Ericksonian hypnosis has been an effective psychotherapeutic aid for several decades, freeing people from neuroses and various types of addictions that have lasted for years. The technique of inducing trance is characterized by poetry and a special language of images that find their way into the human subconscious through metaphors, legends and stories.
Erickson's story
Ericksonian hypnosis belongs to the so-called non-classical type of hypnosis and is named after its inventor, psychiatrist Milton Erickson (1901-1980).
He carefully studied altered states of consciousness, and the approach he developed formed the basis not only of hypnosis, but also of NLP practices. Subsequently, he even founded the Society of Clinical Hypnosis in America.
The background to the emergence of this trend in hypnotherapy was the polio suffered by Erickson in his youth. Young Milton accidentally overheard the doctor's opinion that he was unlikely to survive. And this caused him such a surge of resistance, such a thirst for life that he realized that a person has enormous life-affirming potential.
As a result, Erickson not only coped with a serious illness and was able to become an active member of society, despite a wheelchair, but also developed a hypnosis technique aimed at releasing positive unconscious forces, helping to make himself and his life better.
Problems that the Ericksonian method effectively copes with
Hypnosis is used to solve the following problems:
- treatment of neuroses, depression and psychosomatic disorders;
- addiction therapy (alcoholism, drug addiction);
- improving parent-child partnerships;
- getting rid of phobias;
- therapy for codependent relationships;
- elimination of the consequences of psychological trauma;
- personal growth;
- activation of creative resources;
- business negotiations.
More information about the areas of application of Ericksonian hypnosis here.
Ericksonian hypnosis helps to mobilize internal resources to solve problems in personal and professional life, to achieve success in matters that previously seemed hopeless and unrealistic. Those who undergo hypnotherapy find that they discover the ability to act more freely and creatively. The use of Ericksonian medical hypnosis facilitates the work of the psychotherapist and increases the speed and effectiveness of psychotherapy.
Many people perceive NLP and Ericksonian hypnosis as synonyms. The fact is that many psychotechniques from Erickson’s hypnosis formed the basis of neurolinguistic programming. For example, the techniques for copying verbal and nonverbal behavior used in NLP were copied from Milton Erickson. Proper mastery of this instrument, combined with some fundamental knowledge of psychology, expands a person’s capabilities and helps to unlock inner potential.
You can sign up for training in Ericksonian hypnosis by clicking here.
Ericksonian hypnosis methods
The main feature of Erickson's hypnosis is that in this technique there is no hypnotist as a powerful and strong-willed person giving instructions and orders to the hypnotized.
Here information is given in a soft symbolic form, not according to a scheme or template, but with an emphasis on an individual approach.
Erickson worked a lot with metaphorical associations, a parable form of solving a medical problem.
Each time he came up with his own story for a specific patient, so that the person, having caught the hint, could independently cope with the problem that was interfering with his life. That is, in Ericksonian hypnosis the main thing is not to suggest something to the patient, but to model, through figurative representations, a situation in which he himself can make a decision.
There is no suppression, no subordination, which the human consciousness often resists not only in an altered state, but even in a normal state. In this regard, the effectiveness of Erickson’s technique increases significantly in comparison with the traditional one.
According to statistics, from 15 to 40 percent of people can be hypnotized; in Erickson’s methodology, the effectiveness reaches 100%.
Trance techniques
The scientist's approach to hypnosis as a method of healing patients is based not on theoretical knowledge, but on practical research. A unified theory of hypnotherapy has not been formulated, but the practice is described in many books.
One of the key concepts is trans. This is a condition in which a person loses the ability to control his subconscious and stops critical perception of reality.
The main trance techniques are listed below.
- The “three yes” technique. The essence: those provisions with which a person must agree are voiced. Required condition: the wording uses the present tense form. The first positions interest you, then they put you into a trance and in the end they take you by surprise. At least three phrases are used. This technique is used by marketers in everyday life, trying to interest the client.
- Chatting. The basic rules of technique are to talk a lot, quickly and incoherently. Goal: to confuse the client and instill in him certain attitudes. The person will carry them out so that the traumatic situation does not happen again.
- Milton Erickson's Triple Helix. The doctor tells the patient 3 stories. He voices the first, reaches the climax and abruptly moves on to the second story, without giving a resolution to the first. The transition is also made to the third story, which contains a suggestion. After this, the doctor finishes the first story from the place where he left off. The technique is often used in webinars, seminars, and trainings to interest the participant and force him to stay until the end.
