Hypnotherapy: An Exploratory Casebook

by Milton H. Erickson

This casebook is the most systematic analysis of Erickson's approach to hypnotherapy. It provides the theoretical principles and practical case studies necessary for professionals, students, and all those interested in the techniques of one of the leaders in the field. There are three central The use of traditional psychotherapy to deal with symptom relief and behavioral change, the creation of new patterns of awareness, and the facilitation of new dimensions of personality and identity. The first four chapters offer systematic presentations of the utilization approach and indirect forms of suggestion - the essence of Erickson's therapeutic innovations over the past fifty years and the key to his unique skill as a hypnotherapist. Exercises at the end of these chapters help the clinical practitioner acquire the necessary skills to use these methods. Some of the cases presented in the following six chapters are the most completely documented hypnotherapy studies ever published. They illustrate and further explore Erickson's clinical work with patients. Six of the cases are major studies in which transcribed tape recordings of Erickson's actual words and patterns of interaction with patients are presented. In commentaries on these sessions, the authors present their understanding of the dynamics of the hypnotherapeutic process, and discuss current issues such as the functions of the left and right hemispheres of the brain, the mechanism of the creative process, and the facilitation of human potential.

Genres: Psychology

Hardcover

First published October 1, 1979

About the author

Milton Hyland Erickson (5 December 1901 – 25 March 1980) was an American psychiatrist specializing in medical hypnosis and family therapy. He was founding president of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis and a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychopathological Association. He is noted for his approach to the unconscious mind as creative and solution-generating. He is also noted for influencing brief therapy, strategic family therapy, family systems therapy, solution focused brief therapy, and neuro-linguistic programming.

Reviews

[motioneffector · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you only read one book about Hypnosis, make it this one. The vast majority of popular books on the subject just end up paraphrasing and regurgitating this one - inferior to learning it in the man's own words.

Erickson is a genius of the rarest sort, and had countless great insights into human consciousness. Without him, Hypnosis could never have become what it has, and psychiatry would be poorer for the loss. The Exploratory Casebook is a grand tour of Ericksonian Hypnosis' many tools and paradigms, without diluting and paraphrasing things as most post-Erickson books on the subject do. While other hypnosis books dilute the source material, this is that source material.

It's a dense, academic read - it's not a quick start guide to being a hypnotist, but it's an essential part of becoming a good one. If your interest is "NLP" type stuff for sales or seduction, this is probably not the read for you - but if your interest is to understand hypnosis on a deeper level, this is the place to begin.

[Akhil Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

• Page 178
• "According to one folk saying, The morning is wiser than the evening. After we have slept on a problem, we find the solution comes more easily in the morning."
• Page 230
• "It should be noted that the reply, Why not demonstrate that it can be? constituted an absolute acceptance of her behavior, committed her fully to the experience of being hypnotized, and ensured her full cooperation in achieving her own purposes as well as those of the hypnotist. The subject responded to this by rising and asking if she could be hypnotized standing up. Her inquiry was countered by the suggestion, Why not demonstrate that it can be?"
• Page 254
• "That mouthful of hardware that you've got with all those rubber bands is wretchedly miserable, and it's going to be a deuce of a job to get used to it. Well, what did I suggest? You will get used to it. Getting used to it was the indirect suggestion."

[Gert Poot]

niet uitgelezen. Niet wat ik zoek

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another intriguing book with Milton Erickson!