Have you ever wondered why you think the things you think, or feel and behave the way you do?

One of the concepts I particularly like about Transactional Analysis is the model of personality it uses to change the way we understand ourselves.

It can be particularly helpful to those wishing to gain an insight into their own methods of behaving, thinking and feeling with a view to then making changes.

At any given time we are all acting or reacting from one of these places. The idea is that for us to be healthy and functioning at our best we act or react from the most appropriate place at the most appropriate time in order to gain the results that will benefit us or get our needs met.

For example – crossing a busy street. The ideal place to be coming from under this circumstance is your Adult Ego State (A) The reason this is ideal is because when crossing a busy street you want to be able to be reacting to direct here and now information, such as waiting for a break in the traffic, using a pedestrian crossing if there is one available and taking that last look left and right before you step off the curb.

The benefit of Psychotherapy is that it allows you the space and some guidance as to how you function and how come you function that way and allows you to see that if certain methods of behaviour learnt in childhood and stored in your Child Ego State (C) or learnt from your parents or parental figures and stored in your Parent Ego State (P) are no longer healthy for you or are holding you back in some way they can be changed by you in the here and now.