Milton Erickson, MD

Five Themes in Erickson’s Work

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 Dr. Milton H. Erickson, MD

• Born: Aurum,
Nevada on
December 5,
1901.
• Died: Phoenix,
Arizona,
Tuesday, March
25, 1980
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
 Brief Points

• Polio: August 1919,

at 17 years of age
• Published over 300
professional papers
• Practice: hypnotized
over 30,000 subjects

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 Descriptions are metaphor

• Theory is metaphor
• Science is metaphor
• Your personal life story is metaphor
• Therapy’s underlying theories are metaphor
– We change them to match the technology of
the time: warfare, hydraulics, cybernetics,
computer technology, information processing

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 5 Areas or Erickson’s work to trace

• Treatment
• Suggestion
• Metaphor
• Symptoms
• Cure

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 Treatment 1950s
Long Term Therapy
• In the early 1950’s we see several cases
during which Erickson took several
months.
• The case of the man with a ‘fat lip’ took
upwards of 11 months (Erickson and Rossi,
1979, p. 224)
• The case of the “February Man” from
Michigan took far longer – up to 2 years
(Erickson, 1980a, p. 525-542).
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
 Treatment 1970s
Short Term Therapy

• In general, the movement to brief therapy

progressed continually and became prominent in
his practice in the late 1970s and beyond.
• 1973 we find the case of the 8 year old ‘stomper’
which took 2 hours (Haley, 1973, p. 219).
• Various cases of his “shock” technique in 1973
entailed 1 to 2 hour long sessions (Erickson &
Rossi, 1980a, p. 447).

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 Hypnotic Suggestion 1950s
Direct and Authoritarian

• In a 1957 transcript of induction, we find Dr.

Erickson’s redundant use of words like “sleep” as
in the following quote, "Now I want you to go
deeper and deeper asleep" (Haley, 1967, p. 54).
• In addition his authoritative approach can be
found in this same transcript represented with the
statement "I can put you in any level of trance"
[italics mine] " (Haley, 1967, p. 64)..

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
 Suggestion 1970s
Permissive and Indirect
• However, by 1976 Erickson believes indirection
suggestion to be a “significant factor" in his work
(Erickson & Rossi, et al. 1976, p. 452). Furthermore, by
1981 Erickson clearly states that he "offers" ideas and
suggestions (Erickson & Rossi, 1981, p. 1-2) and
explicitly adds, "I don't like this matter of telling a patient
I want you to get tired and sleepy" (Erickson & Rossi
1981, p. 4) [italics mine]. With regard to his use of
indirection, there is clear evidence that evolve in his
practice to a point in the late 1970s when Erickson had
abandoned his earlier techniques of redundancy and
authoritarianism during induction.

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 1. Open-ended suggestion
2. Implication
3. Focusing attention
4. Truism
5. All possible alternatives
6. Apposition of Opposites
7. Bind of Comparable Alternatives
8. Conscious/Unconscious Bind
9. Double Dissociative Bind
10. Pseudo Non-sequitir Bind
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
 Formulae for six suggestions
ƒ Open-ended suggestion: Increase elements of the
sentence one higher level of vagueness.
ƒ Implication: Use a presupposition and state the goal.
ƒ Focusing attention: Use ‘wonder’ or ‘doubt’ about
goal.
ƒ Truism: Use ‘every person’ or ‘every company,’ etc.,
and state the goal in some manner.
ƒ All possible alternatives: Use ‘a, or b, or c, or d, or
‘not’’ as different ways of reaching the goal.
ƒ Apposition of Opposites: Contrast changing “toward”
the goal with some presented change or process.

