MILTON H. ERICKSON: BIOGRAPHY AND THEORIES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2024

Milton H. Erickson (1901 - 1980) was an American psychiatrist who went down in history for revolutionizing our understanding of the subconscious and for being one of the pioneers in the application of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool within a serious clinical context.

Milton H. Erickson specialized in family therapy and the use of clinical hypnosis. During his professional career, he founded organizations such as the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis, and participated in the creation of other societies such as the American Psychological Association or the American Psychopathological Association.

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Erickson's most important contribution to the field of psychology was his conception of the subconscious mind, as well as the way in which he worked directly with it. Therapists of her time tried to access this part of the brain through long sessions of talk therapy, with tools such as psychoanalysis.

Milton H. Erickson, on the other hand, applied hypnosis in a clinical context and made great strides in this field, being able to cure many patients that other leading therapists had dismissed as impossible.

His contributions have had a great influence in many different fields, such as family therapy, neurolinguistic programming, brief therapy or systemic therapy.

Biography

Early years

Milton Hyland Erickson was born on December 5, 1901 in Aurum, Nevada (United States). His childhood was quite difficult, as he suffered a series of very serious diseases that left his health seriously weakened. Erickson claimed that he barely remembered anything from his early years, and that much of them passed in a kind of "self-hypnotic trances."

At 17, Milton H. Erickson fell ill with polio, a condition that claimed many lives at the time. The consequences of this disease caused him to lose much of his mobility, to such an extent that doctors believed that he would not survive. However, this experience would prove to be essential for the development of his career.

When he was bedridden with illness, barely able to move or speak, he began to notice body language in his communication with others. In addition, Erickson claimed that at this time he began to have "body memories" of movements that he could previously do with ease.

To try to combat the disease, Milton Erickson began to focus on these bodily memories, and gradually began to regain control of his body to the point where he was able to speak and move his arms normally again. Exercising upper body strength was recommended by his GP, which Erickson took very seriously.

To recover as soon as possible, this psychiatrist planned to take a 1600-kilometer canoe trip so that he could strengthen his body and attend college. After this dangerous adventure, Erickson was able to walk again with the help of a cane, and he went to the University of Wisconsin to study medicine and psychiatry.

Studies and discovery of hypnosis

During his time as a student in Wisconsin, Milton H. Erickson began researching the effects of suggestion on the human experience. He soon discovered hypnosis, which was a relatively unknown field even to psychiatrists, and became interested in this topic.

Erickson soon realized that he could use self-hypnosis as a way to combat the pain of polio, which according to his own testimonies was very intense. Thus, the use of autosuggestion allowed him to lead a more or less normal life for a long time, and helped him to perfect his knowledge of this field.

As early as the 1930s, Milton H. Erickson had begun to make a name for himself in psychiatric circles in the United States. His work on hypnosis and his unique way of applying it in therapy earned him a great reputation, which is why he began to practice as a psychiatrist at different universities while teaching.

Start in private practice

In 1948 Milton H. Erickson moved to Phoenix for medical reasons, due to the good weather in this city. A year later, he had to start giving therapy in his own home, as his physical condition continued to deteriorate and he ended up having to use a wheelchair, constantly suffering terrible pain.

By his own account, Erickson used self-hypnosis techniques every morning to reduce the intensity of his pain and be able to cope with the day's tasks properly. Thanks to this he was able to continue to refine his knowledge, and made several important contributions to the field of psychiatry.

Among other things, in 1957 he founded the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis and served as its president for several years. He also established the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, the first publication in the United States to deal with this subject, and served as its editor for a decade.

Last years

Although his physical condition continued to deteriorate, Milton H. Erickson remained extremely active throughout his life. For example, in the decades after starting his private practice, he wrote hundreds of articles and five books on clinical hypnosis and its application.

In addition, he continued to give seminars and classes on the subject, first traveling around the world and later receiving students in his own home, once he could not leave it due to his health. A few days before his death he was still working with students, and he became tremendously respected within the psychiatric community.

On the other hand, Erickson achieved fame for being able to treat extremely serious cases that no other therapist could solve. This led to the application of many of its techniques in other forms of therapy, in such a way that its influence continues to be felt even today.

Theory and hypnosis

Milton H. Erickson's approach to therapy was highly unconventional in his day, even for those who also practiced hypnosis. So much so that his method for working with different psychological pathologies is known today as "Ericksonian hypnosis", this being an independent branch from other similar disciplines.

Traditional hypnosis is based on the idea that we can communicate directly with a person's subconscious mind at certain times, which are known as "trance states." For this reason, hypnotherapists usually try to induce a trance directly in their patients in order to apply suggestions, which are what will cause a change in behavior, emotions or thinking.

However, Milton Erickson believed that the subconscious mind is always listening, and therefore we can communicate with it even when the person is not in a trance state. All his therapeutic techniques were aimed at reaching this part of the mind indirectly and without generating resistance from the patient.

Thus, while other hypnotherapists used techniques such as relaxation or deep inductions to introduce their patients into trance, Erickson used totally different tools. For example, he spoke to his clients using metaphorical stories, which on the surface seemed irrelevant but actually contained hidden hypnotic suggestions.

In this video we can see Erickson in an interview talking about different concepts of his theory:

Use of confusion

One of the most famous tools in Erickson's repertoire was that of confusion. By using seemingly pointless stories, or by using other devices intended to confuse the person's conscious mind, this therapist was able to put his patients into a trance or give them suggestions without their realizing it.

Among these tools the most important was induction by handshake. Milton H. Erickson developed a technique that allowed him to create confusion in people simply by shaking hands, in such a way that he could take advantage of this seemingly harmless gesture to put them into a state of deep hypnosis.

It is said that the effectiveness of this method was so high that towards the end of his life, his acquaintances avoided shaking his hand to greet him to prevent him from hypnotizing them. Later, therapists like Richard Bandler (one of the creators of NLP) began to use their own versions of this technique, which today has become very popular in hypnosis circles.

On the other hand, Erickson was also able to confuse the conscious mind simply by speaking, using for example techniques such as the false dilemma. In this tool, the patient is presented with two options that are convenient for the psychiatrist, thus giving him a false feeling that he can choose what is going to happen while directing him to the desired result.

Plays

Despite the serious problems that he had throughout his life, Milton H. Erickson had a very prolific career and published more than 140 articles in which he collected his discoveries about hypnosis. On the other hand, he also published five books, of which the most important are the following:

- Hypnotic Realities (1976).

- The February Man (1989).

References

1. "Milton Erickson Biography" in: Good Therapy. Retrieved on: April 17, 2020 from Good Therapy: goodtherapy.org.
2. "Milton Erickson Biography" in: Totally History. Retrieved on: April 17, 2020 from Totally History: totallyhistory.com.
3. "Biography of Milton H. Erickson" in: The Milton H. Erickson Foundation. Retrieved on: April 17, 2020 from The Milton H. Erickson Foundation: erickson-foundation.org.
4. "Milton Erickson" in: Famous Psychologists. Retrieved on: April 17, 2020 from Famous Psychologists: famouspsychologists.org.
5. "Milton H. Erickson" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: April 17, 2020 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.