Ericksonian hypnosis: what it is and how it is used in therapy

Hypnosis in psychotherapy is widely used; Through it, it is possible to obtain a pleasant state of well-being and relaxation that enhances active thinking. One of its creators was Milton H. Erickson, who developed the so-called Ericksonian Hypnosis.

This is considered a type of self-hypnosis that favors connection with oneself and access to unconscious resources and skills. In this article we will know how it originated, its characteristics and premises, benefits, operation, uses and applications in the therapeutic context.

• Related article: "The 5 types of hypnosis and how they work"

M. H. Erickson: origin of his hypnosis

Milton Hyland Erickson was an American physician and psychologist who was born in 1901 in Nevada. Erickson was one of the creators of hypnosis; developed hypnotherapy and proposed innovations and changes in this type of therapy.

It all arose from the fact that at the age of 17 he suffered polio that left him paralyzed and bedridden. The doctors thought that he would die. However, Erickson began to use self-hypnosis methods to recover, through a mirror, which were effective in blocking conscious thoughts, for example. It was from there that his Ericksonian Hypnosis began to be born.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis can be understood in two ways; on the one hand, like a type of psychological therapy, and on the other, as that state of unconsciousness or relaxation that is reached through a hypnotic process (or the process of hypnosis).

This state is similar to sleep, and is achieved through suggestion and submission of the will of the person, to the orders received from the hypnotist or therapist. Erickson developed certain adaptations and innovations to "classical" hypnosis to create his own method: Ericksonian Hypnosis. Let's see what it consists of.

Ericksonian hypnosis: what does it consist of?

Ericksonian Hypnosis is a scientifically endorsed type of hypnosis, focused on focus conscious attention fully. The results it produces are similar to those obtained through meditation or Mindfulness.

One of its objectives is to access the unconscious of the person, to reach their resources, abilities and unconscious memories and make them surface in consciousness. The purpose is that he can use them in consciousness in order to solve a problem.

Trance states

On the other hand, Ericksonian Hypnosis is used in psychotherapy and in other areas (coaching, training sessions, Neurolinguistic Programming [NLP], education, sport ...), and focuses on promoting a state of trance in the person.

We can experience trance states naturally; for example, when we are very relaxed, distracted or absorbed, or when we take a tour that we know perfectly automatically and without activating consciousness (for example with the car, in the highway). Other examples of trance occur when we read, listen to music, or create art.

Ericksonian Hypnosis aims to obtain these trance states so that the person is more aware of his abilities and the resources that he possesses, through access to the most unconscious part of him.

• You may be interested: "Erik Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development"

Premises

For Ericksonian Hypnosis to be effective, its application must take into account a series of fundamental premises of the technique:

1. Resource availability

The first premise holds that all people have, within us, the necessary resources to resolve our conflicts; that is to say, that all of us, in a certain way, "have a psychologist inside us." Ericksonian Hypnosis helps us access these resources.

2. Potential of the unconscious

According to Ericksonian Hypnosis, the unconscious is a very powerful source of resources, where important memories for the subject are also stored. The unconscious is always sending messages abroad, through our body, our words, our trance states ...

These are verbal and non-verbal messages that we must know how to detect and understand in order to access our most unconscious part.

3. Based on experience

Ericksonian Hypnosis is based on experiences rather than theoretical knowledge or explanations. According to Erickson himself, living an experience will always be more effective than listening to an explanation.

4. Heterogeneity in responses

Not all people respond the same to Ericksonian Hypnosis. The response we emit will be influenced by our previous beliefs, by our experiences, habits, thoughts, etc., and that is why it will vary enormously from one person to another.

Functioning

Ericksonian Hypnosis, as we have said, implies a state of focussing of conscious attention; This status involves a dissociation in the mind that makes it possible to access the person's unconscious abilities. Dissociation is momentary, short-lived. All this leads to the person entering a state of deep relaxation.

In this state, the unconscious mind is more accessible, is more present and takes center stage. Through access to it, Ericksonian Hypnosis aims to create new possibilities in the subject to face challenges, changes in behaviors and habits. Thus, it also promotes the learning of new behaviors and new patterns of behavior.

Erickson himself defines Ericksonian Hypnosis as a communicative process with the mind and with oneself, through which the person "manages to concentrate on their own thoughts, memories, beliefs and values ​​that they have about life." Ericksonian Hypnosis is about active learning that seeks to reach a state of trance, which at the same time, it allows access to unconsciousness and to make the most of the personal resources of each one.

Autohypnosis

Ericksonian Hypnosis, as we've mentioned, is actually a type of self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis is learned to develop by oneself (through adequate training), and is a process that facilitates a balance between the two cerebral hemispheres, through the enhancement of the corpus callosum (brain structure that unites).

Once you have learned this technique, with proper training it ends up being easy to put into practice. In addition, it can be used at almost any time and in different scenarios.

Profits

As we said at the beginning of the article, this practice has proven to be effective in different studies, and produce effects similar to those obtained from mindfulness techniques or meditation.

The benefits of Ericksonian Hypnosis as a form of self-hypnosis include the learn to manage stress, an increase in concentration, an improvement in mood and emotional state, a reduction in anxiety, an improvement in creativity, improvement in decision-making processes and better control of one's same.

In addition, Ericksonian Hypnosis enhances the connection with oneself, through concentration and the direction of energy and attention in the inner world, diverting them from stimuli exteriors. The goal is to create a link with your own self and connect body and mind.

Applications in therapy

Ericksonian Hypnosis is a tool that has multiple uses and purposes in psychotherapy. Mainly, it can be used to induce states of relaxation, and for the patient to know and experience different hypnotic trance states. It is also used to generate emotional states in patients, which can be of well-being, for example.

On the other hand, Ericksonian Hypnosis also allows access to the person's unconscious, momentarily blocking the most rational and most conscious part of their mind. This makes it easier for repressed thoughts and memories to surface that are currently affecting the person's well-being.

This type of hypnosis, in addition, also allows to catalyze and induce change processes in moments of crisis, for example, as well as facilitating decision-making and managing moments or processes painful. In fact, it is a technique that has been proven effective to reduce pain in people with fibromyalgia, for example.

One of the objectives of Ericksonian Hypnosis is for the person to regain control over their emotions and thoughts, and to feel secure and firm in their decision-making processes.

Bibliographic references:

• Álvarez-Nemegyei, J., Negreros-Castillo, A., Nuño-Gutiérrez, B.L., Álvarez-Berzunza, J. and Alcocer-Martínez, L.M. (2007). Efficacy of ericksonian hypnosis in fibromyalgia syndrome in women. Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc, 45 (4): 395-401.
• Erickson, B.A. (1994). Ericksonian therapy demystified: A straightforward approach. In: Zeig JK, editor. Ericksonian applications in the use of art in therapy. New York, USA: Brunner-Mazel: 147-162.