Milton Erickson's Triple Helix is a technique of Ericksonian hypnosis that is often used in webinars and seminars
The latter technique can easily be turned into a chattering method if you do not know certain nuances
It is important to tell stories without pauses, in a flow
A haphazard transition from one story to another is haphazardly characteristic of the chattering technique. If the pauses between them are too long, then these are just 3 separate stories, but not hypnotherapy.
Ericksonian Hypnosis: A Simple Self-Hypnosis Technique
Learning hypnosis requires effort and time in order to master the technology professionally.
However, simple self-hypnosis techniques are available to every person, even those without special training. Immersion in a hypnotic state will help mobilize the body's resources to solve a number of problems in your personal life, at work, and in business. Being in contact with his inner world, listening to himself, a person discovers useful resources that are usually not available in everyday life. This will help you overcome boundaries and achieve success in those matters that previously seemed hopeless and unrealistic.
Simple techniques of Ericksonian hypnosis are optimal for any person. This direction in hypnosis, created by the brilliant American psychotherapist Milton Erickson, meets the requirements of the ecology of the human inner world. The core of the approach is to simply let what happens happen. This refers to choosing a comfortable position - on a sofa, on a chair or in an armchair.
A similar principle applies to the images that will come before your mind’s eye, to your feelings, and emotional reactions. This is an opportunity for some time to abandon all the usual frameworks in everyday life and return to yourself.
There is nothing mandatory. There is no need, including relaxation, which is often considered a necessary attribute of hypnosis.
A self-hypnosis session with the Ericksonian approach is, first of all, an opportunity to allow yourself everything you want. This is self-confidence.
An elementary technique of self-hypnosis - focusing on a favorite picture
You can take any painting, photograph, or even a landscape in space and begin to examine the selected view in detail.
Images of natural, urban and rural views that evoke pleasant emotions, pacify or, conversely, arouse curiosity, are well suited. Erotic and pornographic photographs are not recommended for self-hypnosis. In general, any picture that is interesting and pleasant to study in detail will do.
Before you start looking at the picture, it is advisable to take a comfortable sitting position. The time period for a self-hypnosis session should be quite comfortable. It’s better not to rush anywhere and have enough time on this day. For many, it will be convenient to choose the evening before bedtime for self-hypnosis.
Gradually, you will develop the skill of leaving a hypnotic trance at will. However, the first attempts at self-hypnosis for many people continue in the form of sleep. The hypnotic trance naturally turns into sleep, and this is a normal situation. However, it is necessary to allocate enough time for the first sessions of self-hypnosis to provide for this possibility.
Having taken a comfortable position in space, it is better to hold the selected image in your hand, or place a chair so that the natural landscape becomes quite clearly visible. Then you can begin to study the picture, examining it in all its details, highlighting essential details, discarding the unnecessary and even finishing it in accordance with your desires.
Gradually, the appearance in the picture will be replaced by internal images that will begin to naturally come to consciousness. It is important to allow those images that appear naturally before your mind's eye to come, calmly accept them, and enjoy the journey.
An essential nuance of the mastery of self-hypnosis is the ability to transfer the psychological resources extracted from the depths of the unconscious part of oneself to the present day. The wealth of the unconscious mind is limitless and resembles an ocean, but only what the conscious mind and feelings perceive and remember becomes relevant and working.
That is why it is important to put into practice what you have seen and experienced on a journey within yourself. For this purpose, you can start thinking and imagining life situations immediately after the internal journey is completed. Including in cases where the inner journey ended in sleep.
Everyday reality is not transforming as quickly as we would like. Even the most active and purposeful people know how difficult it is to realize their cherished dreams or achieve success in important matters.
However, with regular self-hypnosis, results will certainly appear and gradually exceed all your wildest expectations.
Self-hypnosis
For you to succeed, it is important to believe in yourself. And also admit the idea that the capabilities of our subconscious are simply unlimited. Otherwise, learning and practicing hypnosis will be pointless.
First, come up with a phrase that will help complete the process. Learn it so you don’t forget it at the most crucial moment. For example, “as soon as I say the word “exit,” I will come out of the trance state, feeling light in my body and in a good mood.”
Instructions
- Sit comfortably, making sure in advance that no one can disturb you. Find some subject that you are indifferent to and concentrate on it.
