Many clients come to therapy experiencing depression, profound loneliness, social anxiety, and relational difficulties. Often, they are plagued by a relentless internal critic and a deep sense of shame, using self-attack as a way to regulate emotions and avoid vulnerability. This psychological splitting is an attempt to preserve the vital and vulnerable aspects of Self by dissecting the whole self into manageable parts.

When working with such clients, it becomes imperative for us as therapists, to understand the difference between Splitting and Dissociation. Splitting means dividing the self into separate but coexisting parts (Me and Me and Me), while dissociation is a severance, where aspects of experience are disowned (Me and Not-Me).

In this two-day, in-depth workshop encapsulating the latest research, Dr Richard Erskine will first help us understand and identify the nuanced difference between these two states. Through rich case studies and clinical vignettes, Dr Erskine will explain how this splitting of the self is present in many clients yet often goes unrecognised in therapy – disguised by behavioural patterns that therapists may interpret as introversion, shyness, or self-sufficiency.

The coping dynamics of these clients are not simply theoretical constructs – they are deeply lived experiences that manifest in their silence, loneliness, and relational withdrawal. Their internal world is split between longing and defence, between the wish to connect and the compulsion to retreat.

How do we, as psychotherapists, enter this inner world without provoking further withdrawal?

Clients who have undergone the Schizoid process will typically present with unique clinical presentations which may be categorised as:

• The social self – outwardly engaged but emotionally distant; shaped by relational attachment patterns.
• The frightened, vulnerable self – hidden beneath layers of detachment, longing for attunement but fearing engulfment.
• The internal saboteur – the voice of self-attack, self-doubt, and chronic criticism, maintaining a powerful sense of control.

• The encapsulated self – a deeply protected inner world, withdrawn from relational contact and hard to access.

Drawing from Object Relations and Integrative Psychotherapy, Dr Erskine highlights the importance of recognising the hidden dynamics of internal fragmentation in the Schizoid process and how they affect a client’s sense of self, their attachment patterns, and their capacity for emotional engagement.

Workshop Focus: Understanding & Treating the Schizoid Process

Through rich case studies, clinical vignettes, and hands-on techniques, this workshop will explore:

• The four different levels of psychological splitting and how we can work therapeutically with the concomitant psychological fragmentation.
• Identifying the distinct ‘selves’ within the schizoid process and their unique clinical presentations.

• How the Schizoid Process relates to clients who present as depressed, shy, emotionally distant, or fearful of intimate relationships.
• Understanding the significance of internal criticism and shame – especially where shame serves as a protective strategy against humiliation, vulnerability, and loss of contact.
• How early relational trauma and attachment disruptions shape schizoid dynamics – and why some clients oscillate between compliance and withdrawal.
• The therapist’s role in attunement: Meeting sadness with compassion, fear with security, and anger with validation.
• Why silence is often misinterpreted in therapy – and how to differentiate between a client’s resistance, dissociation, or deep relational fear.
• Techniques for gradually fostering trust and safety in therapy, so clients can begin to integrate their fragmented selves rather than remain trapped in a cycle of self-protection.

Dr Erskine will illustrate how the self-stabilising process of internal splitting operates, highlighting correlations with:

• The five components of shame and how they interact with the schizoid experience.
• Attachment cycles, relational withdrawal, and the function of internal criticism.
• How compliance, avoidance, and fear of engulfment drive relational dynamics in therapy.

At the heart of this workshop is a developmentally based, relationally focused approach that integrates principles from Integrative Psychotherapy and Object Relations. Dr Erskine emphasises the importance of understanding the client’s phenomenological experience – their deeply personal, lived reality – so that we can meet their silence with understanding, their anger with empathy and their sadness with compassion as we help them in their journey to healing and a state of harmonious wholeness.

Learning from Dr Richard G. Erskine: A Masterclass in Working with the Schizoid Process
Dr Richard G. Erskine is internationally recognised for his pioneering contributions to Integrative Psychotherapy, Relational Attunement, and the Treatment of Psychological Splitting. His work bridges the gap between Object Relations, developmental neuroscience, and attachment theory, offering psychotherapists practical, clinically sophisticated ways to work with deeply withdrawn clients.

This two-day, in-person masterclass in London is a rare opportunity to experience Dr Erskine’s approach firsthand – through live clinical insights, detailed case analyses, and interactive discussions. Back by popular demand, this workshop has resonated strongly with clinicians in previous iterations, and places will fill quickly.

© nscience UK, 2025 / 26