Milton H. Erickson facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Milton H. Erickson

Born	Milton Hyland Erickson 5 December 1901 (1901-12-05) Aurum, Nevada, U.S.
Died	25 March 1980 (1980-03-26) (aged 78) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation	Psychiatrist and psychotherapist
Spouse(s)	Helen, Elizabeth

Milton Hyland Erickson (born December 5, 1901 – died March 25, 1980) was an American doctor who studied the mind. He was a psychiatrist and psychologist. He was known for his work with medical hypnosis and family therapy. This means he helped families solve problems together.

Erickson believed that our unconscious mind (the part of our mind we aren't always aware of) is very creative. He thought it could help us find solutions to our problems. He also had a big impact on different types of therapy, like brief therapy and neuro-linguistic programming.

A Look at His Life

Milton Hyland Erickson was the second of nine children. He was born in a mining camp in Aurum, Nevada. His family later moved to a farm in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Life on the farm was hard work for him and his eight siblings.

Milton had some challenges when he was young. He learned to speak later than most kids. He also had trouble reading, which he called dyslexia. On top of that, he was color blind and couldn't hear musical tones well (tone deaf).

However, Erickson believed these challenges helped him. He said they made him pay more attention to how people communicated. He noticed things others might miss. This positive way of looking at things was a big part of his approach to life.

Books were rare on the farm, but Milton loved to learn. He read the dictionary many times! He also read the few other books his family owned. He later said he overcame his dyslexia. He described these moments of change as "blinding flashes of light." He thought these were early forms of self-hypnosis.

Discovering Hypnosis

Erickson became interested in hypnosis when he was young. A traveling entertainer came to his town and showed hypnosis. Milton felt that hypnosis was too powerful to be just for entertainment. He decided he wanted to study it scientifically. He also wanted to use it in medicine to help people. He already admired his local doctor and wanted to become a physician himself.

When he was 17, Milton got very sick with polio. This disease caused him to have disabilities for the rest of his life. During his recovery, he explored how he could heal himself using hypnosis. He focused on "body memories" of how his muscles used to work. By concentrating, he slowly regained control of his body. He learned to talk and use his arms again.

He still couldn't walk, so he decided to push himself further. He went on a thousand-mile canoe trip all by himself. After this very difficult journey, he was able to walk with a cane. He used a cane for most of his life and a wheelchair only in his last ten years. Erickson believed his own healing journey gave him special insights into hypnosis.

Education and Early Career

After recovering, Erickson went to the University of Wisconsin. He earned degrees in both psychology and medicine. He also formally studied hypnosis in a lab. However, his ideas about hypnosis were unique. He started his own scientific research into how hypnosis worked. In 1928, he earned his medical degree.

From 1929 to 1948, Erickson worked at state hospitals. This allowed him to do a lot of research. He kept studying hypnosis and improved his skills in helping people. He wrote many articles about his work. These writings helped people understand hypnosis much better.

During WWII, Erickson helped examine soldiers. He also worked with other experts to understand how people communicated during combat. Famous scholars like Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson were among his colleagues. They became lifelong friends and worked together on many projects.

Moving to Phoenix

In his late 40s, Erickson developed post-polio syndrome. This caused more muscle loss and pain. He, his wife Elizabeth, and their five children moved to Phoenix, Arizona. They hoped the warm weather would help him heal. In Phoenix, Erickson started his own private practice. He worked from his home for the rest of his life.

In Phoenix, Erickson became very active in a group called the Society for Clinical and Educational Hypnosis (SCEH). This group taught doctors how to use hypnosis. However, Erickson had different ideas about how to teach hypnosis. So, in 1957, he started a new group called the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH).

For ten years, he was the editor of the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. He wrote at least one article for every issue. For the next twenty years, he wrote a lot, taught other professionals, and continued his private practice. During this time, he developed his special way of using hypnotherapy. Other important people noticed his unique methods.

His Growing Influence

His friend Gregory Bateson helped others learn about Erickson's skills. In 1973, Jay Haley wrote a book called Uncommon Therapy. This book introduced Erickson's ideas to people outside of the hypnosis community. Erickson became very famous. So many people wanted to meet him that he started holding teaching seminars. He continued these until he died.

