| There have been many attempts at define what Milton
Erickson did in therapy; his dictum was every patient brings a uniqueness to the
therapeutic session, that can't be reduplicated. He believed that the hypnotic
trance was an every day event; we all go into trance many times a day. However,
in order to therapy, that is to create meaningful change, it is necessary to
utilize the patient's hidden resources in some way. Stephen Gilligan spoke of
this as "The unconscious, the agent of change". In Ericksonian therapy, I
believe the therapist negotiated with the patient's unconscious to generate the
therapeutic changes that are in his or her best interests for growth. Erickson
spoke of the trance state as being naturalistic, in that it did not differ from
the states of reverie that each of us experiences during our day. It is during
these states that the unconscious is most amenable to co-operative work and
hence change. I believe Dr. Erickson would expect each of us to utilize our own
strengths and personalities when doing therapy, and not attempt to become carbon
copies of him, or of any other Ericksonian therapist. Dr. Erickson utilized the
patients own inner experiences of life to create those therapeutic changes that
seemed most appropriate. He used trance, stories which were in fact metaphors,
homework, and many other strategies to create that change. His extraordinary
ability to observe his patient's slightest changes and elaborate on them has
made him a legend in the field of psychotherapy.
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