- Mentally say what you see, hear and feel in front of you. In the moment, not sometime there. Three statements for each representative system will be sufficient.
- Repeat the previous point, only use two statements, followed by one.
- Think about which of your hands is lighter? Having determined, close your eyes and say: “My left (right) hand is becoming lighter every second. So much so that she involuntarily rises and approaches my face. At this moment I fall into a deep trance."
- Now is the time to recite the affirmations you have prepared in advance. They can be focused on luck, health, wealth, love, increasing self-esteem, etc. The main thing is not to cause harm, but only to help change life for the better. They must be composed in the present tense and without the “not” particle, since our brain subconsciously ignores it. This means that you will program yourself for failure or illness. To enhance the effect, also use alpha rendering.
- Now it's time to return to reality. Take a deep breath and say the prepared phrase to exit hypnosis. Stay in place for a while, listening to your feelings. You should avoid haste; it will not help you in this matter.
The gentle effects of Ericksonian hypnosis
It is a common belief that not every person can be hypnotized.
This point of view is quite fair if we bear in mind the most common type of trance influence in medicine - directive hypnosis. Indeed, the authoritarian style with direct instructions, reminiscent of orders, and the paternalistic approach characteristic of medical therapists are not accepted by everyone. For a freedom-loving, independent person, this appeal to the inner world causes natural rejection and resistance. As a result, hypnosis becomes an ineffective tool.
American psychotherapist Milton Erickson, who is rightly called a genius of the twentieth century, found a way to return hypnosis to medicine and psychology. The Ericksonian approach is characterized by respect for the individual - a view of the person as a creator of change, and not as an object of influence.
Ericksonian hypnosis, when used correctly, awakens the inner creative potential of the unconscious mind. This leads to mystical, amazing results. Despite the fact that no miracles or supernatural phenomena are expected.
However, Milton Erickson's patients were completely cured in a fantastically short period of time, gaining confidence, independence and cheerfulness. This applies both to those people who were considered mentally ill and to healthy individuals who have certain social and psychological problems.
The highlight of Milton Erickson's approach is that he did not try to impose certain correct instructions on clients, which, with a high probability, would be rejected or would not be useful. The genius of a psychotherapist is that he proceeds from the internal structure and psychological make-up of people given to them by nature. This has a concrete expression in the methods and techniques of Ericksonian hypnosis.
Competent psychotherapists of the Ericksonian direction, as a rule, do not strive to occupy an emphatically leading position. The conversation takes place as equals. The hypnotherapist takes a position in space at the same level as the client - for example, these are chairs or armchairs of approximately the same height. The client's behavior is accepted as it is. This applies to the patient’s posture, the nature of the patient’s story about himself, and the style of his speech.
Although in Ericksonian hypnosis there are also techniques for using resistance - for clients who are initially oppositional or aggressive. One of the main techniques of Ericksonian hypnosis is escorting to a pleasant memory. This practice allows a person to make a fascinating journey into his inner world, reliving the happiest moments of his life, which are forgotten in everyday life.
And most importantly, psychological and emotional resources from the past, if transferred to today's situations, can help create miracles, completely changing your relationships, level of income, life in general. Global changes are also possible, starting with small steps.
In Ericksonian hypnosis, many technologies have now been developed to work with a wide range of life tasks in love and family relationships, and in business. There is a whole section of hypnosis for the treatment of bad habits and addictions.
Entering trance, hypnotic states is useful to practice daily, even if therapeutic tasks are not relevant. We recommend trying Ericksonian hypnosis with a competent specialist to everyone. This is an interesting adventure that will be remembered for a long time and will leave a pleasant mark on the soul.
Who is Milton Erickson?
Milton Erickson is an American psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Born in 1901 in the state of Nevada, Aurum. Since childhood, Milton grew up as a short, sickly boy. At the age of 17, he became very seriously ill with polio and was on the verge of death. Doctors made disappointing forecasts.
In addition, Milton could not hear the pitch of sounds and was color blind.
But Erickson already at a young age felt the inner power of his subconscious and suggestions. He firmly decided not to give in to the disease and heal himself. Erickson spent many years in a wheelchair, but despite this, he managed to live a long and fruitful life.
One of his first objects of observation was his younger sister. Milton watched her learn to walk, taking her first steps. First one, then two... I saw her fall, get up again and try to walk, and each time she succeeds better and better. Then he watched her learn to write, carefully tracing letters and combining them into words.
