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Integrate learnings |
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Permissive approach |
About Milton H. Erickson, M.D.
Who is Milton Erickson? Milton H. Erickson, M.D. (1901-1980) is largely considered an architect of innovations in psychotherapy which have been called by some parallel in scope to those of Freud's. However, where Freud was a major contributor to the theory of personality structure, Erickson's contribution was in methods and techniques of intervention and change. One can measure his contributions in many ways. He advanced clinical hypnosis, family therapy, and the general approach to problem solving in all therapies.
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Integrate learnings |
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Permissive approach |
He hypnotized more than 30,000 people in the course of his career (Lankton & Lankton, 1983). He wrote the entries on hypnosis and hypnotism for 3 encyclopedias, including the Britannica (1954-1973), Colliers Encyclopedia (1952-1962), and The Americana -- He wrote the Britannica entry for twenty years as the foremost authority on clinical hypnosis (Lankton, S., 1989). He published more than 300 scientific papers, he has had more than 100 books written about him, and there are more than 110 institutes attempting to promote his approach worldwide. The approach to therapy that bears his influence is called Ericksonian therapy.
| Defining Ericksonian therapy is a challenge because Milton Erickson was
known for being therapeutically diversified and intervening in unique ways
in response to each unique client. Many professionals believe that
Erickson's significant contribution was the advancement of the use of
hypnosis but others would say it was his use of language such as in the use
of indirect suggestion, metaphor, anecdotes, confusion, therapeutic binds,
etc. Others would argue that his contribution was the concepts known as
utilization, positive framing, speaking the client's language, and so on.
More depth on his career, health, therapeutic approach, and epistemology can
be found in the papers linked in the above table.
We have written a great deal more on these topics and referenced them in the publication lists. Still further information for local referrals in your area or for professional training opportunities is available from The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc., 3606 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016, 602-956-6196 (voice), 602-956-0519 (fax), email. And please note, the efforts of Dr. Ernest Rossi has been a fantastic help to the clinical community in gaining access to Erickson's published papers. |
Call (602) 532-0800 for more information.
Copyright © 2004, Steve Lankton.