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Teaching Seminar With Milton H. Erickson
First Published in 1985. Milton H. Erikson M.D.(1901-1980) was generally acknowledged as the world's foremost authority on hypnotherapy and brief strategic therapy. This volume presents the complete transcript of a five day seminar with Milton Erickson. The reader will experience Erickson talking about his method of therapy, demonstrating his techniques, telling one fascinating anecdote after another- anecdotes which often produce feelings of cognitive dissonance and surprise, but eventually illuminate new ways of seeing patients and thinking about psychotherapy.
- GenresPsychologyNonfiction
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1980
About the author
Jeffrey K. Zeig
98 books10 followersJeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D. is the Founder and Director of the Milton H. Erickson Foundation, He has edited, co-edited, authored or coauthored more than 20 books on psychotherapy that appear in twelve foreign languages.
Dr. Zeig is the architect of The Evolution of Psychotherapy Conferences, the Brief Therapy Conferences, the Couples Conferences, and the International Congresses on Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy.
A psychologist and marriage and family therapist in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Zeig conducts workshops internationally (more than 40 countries). He is president of Zeig, Tucker & Theisen, Inc., publishers in the behavioral sciences.
Dr. Zeig is the architect of The Evolution of Psychotherapy Conferences, the Brief Therapy Conferences, the Couples Conferences, and the International Congresses on Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy.
A psychologist and marriage and family therapist in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Zeig conducts workshops internationally (more than 40 countries). He is president of Zeig, Tucker & Theisen, Inc., publishers in the behavioral sciences.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 5, 2016
I think I'd have to say this book is every bit as important to understanding Erickson and his methods as Hypnotherapy: An Exploratory Casebook. It's similarly broad, and shares quite a few stories with the Casebook, but told in new ways. The inclusion of Erickson's interactions with his students throughout the teaching provides an invaluable angle on all those "old" lessons - and there's plenty new, as well. There's not only a lot to learn here about hypnotherapy, but also about psychotherapy in general, and the human mind's irrational but predictable patterns.
The appendix, which makes up a solid 20% of the book, provides a very useful meta-commentary wherein Zeig and Erickson go over a portion of the seminar and pause to discuss various things as they unfold. It's a sort of director's commentary, and being able to observe Erickson discuss the why and how of his methods in such detail is a privilege. The whole book is full of such insights, but the appendix is especially rich. I'm not one to highlight books, but I highlighted a good 20-30 passages in the course of this one.
I'd also add that it's a good read for the analytical depressive who wants to get better but feels they can't possibly. I recommended it to just such a friend, who devoured the book in a weekend and promptly found themselves in a forward-thinking state of epiphany. As Erickson liked to say, the patient does all the work - the therapist just creates a fertile environment for change. For some, that lesson is just what they need to break the illusion of being powerless.
The appendix, which makes up a solid 20% of the book, provides a very useful meta-commentary wherein Zeig and Erickson go over a portion of the seminar and pause to discuss various things as they unfold. It's a sort of director's commentary, and being able to observe Erickson discuss the why and how of his methods in such detail is a privilege. The whole book is full of such insights, but the appendix is especially rich. I'm not one to highlight books, but I highlighted a good 20-30 passages in the course of this one.
I'd also add that it's a good read for the analytical depressive who wants to get better but feels they can't possibly. I recommended it to just such a friend, who devoured the book in a weekend and promptly found themselves in a forward-thinking state of epiphany. As Erickson liked to say, the patient does all the work - the therapist just creates a fertile environment for change. For some, that lesson is just what they need to break the illusion of being powerless.
August 2, 2025
Milton Erickson's lectures are very insightful---I love how he helped people overcome habitual phobias, insomnia, bed-wetting
neurosis, and lack of sound judgement.
This man was a true humanitarian, gifted, witty, and extremely practical in approach.
I will give you a teaser--He helps a Young Man Pass a Law Degree Examination, by focusing on a trip on the highway to Arizona--He had flunked the Exam three times prior--Through his use of Autohypnosis and Imagery he passes the test, and barely recognized he had taken it.
