THERAPY THURSDAY – ERICKSONIA THERAPY FOR CHRONIC PAIN…

ERICKSONIA THERAPY. Milton H. Erickson MD, an American (1901-1980), is considered to be the father of modern hypnotherapy. He was born into a poor farming community and didn’t speak until he was four and was later found to have severe dyslexia, and to be tone deaf and colour blind.

At 17 he had his first attack of Polio where he went into a coma. When he awoke 3 days later, he found himself completely paralysed, unable to move, except for his eyes, and barely able to speak. Over the next two years, he taught himself to walk again and thus one of the hallmarks of hypnotherapy was born.

Despite his problems, Erickson went on to qualify as a medical doctor and psychiatrist. Much later, when in his Fifties, his polio came back a second time, characterised by pain and muscle weakness caused by the chronic over-use of partially paralysed muscles.

This time he had to use a wheelchair, and suffered chronic pain, which he controlled with self-hypnosis. With this he was able to turn it into a learning opportunity and he became very good at treating other people’s pain with hypnosis. He hypnotised more than 30,000 people in the course of his career and wrote the entries on hypnosis for 3 encyclopaedias, including the Britannica (1954-1973) and Colliers Encyclopaedia (1952-1962).

He published more than 300 scientific papers, has had more than 100 books written about him and there are more than 110 institutes promoting his Ericksonian Therapy worldwide.

The website Erickson Foundation has lots to offer from training to conferences or just details on the therapy. Once you start looking through this interesting website you will suddenly find that a couple of hours has passed by.

There are too many books on the subject to even list, but one that caught my eye is called ‘Speak Ericksonian’ by Richard Nongard. His book holds the key to the Ericksonian approach to hypnotherapy. It will teach you how to tap into the resources Milton Erickson left in his writings, case studies and books. It also provides scripts, resources, and a clear understanding of what Ericksonian hypnotherapy is all about.

His son writes regular blog posts on the Erickson Foundation website and wrote one recently on A Trip With My Father ... “Recently, I was in Gent, Belgium talking about my father’s early career work. I was shocked by the myths and misconceptions that seem to have been perpetuated about my father. I was stunned to discover that my father is often viewed as physically feeble by a large percentage of his followers. From the perceptions expressed, it seems that most of the people who are writing books and giving talks about my father met him in the 1970s when he was confined to a wheelchair and had changed his practice to align with his physical limitations. This perspective has clouded the true picture of how my father was when he was younger. I remember my father quite differently; he was a vigorous man. The following story sheds light on my view. → Read more