Fundamentals of Ericksonian Hypnotherapy – Milton Erickson and Jeffrey Zeig

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About the Course

The goal of this course is to provide psychotherapists with practical methods for the induction of hypnosis, strategies for psychotherapy and the communication skills used by hypnotherapists. Dr Greenleaf’s The Problem of Evil: Ancient Dilemmas and Modern Therapy, informs a context for the course. It is available in all ebook formats from Amazon.com. The hypnosis teaching is keyed to Rossi’s “Naturalistic Approach” to hypnosis as a psychophysiological, chronobiological rhythm. Hypnotherapy is taught through Erickson’s “Utilization” model. Language use is taught with metaphorical strategies and Epston and White’s “narrative” concerns. This modern hypnotherapeutic and strategic model is contrasted with its dynamic precursors in psychotherapy.

It is important to note that this class is not a certification program in hypnosis.  The class is designed for professionals in medicine, nursing, psychology, marriage and family therapy and/or social work.  Hypnosis is taught as an approach within psychotherapy, not as some stand-alone “technique.”  Rather, it is a form of closely considered and effective human communication which utilizes the client’s existing resources, and the client’s own styles of experiencing and communication to propel the psychotherapy.

Hypnosis is a naturally occurring imaginative state induced in mutual interactions of therapist and client. The Ericksonian approaches taught emphasize the individuality of treatment planning in order to utilize both the therapists’ own human skills and the clients’ own resources to provide effective leverage against problem areas in life.

The notion of the Unconscious Mind is common to many older psychotherapies and to the most modern neuroscience based ones as well.  Psychotherapies using like forms of visual imagination, reconstructive mental practices and interpersonal effect, are all consonant with therapies using hypnotic approaches in that they employ focused and dissociated forms of attention, unconscious resource and change, and a solid base in neuroscience, attachment theory, mental practice research and many other forms of therapeutic intervention. These are all ethical and effective therapeutic modalities.

In addition, the 50 year span of work by Milton H. Erickson MD influenced important therapists including Haley, Madanes, Feldenkrais, Watzlawick, the family therapists, brief therapists, positive psychologists, and many others through their founders or by direct attempts to model Ericksonian approaches.  Hypnosis has its own ancient traditions, but, as practiced in psychotherapy by Erickson-influenced therapists, licensed and trained in their professions, it is a companion of modern approaches ranging from EMDR, Brainspotting and NLP to many traditional psychodynamic therapies.  It is mainstream, and the class engages the history and approaches of various psychotherapies throughout its span.

About the Instructor

 Eric Greenleaf PhD practices in Albany CA, directs the Milton H. Erickson Institute of the Bay Area, and teaches internationally. For twenty-five years, he has studied trance rituals and healing in Bali. Eric’s book, “The Problem of Evil: Ancient Dilemmas and Modern Therapy,” was published in 2000. He serves on the Boards of the New Bridge Foundation, a comprehensive substance abuse treatment center, and The Dream Institute of Northern California, both in Berkeley CA. Milton Erickson MD chose Eric to receive the first Milton H. Erickson Award of Scientific Excellence for Writing in Hypnosis.

The course was videotaped live during Dr Greenleaf’s 66 hour training course for externs, staff and other professionals at The Mental Research Institute [MRI] in Palo Alto, CA, 2013-2014, then edited for this online course.

TITLES OF EACH CLASS

1. Permissive Invitations to Hypnotic Experiences

2. Dissociative Invitations to Hypnotic Experiences

3. Interspersal, Confusion and Difficult Person Invitations to Hypnotic Experiences

4. The Unconscious

5. Telling Stories Where They Belong

6. Utilization

7. Passing the Trance

8. A Simple Hearted Way With Dreams

9. Milton H. Erickson MD  [John Dyckman PhD]

10. Hypnosis and the Body [John Dyckman PhD]

11. A Pain Map

12. Hypnotherapy for PTSD [John Parke PsyD]

13. Regression

14. Balinese Trance Healing

15. Shamanism and Hypnosis  [Leslie Gray PhD]

16.  Neuroscience, Placebo, The Interpersonal

17/18. Preparing a Session, and Thinking Like a Hypnotist

Class 7 thru 17/18 Course Descriptions

7. Passing the Trance: An original group hypnotic induction in which students pass hypnosis from one to the next is demonstrated and discussed. Uses of the approach for therapy are demonstrated and practiced.

8. A Simple Hearted Way With Dreams: Active imagining of the continuation of a dream is demonstrated, and contrasted with analytic and prophetic approaches to dream material in therapy.

9. Milton H. Erickson MD  [John Dyckman PhD]: Milton Erickson’s approach to psychotherapy is described and systematized. The relation of his life experience to his work is discussed.

10. Hypnosis and the Body  [John Dyckman PhD]: Hypnotic inductions based on somatic experience are described and demonstrated. Uses of these approaches are discussed.

11. A Pain Map : An artful method of depicting complex physical and emotional pain histories is demonstrated, and accompanied by a depiction of resource and strength histories. A therapeutic method applying strengths to pains is demonstrated, explained and discussed.

12. Hypnotherapy for PTSD  [John Parke PsyD] :  An intriguing case study of hypnotherapeutic treatment of PTSD is described and analyzed by the therapist. Discussion and guidelines for using hypnosis with these conditions.

13. Regression: Age and developmental-stage  types of hypnotic regression are distinguished.  Hypnotic regression is described, demonstrated and discussed. Uses in therapy are described.

14. Balinese Trance Healing: Identification, contextualization, and discussion of video taken by Dr. Greenleaf at trance healing ceremonies in Bali. Several types of possession trance are shown and their uses for individual and community healing discussed. Demonstration of a Balinese cleansing ceremony conducted for the class.

15. Shamanism and Hypnosis [Leslie Gray PhD]: The therapist demonstrates a live session of shamanic psychotherapy combining Native American traditional healing modalities with hypnotic communication and attentiveness. Didactic discussion with the volunteer and the class.

16.  Neuroscience, Placebo, The Interpersonal: Lecture and discussion citing research findings that connect brain functions with the consistent effectiveness of placebo conditions in medical and psychological treatment. These two areas of modern scientific inquiry are themselves connected with the evolved small group interpersonal nature of human life. Implications for psychotherapy are discussed.

17/18. Thinking Like a Hypnotist: The first part consists of preparations for sessions of hypnotic therapy utilizing case examples proposed by the class. Principles of goal-setting and methods of approach are described and discussed. In the second part the results of cases are discussed and the principles of thinking like a hypnotist when approaching psychotherapy are elucidated.