Vol. 22, No. 3 - The Milton H. Erickson Foundation

The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc.3606 N. 24th StreetPhoenix, Arizona 85016U.S.A.RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit org.U.S.Postage PaidPhoenix, ArizonaPermit No. 813

T h e M i l t o n H . E r i c k s o n F o u n d a t i o n

NEWSLETTERSM

Vol. 22, No. 3 FALL 2002

Inside This Issue

FEATURE INTERVIEW:Eric Greenleaf, Ph.D. 1

CALL FOR RESEARCH REPORTS:Evidence Based Therapies and theFuture of Mental Health Care 4

TOPIC REVIEW:Ericksonian Psychotherapy andShamanic Healing 6

INTRODUCING THE INSTITUTES:San Luis and Mendoza, Argentina 8

CASE HISTORY:The Double Clutch 10

CONNECTIONS:Mind: According to the FourteenthDalai Lama Of Tibet 12

SPEAKING OF RESEARCH:Science and Spirituality: Finding theCommon Ground 12 I N T E R V I E W

t Brief Therapy Conference Returning to Orlando! t SEE PAGE 3

NicholasCummings, Ph.D.,

Sc.D.Phoenix, AZ

Interviewed by Dan Short, Ph.D.

Nicholas A. Cummings, Ph.D.,Sc.D., is Distinguished Professor atthe University of Nevada, Reno. Heis President of the Foundation forBehavioral Health and chair of theNicholas & Dorothy CummingsFoundation, and chair of UniversityAlliance for Behavioral Care.Cummings is former president of theAmerican Psychological Association.He is the founding CEO of AmericanBiodyne (now Magellan). He also isfounder of the four campuses of theCalifornia School of ProfessionalPsychology, the National Academiesof Practice the American ManagedBehavioral Healthcare Association,and the National Council of

Final preparations are being madefor The Brief Therapy Conference:Lasting Solutions, December 12-15,2002, being held at the Hilton Hotelin the Walt Disney World® Resort inOrlando, Fla.

Although pre-registration is nolonger available, those still wanting toattend may register onsite for eitherthe full Conference or for day tickets.Onsite registration will take place onWednesday, December 11, from5:00-7:00 PM; and again onThursday, December 12, beginning at7:00 AM at the Hilton Hotel. TheRegistration Desk also will remainopen each day of the Conference forindividuals registering for day tickets.

The Milton H. EricksonFoundation organizes the only multi-disciplinary conference on brief ther-apy in the world. The Brief TherapyConference consists of keynotes,workshops, topical panels, supervi-

Space Still Available for Brief TherapyConference in Orlando!

sion panels, dialogues, conversationhours, clinical demonstrations andshort courses. There are 28.5Continuing Education Hours avail-able.

The Multidisciplinary speakersinclude Steve Andreas, Judith Beck,Insoo Kim Berg, Jon Carlson, Stevede Shazer, Robert Dilts, Albert Ellis,Betty Alice Erickson, ArthurFreeman, Stephen Gilligan, MaryGoulding, Stephen Lankton, ScottMiller, John Norcross, ChristinePadesky, Peggy Papp, Erving Polster,James Prochaska, Ernest Rossi,Michele Weiner-Davis, R.ReidWilson, Michael Yapko and Jeffrey

Zeig. Keynote presentations will begiven by Nicholas Cummings, PatLove, and Donald Meichenbaum.

To receive a brochure contact TheMilton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc.,3606 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ85016-6500; tel, 602/956-6196; fax,602/956-0519; E-mail, [email protected]

Visit our Web Site, www.erickson-foundation.org/brfther.htm for aregistration form, hotel and travelinformation. To view the 'Meeting ata Glance' on the Internet visitwww.erickson-foundation.org/btprog.pdf

Professional Schools ofPsychology. Cummings is theretired Chief of Mental HealthCare for Kaiser Permanente. Heis the former executive director forthe Mental Research Institute atPalo Alto. He is the author of 24

The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter2 VOL. 22, NO. 2

Visit Our Website:www.erickson-foundation.org

This Newsletter's theme wasinspired by Dan Short's interviewwith clinical visionary and upcomingBrief Therapy Conference keynotespeaker, Nicholas Cummings. Anyconversation with Cummings stimu-lates rich possibilities and leaves mewanting more. Short's interview withhim is no exception. I am left withtwo burning questions, "What was inthat five-second therapy?" and "Howdo you get clients to come in for athree AM session?" I will have to askhim in Orlando.

