Ericksonian Hypnosis

Ericksonian hypnosis refers to an approach to hypnosis developed in the twentieth century by Milton H. Erickson (1901-1980), an American psychiatrist who devoted most of his career to the study and therapeutic use of hypnosis. The results he achieved with patients other practitioners considered beyond the reach of any therapy earned him the nickname “The Wizard” among his colleagues.

Today, Ericksonian hypnosis (sometimes called “new hypnosis”) remains the reference point for most modern hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis practices.

How does it differ from classical hypnosis?

So-called “classical” hypnosis, as it was practiced in the early twentieth century, and Ericksonian hypnosis differ on two essential points: how one enters the hypnotic state, and how that state is used once reached.

Induction

In classical hypnosis, induction is authoritative: the practitioner gives direct commands, “sleep,” “close your eyes,” in an almost identical way for everyone. This rigidity partly explains why some proponents of this approach claimed that “not everyone can be hypnotized”: a single method simply doesn’t suit every psychological makeup.

Ericksonian hypnosis works differently: the induction adapts to the person. For some, direct instructions work very well; for others, a more indirect approach is needed. A core principle of this approach is to work with what the person brings with them, their way of speaking, their mood in the moment, their interests, their dominant mode of perception (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), rather than imposing an external framework on them.

Using the hypnotic state

In classical hypnosis, the practitioner gives direct suggestions to remove a symptom or change a behavior, while the person remains largely passive, simply listening. The results obtained this way tend to be inconsistent and rarely lasting.

Ericksonian hypnosis relies on a different principle: establishing genuine communication with the unconscious, then supporting it through its own process of change. The process is interactive, the practitioner continually adjusts their approach based on the often nonverbal responses given by the person’s unconscious. This constant adaptation is what explains the method’s effectiveness: the work happens exactly where the problem lies, at each person’s own pace and using their own resources.

The principles of the Ericksonian approach

Beyond the technique itself, Erickson’s approach rests on a few principles that clearly set it apart from more directive methods:

• Change does not require making the unconscious conscious.
• Suggestions don’t need to be direct, an indirect suggestion often bypasses resistance that a direct one would run into.
• The practitioner does not try to impose their own point of view, but rather to serve the person’s real needs.
• Every situation calls for an individual approach: there is no universal protocol.
• Genuine change always comes from the person’s own actions, the practitioner only guides and encourages.

Erickson summed up this philosophy in a central conviction, one that remains at the heart of Ericksonian hypnosis today: every person already holds within them the resources needed for their own growth.

Who was Milton Erickson?

Born in 1901, Milton Erickson grew up in a rural setting, first in Nevada and later in Wisconsin. From an early age he compensated for several difficulties, color blindness, dyslexia, and an inability to keep rhythm, through unusual ingenuity. At 17, a severe attack of poliomyelitis left him almost completely paralyzed, able to move only his lips and eyes; doctors believed he would not survive. He nonetheless managed to walk again within a year, using that long period of immobility to develop remarkable powers of mental concentration and observation. He carried the effects of the illness for the rest of his life, spending his final thirteen years in a wheelchair.

After studying psychology and medicine at the University of Wisconsin, he practiced and taught psychiatry in Massachusetts and then Michigan, before settling permanently in Phoenix, Arizona, where he ran a private practice and trained many therapists until the end of his life.

Interested in hypnosis from 1923 onward, he quickly moved away from the rigid methods of his teachers to develop his own approach, based on observation and adaptation rather than fixed protocols. His methods, considered unorthodox at the time, drew hostility from parts of the medical establishment, he even had to appear before a committee examining his potential expulsion, which he managed to win over through sheer force of conviction. He went on to become president of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and founder of the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis.

Erickson never sought to build a formal theory or a school of thought: his entire teaching remained focused on practical results, achieved case by case. His influence nonetheless extended well beyond hypnosis, leaving a lasting mark on fields such as NLP, systemic therapy, strategic therapy, and solution-focused therapy. He died in 1980, remembered by those who knew him as, to the very end, one of the most enthusiastic people they had ever met.

What’s next?

• Understand the hypnotic state itself, its levels and phenomena → What Is Hypnosis?
• Discover how to put this approach into practice on yourself → What Is Self-Hypnosis?
• Understand the therapeutic use of hypnosis → What Is Hypnotherapy?