"He had him focus on the reasons why he hated the cold climate of Wisconsin", as juxtaposed to the bright warm Sunny backdrop of Arizona while driving from Wisconsin to Arizona.
He has him focus on imagery and scenery on the left side of the highway while driving to his Test Site in Arizona-- " All the while taking in the Beautiful Arizona Morning imagery "
Dr. Zeig also asks interesting questions of why Dr. Erickson seeds different ideas, and places emphasis on certain words.
He will often ask questions and details that seem innocuous, and nuanced, that actually will send you into a trance without realizing it. His Trances are usually Strategic and Therapeutic in Nature, forcing the patient to do an inner search.
His early learning set induction often has clients going back to early childhood memories, to the point where their phobias and symptoms started; he then reorients them to the future, with a chance to leave the problem in the past, and incorporate it as part of a future solution.
Dr. Erickson also tells parallel stories in the chapter of people who would be considered as complete and abject "menaces to society" changed by meeting a love interest which completely reoriented them, and completely turns their lives around--He also turns around a 6 foot 6 Woman life, who had a habit of beating up police officers-by reflecting her destructive behavior back to her subtly.
Dr. Erickson speaks conversationally--but there is a groundswell of information packed into his conversations.
neurosis, and lack of sound judgement.
This man was a true humanitarian, gifted, witty, and extremely practical in approach.
I will give you a teaser--He helps a Young Man Pass a Law Degree Examination, by focusing on a trip on the highway to Arizona--He had flunked the Exam three times prior--Through his use of Autohypnosis and Imagery he passes the test, and barely recognized he had taken it.
"He had him focus on the reasons why he hated the cold climate of Wisconsin", as juxtaposed to the bright warm Sunny backdrop of Arizona while driving from Wisconsin to Arizona.
He has him focus on imagery and scenery on the left side of the highway while driving to his Test Site in Arizona-- " All the while taking in the Beautiful Arizona Morning imagery "
Dr. Zeig also asks interesting questions of why Dr. Erickson seeds different ideas, and places emphasis on certain words.
He will often ask questions and details that seem innocuous, and nuanced, that actually will send you into a trance without realizing it. His Trances are usually Strategic and Therapeutic in Nature, forcing the patient to do an inner search.
His early learning set induction often has clients going back to early childhood memories, to the point where their phobias and symptoms started; he then reorients them to the future, with a chance to leave the problem in the past, and incorporate it as part of a future solution.
Dr. Erickson also tells parallel stories in the chapter of people who would be considered as complete and abject "menaces to society" changed by meeting a love interest which completely reoriented them, and completely turns their lives around--He also turns around a 6 foot 6 Woman life, who had a habit of beating up police officers-by reflecting her destructive behavior back to her subtly.
Dr. Erickson speaks conversationally--but there is a groundswell of information packed into his conversations.
June 2, 2022
Coming from a non-medical person, this book is beyond brilliant. It deserves 100 stars, that is how powerful and important it was to me. If you're interested in people, who they are and why they do what they do, how to change, and if you want to hear the words and stories of an exemplary human being, you might like this book. I'm now on a quest to read anything and everything I can about and by Milton H. Erickson.
Dr. Erickson, near the end of his life, taught. Each class lasted about a week. This is about one of his classes recorded and transcribed by one of his students. Very well done and with an appendix that is nothing short of brilliant. This book can be read again and again, with each time more insight to be gained.
Dr. Erickson, near the end of his life, taught. Each class lasted about a week. This is about one of his classes recorded and transcribed by one of his students. Very well done and with an appendix that is nothing short of brilliant. This book can be read again and again, with each time more insight to be gained.
