What is "Ericksonian" hypnosis?

What is "Ericksonian" hypnosis?

John McGrail, C.Ht. (Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist) gives expert video advice on: What types of mental conditions or disorders respond best to hypnotherapy?; How can hypnosis help me cope with my phobias?; How can hypnosis help me better handle stress? and more...

Milton Erickson is a fabulous and very interesting figure in modern hypnotherapy. He was trained as a classic physician. He was a psychiatrist, and was one of the first, I think, to really use hypnosis as a therapeutic tool in the practice of psychiatry. In those days psychiatrists did more therapy than they do today. (I say that with quotes because some, I'm sure, still do). Psychiatry is more known as a medication discipline now. Milton Erickson did a lot of one on one therapy with clients, and used hypnosis in very unique and subtle ways. He had a technique that he called "indirect permissive suggestion", whereby he would weave hypnotic suggestions into a very lilting speech pattern, and the person would be accepting these hypnotic suggestions without even knowing that they were getting them: "You know? You know how much you know. You know what you need to, and you know exactly what to do, don't you? What I say." That's a very, very tiny example of an Ericksonian technique. So, he revolutionised, in my opinion, the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool in the 20th century. His techniques are marvellous for people who are afraid of hypnosis, or resistant, and/or just don't want to entertain the notion of going into "trance", because he induced it, and his techniques induce it in such a subtle and exquisite way that the person can have a session and never even know they had a session.