ABSTRACT
Holding a dialogue between different parts of the client's internal world can support the process of integrating split-off states that are denied or rejected by the client. This is a technique that is widely used in transactional analysis (TA) which recognizes the existence of three different states of the ego (Berne, 1961): the Parent ego state represents the internalized ®gures of in¯uence in our early lives; the Child ego state represents our own historical past responses to important others as these are laid down in memory; and the Adult ego state represents our capacity to respond appropriately in the present to the other. Clients can gradually become aware of their own internal dialogue and this can then be worked with overtly in the room through a two-or three-chair technique. The Parent will re¯ect the internalized `shoulds' and the Child response will re¯ect the child's original adaptation to these and the sacri®ces made to ensure love, or in the worst cases survival. The client can then be encouraged to take the Adult position and re¯ect on the internal dialogue and its effects on self-esteem, creativity and assertiveness, to mention only a few possibilities. The client can gradually be encouraged to build in new internal dialogues from a Nurturing Parent position that soothes and supports the Child. In this way, disowned parts of the person can gradually be reowned and integrated so that the client can function from a self-actualized place.
