subject: How Dr. Milton Erickson Developed The Ericksonian Hypnosis [print this page] Dr. Milton Erickson is a force in the field of psychotherapy, particularly in hypnosis. In fact, it is hypnosis which led him to become a very well known and a sought after speaker until his death in 1980.
Dr. Erickson's expertise in hypnosis came from very personal experiences which he had to struggle with as a young child. Prior to his becoming a doctor, or even a medical student, he was afflicted with polio. His polio was so severe that his doctors believed he was not going to live long. Sick in bed, he started playing with his mind and studying people's words and body language by watching his brothers and sisters. He also began to take control of his body, and he allowed himself to think back to the time when his body was well. He called the muscular activities in his body "body memories". He eventually attended medical school and got so engrossed with psychology that he received a psychology degree while still in medical school.
His influence in psychotherapy didn't come easy for him. Before he was acknowledged as the leading authority in hypnosis, his work was not even part of the mainstream medical practices as it was banned by the American Medical Association (AMA). Even though Dr. Erickson believed that hypnosis was an effective therapeutic tool, a fact that he himself used as a technique upon himself when he was immobile with polio, he had to find a way to employ it despite the ban by the AMA. Dr. Erickson started the practice of what is now known as Ericksonian Hypnosis by hypnotizing patients during "normal" conversation.
The doctor spent years of research on the subject and he taught himself how to conduct this method of hypnosis. He left volumes of material on the subject through his studies and research. With his hypnosis technique, metaphors are used to give suggestions and ideas to the subconscious. These metaphors come in the form of stories. When one goes back to the time when Dr. Erickson was trying to make himself better while inflicted with severe polio, it should be noted how he used stories to make himself better. More than the stories, he also used selective perception where his mind powerfully blocked out some things to produce an altered state. This was the beginning of his technique where he used personal ordeals in a therapeutic context.
To this day, Dr. Erickson's technique is highly favored over traditional hypnosis techniques in which the hypnotist makes direct suggestions to the unconscious mind. It is said that this technique may work well for those who are open to the idea of being hypnotized and simply accept suggestions or things that are being told to them without much question. This technique may not work well for those who have critical or analytical thinking processes.
Dr. Erickson passed away in 1980 but his work will definitely continue to live on. It is amazing that this powerful technique has come from someone who almost died at a young age.
