Ericksonian Psychotherapy Volume I: Structures

Milton H. Erickson (1901 - 1980) was an American psychiatrist and psychologist 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. The Second International Congress on Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy, held in Phoenix, Arizona, in December 1983, saw over 2,000 participants from 19 countries attending presentations, workshops, demonstrations, and panels led by a faculty of some 125 leading practitioners of Ericksonian psychotherapy. The Congress and its far-ranging program were a striking indication of the continuing influence and growth of the therapeutic legacy of Milton H. Erickson. These proceedings were recorded in two volumes with contributors from many different areas of practice. They show how they have incorporated Ericksonian principles and techniques into their work with clients suffering from a broad range of disorders. They demonstrate the increasing impact of Ericksonian methodoloigy and its application in many fields of therapy. Volume I on STRUCTURES opens with Keynote Addresses by Paul Watzlawick and Ernest L. Rossi. The next chapters provide an overview of Ericksonian theory and approaches, including a guide to the frameworks of his hypnosis and therapy, the role of presuppositions, and the trials of becoming an Ericksonian therapist. Succeeding sections range over a number of areas of fundamental importance. The book ends with a section on Erickson himself including a family panel with 6 of Erickson's 8 children.