Throughout his career, Erickson worked with many dedicated students. His colleagues collected his writings into many books. His weekly workshops were popular until the end of his life. After his death, his students began to explain his work in their own ways. His ideas have influenced many types of psychotherapy, including brief therapy and neuro-linguistic programming.

Milton H. Erickson passed away in March 1980 at age 78. He left behind his wife Elizabeth, four sons, and four daughters. He also left a lasting impact on the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and hypnosis.

How He Used Hypnosis

Milton Erickson spent his career helping hypnosis become a respected medical tool. He believed in using scientific methods. He also strongly supported proper training for people who used hypnosis. Erickson's new ideas in the first half of the 20th century greatly influenced the second half. Many people say his work helped hypnosis become popular again.

Trance and the Unconscious Mind

Erickson had a different idea about the unconscious mind than Freud. Freud's ideas were very popular at the time. Erickson said, "The unconscious mind is made up of all your learnings over a lifetime." He believed many of these learnings are forgotten but still help us with our daily actions.

Erickson thought that hypnosis was a way to talk to this unconscious mind. He believed it could help us use the hidden resources within us. He wrote in 1944 that the unconscious mind can solve problems on its own.

Erickson also loved to play practical jokes. His jokes were not mean, but surprising. He often used humor in his books, talks, and seminars.

He also noticed that people often go into a "common everyday trance." This happens when something amazing or unusual catches their attention. Their eyes might look distant, and they might become still. They seem unaware of their surroundings for a moment. This happens while their mind searches for new ideas or solutions.

Many people know about "deep" trance. Early in his career, Erickson studied these deep states. He spent many hours helping people go into deep trances. However, he also found that even light trances could be helpful for therapy. The depth of the trance depended on the person and their problem.

Traditional hypnosis often uses direct commands, like "You are going into a trance." This can make people resist. Erickson's approach was different. He was more gentle and indirect. He might say, "You can comfortably learn how to go into a trance." This way, people felt more in control. They could accept suggestions at their own speed. Because he often used hypnosis during normal conversations, it's sometimes called "conversational hypnosis."

Special Techniques

Erickson explored many ways to induce hypnosis and give suggestions. He used both direct and indirect methods. However, he is most famous for his indirect and gentle suggestions.

Indirect Suggestions

Erickson believed you couldn't directly tell the unconscious mind what to do. He thought direct commands might cause resistance. Instead, the unconscious mind responds to opportunities, stories, and symbols. So, his hypnotic suggestions were often "artfully vague." This allowed the person's unconscious mind to fill in the details. They might not even consciously know what was happening.

Erickson developed both verbal and non-verbal techniques. He showed that feelings of wonder, being deeply focused, or even confusion are types of trance.

Metaphor

Erickson often used stories or metaphors to help people. For example, he might tell someone to imagine climbing a mountain or visiting a beautiful garden. These stories helped people's unconscious minds find solutions.

Interspersal Technique

Erickson used a technique called "interspersal." This means he would weave helpful suggestions into a normal conversation or hypnotic induction. He would choose suggestions specifically for the person. For example, he helped one person with pain and another with frequent urination. He showed how the same technique could help different problems.

He believed the unconscious mind is always listening and understanding. He said, "The patient's unconscious mind is listening and understanding much better than is possible for his conscious mind."

Confusion Technique

Erickson often said, "In all my techniques, almost all, there is a confusion." He developed a "confusion technique" for hypnosis. He would use confusing words or actions. This made people try hard to understand what he meant. Before they could reject one idea, he would say something else.

For example, he might play with verb tenses: "That which is now will soon be yesterday's future even as it will be tomorrow's was." This kept people trying to sort out the meaning. He also added irrelevant things to make it more confusing. This made people really want to hear something they could understand. Erickson would speak very seriously, as if he expected them to understand. This technique helped people enter a trance.

Handshake Induction

Erickson also developed a special "handshake induction." This was a way to start hypnosis during a handshake.