Using Ericksonian viewpoints, wefilled this edition with examples ofwhat Cummings sees as future direc-tions of psychotherapy. Three of thedirections he presents are theincreased demand for evidenced-based treatments, patient-driven ver-sus diagnosis-driven therapies and theapplication of briefer therapies thatfocus on presenting symptoms andproblems.

A combined example of thesethree directions can be found in TerryArgast's Case Report, "OralGratification" where he treats awoman who repeatedly failed herlicensing oral examination. Argastuses his evidence-based standardizedprotocols, adapted to the individualqualities of the patient, to break her"self-sabotaging" patterns in a singlesession.

Considering the emphasis on thebriefer therapies in this newsletter, itis only fitting that we recognizeMichael Hoyt (Contributor of Note).He epitomizes the artful and knowl-edgeable blending of critical analysisand intuitive approaches that coversthe spectrum of brief therapies.

R. Reid Wilson's Facing Panic(Therapeutic Frameworks) presentsan interesting five-step, researched-based, and counter-intuitive approachto the treatment of panic attacks. Thisis an excellent example of when moreof a bad thing is good.

Graham Burrows, Robb Stanleyand Peter Bloom's "InternationalHandbook of Clinical Hypnosis"(Book Review) is an outstandingsource of research in hypnosis. It pro-vides documented evidence for wherehypnosis has been effective and iden-tifies where evidence only has beenanecdotal and is in need of research.

While evidence-based therapiescan increase effectiveness, account-ability and credibility in psychothera-py, it also has a down side. With theincreased emphasis on evidence-based therapies, I have seen too manynew students go the extreme andapproach psychotherapy as merely amanual-based craft. John Norcross;"Empirically Supported TherapyRelationships" has provided a neededbalance to the evidence-basedapproaches by presenting research-based elements of the therapeuticrelationship that are significant intherapy outcomes independent of thespecific type of treatment. This articleis an outlined overview of theresearch he commissioned for theAmerican Psychological Association,Division 29 Task Force, and which hewill present in detail this December atthe Brief Therapy Conference inOrlando. Based on the strength ofresearch evidence, Norcross separatesthose relationship elements that are"demonstrably effective, promisingand probably effective, or (have)insufficient research to judge." I amdelighted to see this type of researchbecause it again demonstrates thatwhat makes good therapy is morethan just following a cookbook.

To round out the Newsletter, wehave included several national andinternational media reviews and arti-cles of interest that reflect the broadoverlap between Cummings andErickson.

EDITOR’S COMMENTS

Executive Editor: Richard Landis, Ph.D.

Managing Editor: Sharon McLaughlin, M.A.

Guest Editors:Terry Argast, Ph.D., Betty Alice Erickson, M.S., LPC, LMFT,

Marilia Baker, MSW, George W. Burns, Lic. Clin. Psych., John Gladfelter, Ph.D., Roxanna Erickson Klein, R.N., Ph.D.,

C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D., Annellen Simpkins, Ph.D.

Production Assistant: Karen Haviley

–Board of Directors–Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D.

Roxanna Erickson Klein, R.N., Ph.D.Elizabeth M. Erickson

J. Charles Theisen, M.A., M.B.A., J.D.Camillo Loriedo, M.D.

Bernhard Trenkle, Dipl.Psych.

The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc.3606 North 24th Street

Phoenix, Arizona 85016-6500U.S.A.

