Milton was a hypnotist extraordinary! He was a law unto himself, whether arguing with the authorities or doing his own thing on a client. Indeed, I think he invented "Covert Hypnosis" in which the client does not know he is being hypnotized.
To conclude my "Pain" series here is Milton Erickson's working style.

He was asked if he could help a cancer patient who was in great pain, all the time.
Milton breezed into his room and began a friendly conversation, which seemed to go on for ever and often wasn't even logical.This was to built rapport! When he had that, he started a long, involve and often not logical story about a tiger that had escaped from the local zoo.
Milton had heard that this tiger loved to lie under a bed and somehow he had got into this hospital. "In fact, I have a feeling that he might be under YOUR bed.!" Milton had talked him around to this bit of non-logic.He kept talking around this point with the patient believing it more and more! " It would be best for you to keep still and say nothing, Don't disturb him!"
When the nurse came in with a morphia shot for the night, Milton stopped her giving it, as the patient was in a deep sleep, totally relaxed!
Next morning, instead of the usual rundown on all his pains, he was telling everyone how good and refreshed he felt.
Can you spot how Milton did that?
First Rapport, then shifting attention to something important for him (Tiger bites are worse than cancer pains!) he, slowly went over that ground, as the patient gave up trying to follow him and went off to sleep!
Shift attention onto something you feel is important to you and then, "So What!"

We shall scarcely see the likes of Milton Erickson again!
Huggie
I reckon that it takes a very brave man to go to sleep with a tiger under his bed!!

Another wonderful post, thank you for sharing this

This i have been doing for a long time now, instead of focusing on the pain i get, i distract to other things...& it works
( well, most of the time anyway )

Love Mo x x x

Wow, Huggie - I got the impression from earlier posts that you thought hypnotherapy was a modality from the Dark Side! Very interesting that you have given homage to one of hypnotherapy's greats!

Your series has been a true gift to all of us. I thank you very sincerely for the knowledge that you share.

Huggie, I couldn't agree with you more, about your opinion of Milton Erickson. What a pioneer! A favorite book about him is from 1982: "My Voice Will Go With You" The tTeaching Tales of Milton H. Erickson, by Sidney Rosen.

I haven't done much hypnosis since I retired, actually for a decade before I retired from anesthesia, but I was active for many years, and did some hypnoanesthesia during the early 80s. Fascinating stuff. Dr. Erickson's rapid-sequence hypnotic inductions are the stuff of legend.

Huggs to Huggie!

Yep, Huggie: thanks for another great Uncle Milty story: I can never get enough of them. Ericksonian hypnosis is da bomb!

While most of my trancework these days is peripheral to other modalities (like NLP and energy psycholog methods) I place a high, high value on Ericksons methods and teachings.
I couldn't imagine bothering with classical hypnosis when one can learn these principles! His artistry, on the other hand, is one of a kind.

Uncommon Therapy by Jay Haley is another good one

Blessings,
Alfred

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Alfred,

Hi, When I was in hospital about '83, a lady-friend came to see me. She brought me a book and said, "I know you will tear through any ordinary book I bring but this will hold your attention, quite a while. It was a great, big book, like a family bible, I think the name was the "Collective Works of Milton Erickson"
"Oh darn - hypnotize!'but the further I read the more I gronked his way and found it so gentle and fasinating.
So glad people get a lot from my posts.
One thing Scientology did for me was to send my ability to communicate sky high.
Then they gave me a list of people that I was not allowed to communicate with. Some people were not allowed to communicate with their parents or even their wife.
My anger and disgust shook the power seats of Scientology, even on the other side of the world!
Huggie