Later, in his therapeutic practices, Erickson often used his observations to tell (chatter) and induce trance in patients. Milton Erickson was not a proponent of directive hypnosis (direct suggestions).
When working with patients, he tried to adapt to the person as much as possible, think in his images and speak with him “in the same language.” He often used humor and stories (including fictitious ones) about his acquaintances that suggested the necessary information.
The main principle of his work has always been not to harm the patient. Erickson’s methods of work made it possible to achieve a higher percentage of successful therapy compared to classical “directive” hypnosis (about 95%, according to Milton Erickson himself).
- Will you return to distant childhood days,
- You will encounter joy or tears there,
- Through other people's windows and their own doors,
Result of hypnosis
The main advantage of Ericksonian hypnosis is an extremely careful attitude towards the patient’s personality , during the session who always has a choice - to accept or not to accept the psychotherapist’s statement.
A person completely concentrates on himself, his desires, his good, the hypnologist’s task is only to guide.
Through complex multi-step associations, working simultaneously on the unconscious and conscious levels, in a state of trance, the psychiatrist gently leads the patient to the understanding that the restrictions he imposes on a given situation when making a decision are surmountable, and the choice and possibilities are enormous.
As a result, a person develops a positive attitude towards himself, his accumulated experience, his capabilities and abilities, and his life potential is activated.
Rubtsova Nina · 08 Jul, 2020
Characteristics of the method
Erickson's hypnosis refers to the methods of suggestive psychology. It combines suggestion and hypnotic trance. Moreover, the first is pronounced softly, so it is perceived as an unobtrusive request.
Hypnotic language is multi-level. Phrases and words are used that are easily perceived on both a conscious and unconscious level.
Other features of Ericksonian hypnosis.
The patient's wishes are taken into account
He chooses whether to take into account the hypnotist's suggestions or not. If attitudes contradict a person’s values, they are either partially recognized or rejected completely. Working with different layers of the psyche
It is implemented by introducing the ward into a trance state. It allows you to work with the subconscious directly, without controlling the conscious mind. Patient consent to treatment. The hypnologist does not “plunge” the patient into a drowsy state, and the patient does not lose self-control. He does not worry that he will be led by another person. The purpose of such hypnosis is to place the patient in a trance so that he can understand his thoughts, dreams, symbols and other forms of expression of the subconscious.
If a client falls under the influence of hypnosis, his behavior changes. He becomes silent, his face does not express any emotions. A person comes into contact with his hidden knowledge and capabilities. And after leaving the trance he does not forget about them.
With the help of Ericksonian hypnosis, a person can independently change his behavior pattern, which will strengthen his personality. Intrapsychic changes occur. This type of hypnosis is aimed at internal, personal growth, changing one’s position in society to a more worthy one, accepting one’s individuality and self-discovery. The same results are guaranteed by NLP (neurolinguistic programming).
With the help of Ericksonian hypnosis, a person can independently change his behavior pattern, this will strengthen his personality
Hidden human manipulation and the concept of resource
What is meant by the definition of “resource” in Ericksonian hypnosis? A resource is feelings that arise in the internal state of people. Everyone has the ability to possess any resource.
But in this situation, it is worth noting that not everyone can have access to managing their resources. In order to open such access, the first thing you need to know is the name of the feeling that needs to be manipulated. Many psychologists argue that this is precisely the essence of human manipulation and hidden Ericksonian hypnosis.
Examples of resources can be completely different. These include: calmness, balance, prudence, the ability to be an entrepreneur, the ability to influence others (increasing employee motivation), the ability to speak in public, and many others. It is almost impossible to name even a small part of all the resources that a person has. Thanks to many psychological studies, it has been found that everyone has a certain set of resources that can be repeated in others. Also, we can add that if a resource has a specific name, given this, we can assume that such a resource really exists.
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Classical and Ericksonian hypnosis: what is the difference?
The classic approach to hypnosis involves the patient's complete submission to the hypnotist. In Erickson's technique, the doctor is just a guide through the subconscious, he only shows the way. In addition, Ericksonian hypnosis leads to complete liberation of a person.
In traditional hypnosis, the subject is introduced to certain feelings, thoughts or ideas that do not belong to him, and therefore will not be very effective. When introduced into trance using the Erickson technique, the patient is not suggested anything new. The goal here is to release the knowledge, experience, sensations and resources that already exist in the human subconscious, and on their basis to create completely new ideas and discover the sources of problems.