July 8, 2015
Un seminario didáctico con Milton Erickson, que es la transcripción de Un seminario con Milton Erickson,
hecha por Jeffrey K. Zeig. Milton hablaba que la mente inconsciente es creativa y puede ser solución a los problemas, usaba la hipnósis y la metáfora. Te llegas a sentir parte del seminario con Erickson a pesar de haberse efectuado hace mas de tres decadas. Lleno de anecdotas e historias de las que se puede aprender a varios niveles, desde la historia en general como en lo específico en el uso del lenguaje hipnótico.
hecha por Jeffrey K. Zeig. Milton hablaba que la mente inconsciente es creativa y puede ser solución a los problemas, usaba la hipnósis y la metáfora. Te llegas a sentir parte del seminario con Erickson a pesar de haberse efectuado hace mas de tres decadas. Lleno de anecdotas e historias de las que se puede aprender a varios niveles, desde la historia en general como en lo específico en el uso del lenguaje hipnótico.
November 26, 2017
Truly fascinating anecdotal journey into Ericksonian Hypnotherapy. Not at all what I expected. Really opened up my thinking about how different thinking can be. Recommended for anyone seeking alternative ways of seeing.
December 9, 2020
Awesome lessons from Erikson!
Excellent material from Erickson, which has so many layers that it will take multiple reads to pick up the majority of possible learnings. This is great material for people to continue learning hypnosis. Very good stuff!
Excellent material from Erickson, which has so many layers that it will take multiple reads to pick up the majority of possible learnings. This is great material for people to continue learning hypnosis. Very good stuff!
June 4, 2019
2016/5/30
He is intelligent and humane.
He is intelligent and humane.
July 20, 2026
dont recall the date Archive.org
the Affect / Effect of words
I haven't decided why I DO NOT LIKE commentary about someone else's book; their work, their explanation of work its like the telephone game and we ALL learned that lesson in school right?? Right? So to what extent was it explained to you and have you attempted the reenactment as an adult with something controversial, go ahead risk it and just try. "I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I am going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never. These allegations are false. And I need to go to work for the American people." now go listen to it and tell me is that word for word. Now how about the his statement of truth: "Indeed, I did have a relationship with Ms. Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and entirely responsible." Just ask AI to give you the links to the videos and verbiage so you can watch it and look at the words verbatim and then think about President Trump "...there are good people on both sides" and what the words mean. Did I change out the words...
Which is why I try to be more about my impressions, feelings on the book of the authors perceptions of things and not a detailed outline of what a book is about. Everyone can do that well unless you have audible you do not get to see the titles of the chapters to even start the outline which is why many go to Kindle or a hardcopy. Unfortunately or Fortunately as we get older our eyes age and we cannot see to read small light type; print so audible is just wonderful. Carrying a magnifying glass around to read the small print on things is overwhelming which is why you see the ads for all the glasses and not the surgery for glasses to repair the actual issues with the eye/s. My aunt which is 76 now can see better than I can. She has had several eye surgeries that started with cataract trouble and then after surgery errors feared blindness then one eye that she could not see with that another doctor had to go in and fix which took many surgeries and many years. Meanwhile my eyes have aged dramatically what seems like all at once and even with Dollar Tree readers do not work on headache days or days where I just dont feel that well. I have considered what my limits would be as far a reading and setting goals and how not too long ago people were hired to sit and read books to others who could not see and those that were illiterate.
Do you have any idea how many people in the USA cannot see to read print or that are illiterate and cannot read or comprehension is a whole other ball game then think about someone's intent behind the language we'll... I encourage everyone to look that information up and then think about TEXT to Verbal Language and those hired to sit and read and how a computer voice sounds. What affects you a woman's voice or mans, which do you learn better with. Whose do you trust more and for what kinds of books? Now why am a I talking about these things with Milton book.... Think people think if you do not understand then you need to read more and once you start reading go back read the books I have read and start really reading my comments and then you will maybe start to see. Those who have eyes to see....
Where is that 'Miss Lewinsky" now?
"I did not have sexual relations with that woman..."
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=180...
Truth?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmjTM...
