Uncommon Therapy: The Psychiatric Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D.

Innovative approach to therapy! Dr, Erikson was an expert on the nature of humans. He did not focus on the cause of a patient's problem but rather on how change in a person's behavior could provide the solution. It is inspirational in that the realization of effective therapy is that there is no one treatment, and approaches to treatment vary according to the therapist's interpretation. "Thinking outside the box", so to speak. The approaches Erikson implements are humorous and extremely effective! I could not put the book down!

Anyone who is seriously interested in NLP and/or hypnosis should read this book - over and over again!There are plenty of books that have been described as 'classics' of their genre, though few of them actually deserve that description. Jay Haley's book is one of the fewIf I have any complaint at all about this book, it concerns the first 50-odd pages (Chapters 1 and 2) which consist of Haley's efforts to codify the general principles behind the Ericksonian method - and is rather overlong (by any standards) as an introduction.If anyone were to ask my opinion I'd say skip these two chapters when you first read the book. Then read them afterwards and see what *you* think.In Chapter 3 there is a complete change of pace as Haley very quickly starts to bring in the wealth of Ericksonian material - case descriptions, actual dialogue, etc., which make up the body of book from then on.Chapters 3 - 9 are interestingly set out so as to deal with seven major aspects of adult life - courtship, becoming an adult, marriage, childbirth and dealing with young children, family problems, letting go (when your kids are ready to leave home), and 'the pain of old age'.I found this style of presentation is very effective, and Haley provides plenty of interesting and useful material, including many of the Ericksonian classics: The woman who was too fat to get married, the February Man, the Tomato Plant, the 'Incomplete Handshake' hypnotic induction, and so on and so on.Incidentally, it is important to understand that Erickson ALWAYS worked on the basis of this simple belief: Every patient already has the resources to deal with their "presenting problem". On this basis Erickson did not TELL people what they should do, instead he aimed to help them to find their own solution.In the case of the Prussian gentleman, for example, Erickson believed (correctly) that his apparently physiological problem had a psychological genesis. After interviewing the man he also came to the conclusion that the man had repressed himself to such an extent that only an emotional outburst would get him "unstuck". So Erickson did his best to get the man to lose his temper. Which he did - and immediately *started* to recover his health.The "cure" may have been unorthodox by some standards, but it worked. And despite all his very traditional credentials, Erickson was far more interested in facilitating people's return to health than in limiting himself to traditional medicine's view of how a doctor should or should not behave.So why not buy the book, and meet one of the 20th century's most outstanding healers. Enjoy!

Those who don't know of the work of Milton Erickson have missed out on one of the more interesting tributaries of the stream of modern psychotherpy. Erickson didn't do much about actually formalizing his approach to therapy in a systematic way and that has fallen to others, notably Jay Haley. What fascinates Haley, and will surely fascniate the reader, is Erickson's unique and unorthodox approach to dealing with psychological problems. He ignores the underlying casuse and goes straight for eliminating the disturbing symtoms. He believes that it is a lot easier to help people heal if they are not currently in pain (psychological or physical). He is a genius at devising ways to short circuit his patient's problem behavior. The case histories are stunning little vignettes that in many cases cause one to laugh out loud. Erickson uses many cognitive techniques, including some versions of hypnosis and suggestion that are of his own devising. This is simply fascinating reading and one doesn't have to be a therapist or even particulary interested in psychotherapy to appreciate this book. It holds a lamp up to a lot that is human but disturbing in all of us. There is much we can learn here. It is also just plain fun.

"Uncommon Therapy" is probably the best introduction to Erickson's work and concepts. It presents a broad, yet useful, overview of Erickson's operating premises and how they are implemented in his communication techniques. This title doesn't delve into the excruciating technical details of his methods as some of the more esoteric titles do. A good follow up populist title to this would be "My Voice Will Go With You", which also doesn't require one to be a communication technician to come away with a world full of practical ideas. Milton Erickson's ideas can change the way you think, the way you perceive your world and the way you communicate with that world. "Uncommon Therapy" is one of the ten books that have most influenced my perceptions.