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 Formulae for four binds
ƒ Bind of Comparable Alternatives: Use ‘A’ or ‘B’
where both contain a form of the goal by
presupposition.
ƒ Conscious/Unconscious Bind: Use the form: “Your
conscious mind is/may (some form of awareness)
while your unconscious is/may (retrieval of the goal).
ƒ Double Dissociative Bind: Use the form above and
then reverse: Your conscious mind __A__ as your
unconscious mind __B__, or perhaps your conscious
mind __B__ while your unconscious __A__.
ƒ Pseudo Non-sequitur: State the goal: “A”; and then
restate it with a rewording that sounds different: “A`”.
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
 Metaphor 1940s
• In 1944 Erickson reluctantly published
"The Method Employed to Formulate a
Complex Story for the Induction of the
Experimental Neurosis" (Erickson, 1980b,
26-33). His understanding at that point was
that a complex story that paralleled a
client’s problem could actually heighten the
client’s discomfort and bring the neurosis
closer to the surface.
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
 Metaphor 1950s

• Within a decade, in 1954, Erickson was

using many "fabricated case histories" of
fleeting symptomatology (Erickson, 1980c,
p. 152).
• Metaphors were used for treatment and
helping clients gain motivation,
understanding, and experience.

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 Metaphor 1970s

• Still, almost two decades later in 1973, we

see that Erickson provides several
examples of case stories for making a
therapeutic point (Haley, 1973) and by
1979 Erickson actually used the heading of
“Metaphor” as a class of interventions
(Erickson & Rossi, 1979). Again, this
movement corresponds to his movement
from direct and authoritarian therapy to
indirect and permissive therapy.
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
Metaphor: A definition for therapy

An alternate framework through

which people can entertain novel
experiences.

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

Metaphor as a vehicle for intervention
Story Line
p1 p2 p3 p4 Conscious
level

Experience 1 Experience 3
Unconscious
level
Experience 2 Experience 4

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 Concept of Symptoms 1950s
• From his earliest years as a psychiatrist at
least up to 1954, Erickson took a traditional
analytic view of neurosis and various
symptoms. He said the development of
neurotic symptoms “constitutes behavior of
a defensive, protective character”
(Erickson, 1980c, p. 149).

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 Symptoms 1960s
• By the mid-1960s his view had become
much more interactional. Perhaps this was
a result of his collaboration with Jay Haley,
Gregory Bateson, John Weakland and the
Palo Alto Communication Project. In any
case, Erickson writes, in 1966, "Mental
disease is the breaking down of
communication between people" (Erickson,
1980d, p. 75).
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
 Symptoms 1970s

• By the end of his career he had moved

further from the analytic and the
communications and systems theory of
disease. He states, "Symptoms are forms of
communication" and "cues of
developmental problems that are in the
process of becoming conscious" (Erickson
& Rossi, 1979, p. 143).

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 Request for Change

• In summary, his evolution of thought about

problems became less and less pathological
artifacts until, in the end; symptoms could
be seen as communication signals of
desired directions of growth. Erickson took
such signals to be a request for change, and
even unconscious contracts for therapeutic
engagement.
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
 Cure 1940s - 1980
• The one area in which Erickson never wavered
was his view of “cure.” I suspect this was a result
of his personal experience overcoming paralysis.
He learned as a young adult that experiential
resources created change. As early as 1948
Erickson recognize that cure not the result of
direct suggestion but from the reassociation of
experience (Erickson, 1980e, p. 38). In the later
years of his career we find this theme repeated
again and again (Erickson & Rossi, 1979;
Erickson & Rossi, 1980b, p. 464; Erickson &
Rossi, 1981).
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.
 Cure

Cure = having the required

experiential resources available in
the context in which they are
needed.

Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.

 His Wisdom
• “Speak the client’s own experiential language.”
– Case of the pitchfork for an “M”
– This is use the natural metaphors of experience
• “Put one foot in the client’s world and leave one
foot in your own.”
– Take on the client’s metaphors
– Know which experiences are present and lacking
• Enhance, enrich, and empower each individual in
a unique and personal way
– We continually retrieve experiences in one another
Copyright © 2005, Stephen Lankton.