He would start with a normal handshake.
Then, as he let go, he would gently touch the person's hand with his thumb, then little finger, then middle finger. These vague touches would get the person's attention.
The person's hand would pause, waiting for more sensation.
Then, he would gently touch the underside of the hand, suggesting a slight upward push, then a slight downward touch.
He would then break contact so gently that the person didn't know exactly when. This left the person's hand hanging, neither up nor down. This is called catalepsy, where a limb stays in a position it's placed in.
To end it, he would distract their attention. Sometimes people would say, "What did you say? I got absentminded there for a moment." This showed their attention was so focused on the hand that they were in a trance.
He could then use this state to deepen the trance or give suggestions.

Hand Levitation

Erickson was also the first to describe "hand levitation." This technique involves suggesting a lightness in the person's hand. This causes the hand to slowly rise unconsciously. It's a way to show the person that their unconscious mind can act on its own.

Dealing with Resistance

Erickson understood that people sometimes resist direct commands. He called this a "polarity response." If you tell someone "Don't do X," their unconscious mind might focus on "X" rather than "Don't."

So, Erickson would use suggestions that played on this. He would phrase things so that whatever the person did, it would be helpful. For example, he might say, "You don't have to go into a trance, so you can easily wonder about what you notice no faster than you feel ready to become aware that your hand is slowly rising." This gave the person choice, but still guided them.

Double Bind

A "double bind" is when you give someone two choices, but either choice leads to the same outcome you want. Erickson gave a famous example from his childhood. His father was trying to pull a stubborn calf into the barn. Milton grabbed the calf's tail and pulled it away from the barn. The calf then chose to resist the weaker pull (Milton's) and dragged itself into the barn! This is a clever way to get someone to do what you want by giving them a choice where both options lead to your goal.

Shocks and Ordeals

While Erickson was known for gentle methods, he also used "shocks" or "ordeals" sometimes. An ordeal is a difficult but achievable challenge. The idea is that the challenge should be harder than the problem the person wants to change. By successfully completing the ordeal, the person also overcomes their problem. The ordeal had to be something the person could do, wouldn't harm anyone, and was good for them. Sometimes, the person had to repeat the ordeal to get better.

His Impact on Others

Many people studied with Erickson and developed his work further. Some tried to accurately share his ideas and methods. Others created their own versions, sometimes changing his original ideas.

Erickson didn't like rigid rules for therapy. He believed in adapting to each person. So, he never created a strict system during his lifetime. However, many different types of therapy grew from his ideas. These include Strategic therapy, Family Systems, Brief Therapy, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

Ericksonian Approaches

After Erickson's death in 1980, a large conference was held to honor his work. Many people who attended started teaching his ideas in their own ways. This is when the term "Ericksonian" began to be used to describe his methods.

One of Erickson's biggest contributions was his ability to see people's problems differently. He didn't see people as "broken." Instead, he believed that a person's problematic behavior was often the best choice they knew how to make at the time. His goal was to help people find their own inner strengths to solve their problems.

Erickson taught that we should value everything a client brings to therapy. He believed that weaknesses could become strengths. He thought that imperfections could be changed slightly to become positive. This idea of "utilization" means using whatever the person offers as a way to help them heal. Perhaps his own struggles with polio taught him the value of turning negatives into positives.

In 1954, Erickson wrote about a patient who wanted hypnosis to stop reckless driving. Erickson worked with him, letting the patient guide his own healing process. This is a clear example of "utilization." Another key idea from Erickson is that the person seeking help must be invested in the healing process.

Today, "Ericksonian psychotherapy" is recognized as a type of therapy. It uses hypnosis, indirect suggestions, and stories to help people. The goal is to activate hidden strengths within a person's mind.

To help define Ericksonian approaches, experts developed "Core Competencies." These include four skills: Observation, Validation, Cultivation, and Challenge. They also include six competencies: Tailoring, Utilization, Strategic, Competency, Destabilization, Experiential, and Naturalistic. This framework helps evaluate if a therapy style is truly Ericksonian.