In five pages this paper examines America's 'father of hypnosis' Milton H. Erickson in a consideration of how the hypnotic therapy he advocated can be applied with various techniques discussed. Five sources are cited in the bibliography.
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Milton H. Erickson was, without a doubt, the worlds foremost authority in medical hypnosis. Born December 5, 2001, Erickson would be stricken with polio
at age seventeen (Geary and Zeig, 2002). He would begin the development of what would become known as his hypnotic theory while trying to treat his own physical impairments
(Erickson, 2002). He would later perfect his techniques after receiving a medical degree and a degree in psychology (Haley, 1967). The technique which would result would form the
basis of his now infamous hypnotic theory, a theory which recognized the importance of the active participation of the patient more so than that of the therapist.
Ericksons wife would later recount that even during his illness as a teenager Erickson was attended by a nurse who utilized what was an
innovative treatment at that time, a combination of hot packs, massage, and aided movement of the paralyzed limb (Erickson, 2002). Erickson, in turn, worked on a system of
concentrating on each movement and, in effect, mentally reliving the particulars of that movement over and over in his mind (Erickson, 2002).
Even in this early phase of the development of the hypnosis theory there was a critical relationship between therapist and patient. The nurse attending Erickson actively solicited his
mental and physical cooperation. In order for Ericksons techniques to work, however, the patient must look to the therapist more as a coach than as an effector.
Indeed, Erickson recognized that the hypnotic state could even be self induced (Zahourek, 2001). At the same time, however, he emphasized that the relationship between the therapist and the