Author: MJT
Ericksonian Hypnosis More Positive Approach
Authoritative commands are usually associated with hypnosis
with the subjects being told they are going to sleep and that they will perform
certain acts. The voice seems to be commanding and generally appear to work on
many people. There are some, however who do not respond to command hypnosis and
Ericksonian hypnosis may be needed.
Dr. Milton Erickson developed the Ericksonian hypnosis
technique for positive suggestion during hypnosis as opposed to the typical
command suggestion, claiming it enabled his patients to conceptualize the task
and to alter behavior during fewer sessions. He was also a believer in
self-hypnosis based on his own experiences as a child suffering with polio.
During hypnosis a person is in a trance-like state in which
the subconscious mind is open to receiving suggestions, as well as open to
releasing information of which the conscious mind may not be aware. It is
during this state of mind the Ericksonian hypnosis method becomes more clear,
especially in establishing future behaviors.
During typical command hypnosis, the subject is given what
amounts to commands to perform a specific task or to think in a certain way.
Typically, a command is more of a negative suggestion and a person’s mind first
has to contemplate the negative before it can accept a positive change, a
scenario not involved in Ericksonian hypnosis.
Powers Of Positive Suggestion
An example often cited is telling a young child not to spill
his full glass of milk while walking, usually ends with the child looking at his
glass and spilling the milk, at which time he is typically scolded for
spilling. The Ericksonian hypnosis method utilizes positive suggestions such as
telling the child they are doing good, just a little further and typically the
milk arrived safely in the glass.
At the end of the journey they are lauded for their success
and if an accident does occur, they are offered sympathy such as telling them
that maybe the glass was too full. By offering positive re-enforcement,
Ericksonian hypnosis makes revisiting the session by the subconscious mind a
more pleasant journey and more willingly taken one.
Another method invoked in Ericksonian hypnosis is to provide
subjects with what her termed a double bind, or two negative options and
allowing the subject to then choose the one of least resistance. He typically
found this helpful when the subject was displaying mild to moderate resistance
to entering a hypnotic trance.
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