I was recently speaking with a potential client who had called regarding nail biting, that she attributed to childhood trauma and stress. She insisted that she was not interested in psychotherapy, but had seen a Hypnotist who worked with Milton Erickson Hypnosis.. She did not want Psychotherapy, but instead she wanted Erickson Hypnosis. I was curious, as I have read and studied the works of Milton Erickson, and Milton Erickson was a Psychotherapist who utilized Hypnosis as a tool. I paused and had to ask myself, am I missing something here, Who is Milton Erickson?
Milton Erickson Psychotherapist, was the founding president of American Society for Clinical Hypnotherapy. Erickson believed that people often resisted Hypnosis because they were hesitant to change their own behaviors.
I have always admired and respected the works of Milton Erickson, and it was due to this admiration and respect that I spent so much time working in the field of Social Work as a Substance Use Disorder Professional trying to develop tools and techniques to pass on to my client’s to get away from talk therapy and give the client tools to deal with and eliminate the cause of a problem instead of working with just the symptoms of the problem.
Milton Erickson dealt with severe physical handicaps, such as Polio, which he developed at the age of 17. During this initial recovery period, Erickson was unable to walk, and unable to speak. He became immersed in the significance of nonverbal communication, such as body language and tone of voice, and how these non-verbal expressions often over road the verbal communications. Think about it, how many of us recall the anger and negative emotional reactions that were exhibited by our parents and care givers. Things like body language and tone of voice create much more stress and anxiety than the verbiage itself.
Erickson learned that by focusing on the sources of issues, such as his own body memories, he was able to get out of bed and spend the remaining years of his life moving around, working, and enjoying life, without just working on the symptoms of his disease. Milton had discovered over the years of his practice that his own psychotherapy worked with the symptoms of his client’s presenting problems, but with the addition of Hypnosis, he could utilize the power and energy of images, emotions, and thoughts, that are the basis for our mental health, and in many cases our physical health.
After being in the field for over thirty years, I have adopted and used several techniques utilized by Milton Erickson, and over the last decade plus, I have seen other members of the Counseling Field / Social Working Field adopt and expand on those same techniques and theories.
Stop just talking about symptoms, address the root causes with Hypnosis and Life Coaching. Call TODAY, (206) 417-4900 or e-mail me at dlscott2@comcast.net. Regain the life and power that have been kept buried for years.