John G. Watkins
Encyclopedia
John G. Watkins is a United States psychologist best known for his work in the areas of hypnosis
, dissociation
, and multiple personalities. With his wife, Helen Watkins, he developed ego-state therapy
, which uses analysis of underlying personalities rather than traditional talk therapy to find the causes of psychological problems.
The most famous example of the use of ego-state therapy was the interrogation of the Hillside Strangler
, in which Watkins solicited a confession by revealing the killer’s multiple personalities.
Watkins is a graduate of the University of Idaho
and holds a Ph.D.
from Columbia University
. He is professor emeritus at the University of Montana, where he taught for many years.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
, dissociation
Dissociation
Dissociation is an altered state of consciousness characterized by partial or complete disruption of the normal integration of a person’s normal conscious or psychological functioning. Dissociation is most commonly experienced as a subjective perception of one's consciousness being detached from...
, and multiple personalities. With his wife, Helen Watkins, he developed ego-state therapy
Ego-state therapy
Ego-state therapy is a psychodynamic approach to treat various behavioural and cognitive problems within a person. It uses techniques that are common in group and family therapy, but with an individual patient, to resolve conflicts that manifest in a "family of self" within a single...
, which uses analysis of underlying personalities rather than traditional talk therapy to find the causes of psychological problems.
The most famous example of the use of ego-state therapy was the interrogation of the Hillside Strangler
Hillside Strangler
The Hillside Strangler is the media epithet for two men, cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, who were convicted of kidnapping, raping, torturing, and killing girls and women ranging in age from 12 to 28 years old during a four-month period from late 1977 to early 1978...
, in which Watkins solicited a confession by revealing the killer’s multiple personalities.
Watkins is a graduate of the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
and holds a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He is professor emeritus at the University of Montana, where he taught for many years.
Books
- Adventures in Human Understanding, ISBN 1899836756
- Ego States, Theory and Therapy, ISBN 0393702596
- Emotional Resonance, Sentient Publications, ISBN 1591810426
- Advanced Hypnotherapy, ISBN 0415956277