Phoenix: Therapeutic Patterns of Milton H. Erickson

by David A. Gordon

Although many descriptive and evaluative articles have been written about Milton Erickson's hypnotic work, relatively little attention has been accorded that tremendous portion of his therapeutic work that made little or no use of formal trance states. In this volume the authors address thenselves to those aspects of Erickson's therapeutic work that did not rely on the utilization of formal trance states. Using Erickson's own verbatim descriptions of this work, those patterns which are characteristic of his approach are not only identified for the reader, but are described as sequenses of internal and external behaviors that can be duplicated by anyone.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

194 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Roni Matar · Rating 5 out of 5]

My curiosity about Milton Erickson and my admiration of his work has lead me to model him to a certain point that some of my fellow NLP trainers and students call me "Young Milton". David Gordon has re-edited this book to make it a smoother read and it is filled with gems and knowledge about Milton's genius. The stories, explanation and simplicity highlight the magic of brief therapy which in a nutshell is reorienting the client so that he or she can be their own therapists in their lives. MHE is a massive influence on NLP, and as I'm reading this book I am also learning Provocative Change Works that was inspired by Frank Farelly, and the genius of both is in allowing the client to be their own agent of change. Years after his death MHE is still creating change in the world. The book is a must read for anyone working in personal change, therapy, coaching, hypnosis or NLP

[Otter57 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes evident just how much of NLP emerges directly from the work of Erickson. The presuppositions of NLP can be seen in many of his quotes. I thought that the models explicated in this book could have been presented a little more clearly. Sometimes, they got a little lost in the surrounding text. I guess that modern formatting with its multitude of icons and standout text boxes has spoiled me :)

Well worth reading for anyone interested in therapy, and especially for those with an interest in NLP. The modeling sections are good, too. David Gordon has always been a champion of NLP modeling and his skill is very evident here.

[Brian Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book useful for any change worker, not just a hypnotherapist.

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always loved reading about him, I have heard many of these stories before but I feel like there were some I had not heard like the convict living in his backyard. This guy was a wizard.