Easy Ego State Interventions is a user-friendly book that offers simple, practical techniques for a range of client issues. Robin Shapiro explains ego states (from garden-variety roles to extremely dissociated “parts”), how to access functional, traumatized- dissociated, or poorly-adapted states from any developmental stage of life.

In Part I, she explains what ego states are, how to access positive states, safe places, and internal caregivers, and how to work with child states. She gives you create ways to use imagined “safe places” to nurture parts, allow them to release rage, and keep parts safe, organized, and from impeding real-world function.

In Part II, she shows how to work with “garden-variety” clients with simple trauma and relationship issues. Then she shows you how to access and work with and heal the “states” of personality-disordered clients. Suicidal clients often have parts that want to live and parts that feel compelled to die. You’ll learn how to find both, and use several techniques to keep the “want-to-live” parts running the show. The final chapter gives many techniques for dealing with cultural, familial, and abuse-related introjects. You’ll have new ways to clear out inner critics, internalized oppressive voices about gender, race, class, or whatever the clients bring with them, and the “parts” that act inside your clients like the abusers acted to them.

The author has received many reports that practitioners new to ego state therapy have immediately seen their clients through the ego state lens, used new interventions, and have had wonderful results.