Hypnosis
is a type of therapeutic treatment used by therapists to help people to
obliterate phobias and pain, as well as addictions such as smoking and
overeating. Even though people tend to think of hypnosis in the
traditional format of commands being put forth while the subject is in a
trance, there are other types of hypnosis, including Ericksonian hypnotherapy.
Ericksonian hypnotherapy is not to be confused with direct hypnosis,
during which the therapist controls the thinking of the client by making
straight forward suggestions that the client accepts without question
or resistance. As the Ericksonian therapist imparts a short story,
suggestions are made which work in alignment with the client's own
principles and belief system. The client is sometimes placed into a
trance-like state, but may also be simply engaged in a conversation with
the therapist and not even know he or she is in fact hypnotized.
Working through subtle conversation and stories, the Ericksonian
hypnotherapist adheres to the utilization principle, where, as opposed
to introducing new beliefs and values to the receiver of hypnosis, the
therapist works within the subject's own personal realities and the
values most important to him or her. In this way, the person being
hynotized learns how to use what he or she already possesses in
increasingly new ways that work to benefit him or her. This form of
hypnosis is particularly useful for those who do not accept the
traditional hypnotherapy process.
Dr. Erickson's development
of hypnotherapy stemmed chiefly from his experience with tragic
circumstances, namely his polio diagnosis as a teenager which left him
without the ability to walk or speak. His limitations had an influence
upon his method of observing others and the way in which they
communicated without actually saying anything out loud to each other.
Helping him increase muscular control, his thoughts were used in such a
way to produce a trance in himself periodically and the paralysis
eventually left him completely. These experiences are thought to have
played a significant role later in the development of certain aspects of
his theories.
Development of certain therapies such as neurolinguistic programming (NLP)
were largely influenced by Erickson's theories and Ericksonian
hypnotherapy. Neurolinguistic programming refers to a group of skills
used by therapists and practitioners to help people experience success
in their careers and personal lives. A primary basis of NLP, the concept
frequently referred to as modeling, involves studying successful
attributes of someone else, the behaviors responsible for producing the
desired results, and then applying them to one's own life. The client of
NLP actually adopts the specific mental and physical patterns of others
who have demonstrated successful outcomes consistently, while
Ericksonian hypnotherapy is one particular skill utilized inside of the
NLP process to make the changes permanent.