Trump. Good luck finding the first original comments video.
https://www.npr.org/2017/08/15/543769...
https://www.c-span.org/clip/white-hou...
the Affect / Effect of words
I haven't decided why I DO NOT LIKE commentary about someone else's book; their work, their explanation of work its like the telephone game and we ALL learned that lesson in school right?? Right? So to what extent was it explained to you and have you attempted the reenactment as an adult with something controversial, go ahead risk it and just try. "I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I am going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never. These allegations are false. And I need to go to work for the American people." now go listen to it and tell me is that word for word. Now how about the his statement of truth: "Indeed, I did have a relationship with Ms. Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and entirely responsible." Just ask AI to give you the links to the videos and verbiage so you can watch it and look at the words verbatim and then think about President Trump "...there are good people on both sides" and what the words mean. Did I change out the words...
Which is why I try to be more about my impressions, feelings on the book of the authors perceptions of things and not a detailed outline of what a book is about. Everyone can do that well unless you have audible you do not get to see the titles of the chapters to even start the outline which is why many go to Kindle or a hardcopy. Unfortunately or Fortunately as we get older our eyes age and we cannot see to read small light type; print so audible is just wonderful. Carrying a magnifying glass around to read the small print on things is overwhelming which is why you see the ads for all the glasses and not the surgery for glasses to repair the actual issues with the eye/s. My aunt which is 76 now can see better than I can. She has had several eye surgeries that started with cataract trouble and then after surgery errors feared blindness then one eye that she could not see with that another doctor had to go in and fix which took many surgeries and many years. Meanwhile my eyes have aged dramatically what seems like all at once and even with Dollar Tree readers do not work on headache days or days where I just dont feel that well. I have considered what my limits would be as far a reading and setting goals and how not too long ago people were hired to sit and read books to others who could not see and those that were illiterate.
Do you have any idea how many people in the USA cannot see to read print or that are illiterate and cannot read or comprehension is a whole other ball game then think about someone's intent behind the language we'll... I encourage everyone to look that information up and then think about TEXT to Verbal Language and those hired to sit and read and how a computer voice sounds. What affects you a woman's voice or mans, which do you learn better with. Whose do you trust more and for what kinds of books? Now why am a I talking about these things with Milton book.... Think people think if you do not understand then you need to read more and once you start reading go back read the books I have read and start really reading my comments and then you will maybe start to see. Those who have eyes to see....
Where is that 'Miss Lewinsky" now?
"I did not have sexual relations with that woman..."
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=180...
Truth?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmjTM...
Trump. Good luck finding the first original comments video.
https://www.npr.org/2017/08/15/543769...
https://www.c-span.org/clip/white-hou...
May 24, 2020
There was a science fiction movie I watch many years ago about a man who could live forever. He invited a small group of close friends to his cabin, sat next to the fireplace, and hosted a goodbye and narrative on his history. He needed to leave town, but wanted to share some wisdom with his friends. They movie was good. It was an epic fiction, but done in a extraordinary narrative.
This author takes a similar approach to narrating Milton Erickson. Over the course of a week he captures every story and facilitation of this hypnotic orator. Nearly straight dialog it is an unusual approach to a book and lesson. I appreciated the tale, lessons, and method of narration. I expect I gained a better understanding on how to listen and discus with others. Dr. Erickson seems like a proper practitioner of the craft of helping his fellow humans in novel and playful ways. Story telling as an art.
I don’t believe in hypnosis, but regardless expect there is an art to communication that those in the craft exhibit better than the average population. This books helps one approach the art of the craft.
This author takes a similar approach to narrating Milton Erickson. Over the course of a week he captures every story and facilitation of this hypnotic orator. Nearly straight dialog it is an unusual approach to a book and lesson. I appreciated the tale, lessons, and method of narration. I expect I gained a better understanding on how to listen and discus with others. Dr. Erickson seems like a proper practitioner of the craft of helping his fellow humans in novel and playful ways. Story telling as an art.
I don’t believe in hypnosis, but regardless expect there is an art to communication that those in the craft exhibit better than the average population. This books helps one approach the art of the craft.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews