certified ego state therapist and a listing on the ESTI website as a practitioner. 

Accreditation as an Ego State Therapist with Ego State Therapy International (ESTI) requires participants to complete:

1. The 6 core seminars as is presented in the Postgraduate
2. 2 Ego State Therapy Specialisation Workhops
3. 2 days of group supervision (4 half days)
4. 4 individual supervision session
5. 4 sessions of Ego State Therapy
6. Hypnosis training
7. Viva Voce with case presentation

You can download the requirements and log sheet below.

Participants have the option of registering for the whole training, Seminar I-VI,  or can register for each seminar individually.

Seminars need to be taken in sequence.

Hypnosis training is not a prerequisite to register for the ego state therapy training or to practise Ego State Therapy.

However, hypnosis can contribute to accessing underlying or covert ego states.  The AICHP postgraduate Ego State Therapy training teaches participants basic inductions and focusing techniques to allow for experiential accessing of and work with ego states.

Hypnosis training is a requirement to become an accredited Ego State Therapist with ESTI.

Registered Students and Interns Pay 50% of Fees

Early Bird till 29 Mar. ’25: $ 775

Early Registration till 30 April. ’25: $ 875

Full Registration till 7 May. ’25:  $ 975

(Fees Excl. GST)

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).

Educational Objectives:

1. To learn more about the neuro-physiological basis of resourceful ego states
2. How to use ego strengthening techniques, safety, stabilization and grounding techniques with special attention to body resources
3. How to utilise hypno-somatic techniques for ego strengthening
4. How to activate and communicate with resourceful ego states and how to utilize resources for maximum psychological well-being

Registered Students and Interns Pay 50% of Fees

Early Bird till 14 May. ’25: $ 775

Early Registration till 11 Jun. ’25: $ 875

Full Registration till 18 June. 2025:  $ 975

(Fees Excl. GST)

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).

Educational Objectives:

1. To learn how to activate symptom-associated ego states and how to work with them clinically and therapeutically.
2. To learn more about the dynamics of symptom-associated ego states and how to address flight and fight responses in order to resolve traumatic stress responses. Specific techniques will be demonstrated
3. How to manage symptom-associated ego states with special attention to body resources
4. How to recreate self-regulation, re-balance, wholeness and flow in clients presenting with symptom-associated ego states

Registered Students and Interns Pay 50% of Fees

Early Bird till 13 Jul. ’25: $ 775

Early Registration till 11 Aug. ’25: $ 875

Full Registration till 18 Aug. 2025:  $ 975

(Fees Excl. GST)

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).

Educational Objectives:

1. To learn about the importance of co-regulation, safety and stabilisation when working with traumatised ego states in the freeze or submit mode
2. To learn how to activate immobilised and trauma-associated ego states and how to work with them clinically and therapeutically
3. To learn more about the dynamics of trauma-associated ego states and how to address freeze and other immobilisation responses with a bottom-up approach in order to resolve traumatic stress responses and to re-establish self-regulation
4. How to use movement, stimulation and breathing techniques to bring trauma-associated ego states into flow again
5. How to recreate self-regulation, re-balance, wholeness and flow in clients presenting with immobilisation and trauma-associated ego states

Registered Students and Interns Pay 50% of Fees

Early Bird till 26 Aug. ’25: $ 775

Early Registration till 24 Sept. ’25: $ 875

Full Registration till 1 Oct. ’25:  $ 975

(Fees Excl. GST)

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.

Educational Objectives:

1. To learn more about the dynamics of destructive ego states and introjects and how to work with their hybrid nature in order to resolve their defensive responses and then to re-establish self-regulation
2. To learn how to activate and communicate with highly charged and mobilised destructive ego states and how to work with them clinically and therapeutically
3. To decide if, when and how to effectively use demasking and dis-identification techniques with destructive ego states in order to reset the autonomic nervous system response
4. How to recreate self-regulation, re-balance, wholeness and flow in traumatised clients.

Keywords: Destructive ego states, introjects, hybrid states, demasking, dis-identification

Registered Students and Interns Pay 50% of Fees

Early Bird till 8 Oct. ’25: $ 775

Early Registration till 5 Nov. ’25: $ 875

Full Registration till 12 Nov. ’25:  $ 975

(Fees Excl. GST)

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.

Educational Objectives:

1. How to resolve internal fragmentation by facilitating inner corrective experiences through strategic utilization

2. To learn how to effectively distinguish between and implement bottom-up and top-down corrective experiences to facilitate optimal self-regulation, coherence and flow

3. To learn how to assess and facilitate the eight stages of integration to re-establish self-regulation, emotional stability and flow

4. How to appropriately combine and integrate various psychotherapeutic intervention techniques from different paradigms with ego state therapy techniques
5. How to advance wholeness through reciprocal interactive co-regulation

Keywords: reciprocal interactive co-regulation, strategic utilization, Bottom-Up and Top-Down techniques, reciprocal interactive co-regulation

Early Bird: $ 775

Early Registration: $ 875

Full Registration:  $ 975

Registered Students and Interns Pay 50% of Fee

(Fees Excl. GST)

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.

Educational Objectives:

1. To learn how to effectively plan and execute the 5 step SARIA Intervention model of Ego State Therapy within a clinical context
2. To learn how to activate ego states on an advanced level and how to facilitate internal transformation and integration
3. To learn how activate and work with ego states hypnotically and through non-hypnotic externalization techniques
4. How to help clients to readjust to everyday life and how to facilitate post-traumatic
5. Growth
6. How to integrate techniques from other psychotherapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioural techniques including the WOOP model

Keywords: SARIA-model, symptom-phenomena, empty chair technique, posttraumatic growth, WOOP model