Telephone: (602) 956-6196FAX: (602) 956-0519

T h e M i l t o n H . E r i c k s o n F o u n d a t i o n

NEWSLETTER

BRIEF THERAPY AD

WEB NEWS!Online Newsletter

The Online version of The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter can befound at http://www.erickson-foundation.org/news

NEW! Download the Newsletter to Palm Pilot or Pocket PC!Too busy to read the Newsletter at your computer? You can now download

each issue to a hand held PC to read at your convenience. All files are formatted for ¡Silo. For more information visit our web site:

www.erickson-foundation.org/news/archives

CORRECTIONThe last issue of the Newsletter contained an error. Joyce Mills is the author

of the book, Stories of the Dreamwalkers, Santa Fe Fine Art Publishing, 1989.

Milton Erickson Society of GermanyCelebrates 25 Years!

The Milton Erickson Society of Germany (M.E.G.) is sponsoring a uniquedouble-congress from March 20-23, 2003, in Bad Orb, Germany. The Congressincludes the First World Congress of Ego State Therapy and the Annual Meetingof M.E.G. celebrating the 25th anniversary of M.E.G. in Bad Orb.

The First World Congress of Ego State Therapy offers workshops from theforemost leaders in the field. The founder John G. Watkins, Claire Frederick,Maggie Phillips, Woltemade Hartman, Shirley McNeal, Pricilla Morton andother presenters from the United States, South Africa and Europe will participatein the Congress. Topics will include EMDR/ego state therapy, Ericksonianapproaches, hypnoanalytic methods, treatment of addictions and mind/bodysymptoms, and uses of energy psychology in ego state therapy to resolve post-traumatic fragmentation and promote integrated healing. The majority of theCongress will be presented in English.

The Anniversary Meeting of M.E.G. will include workshops from many ofthe leading experts of Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychotherapy from theGerman-speaking countries of Europe and colleagues of Eastern European coun-tries, as well. Bernhard Trenkle, Burkhard Peter, Dirk Revenstorf, GuntherSchmidt, Charlotte Wirl and Susy Signer-Fischer are among the presenters forthe Annual Meeting. Jeffrey K. Zeig will give the keynote address. The majori-ty of the Annual Meeting of M.E.G. will be presented in German, however, someworkshops will be presented in English.

Bad Orb is a picturesque little city in the mountains near Frankfurt. For moreinformation and registration contact: Milton Erickson Gesellschaft für KlinischeHypnose M.E.G, Waisenhausstr. 55, 80637 München, Germany; Tel, +49 8934029720; Fax, +49 89 34029719; E-mail, [email protected] ;Web, www.meg-hypnose.de

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The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter VOL. 22, NO. 2 3C A S E R E P O R T

D I S C U S S I O N

Oral GratificationBy Terry Argast, Ph.D.Laguna Niguel, Calif

Juanita was a 31-year-oldMarriage and Family Intern who hadtwice failed the oral examination forher license. She wanted hypnosis toreveal sabotaging herself so she couldpass her orals. We would only havetime for one session.

Juanita had no prior experiencewith hypnosis. I asked to get in touchwith the body sensations she experi-ences when she was in the oral exam.She was able to do this easily. I thenhad her focus all of her attention onthis feeling. I had her imagine that shewas inside her body, inside that feel-ing and then I asked her to turn thefeeling or sensation into a room, sothat when she was inside that room,she was inside the feeling. I thenasked her to imagine a doorway at theend of the room, a doorway to an ele-vator. I had her get in the elevator andimagine it going down as she wentback in time, back to a time in thepast when she had the same feeling.When she got there the elevator doorwould open and she would share withme the contents of what she becameaware.

Juanita was responsive to thisimagery and went back to the age ofseven. While in trance, she told me ofa scene with her mother, who was amigrant farm worker. Her mother wasangry with Juanita for resisting work-ing in the fields with her sisters andbrothers. Loosely translated fromSpanish, "Who do you think youare?" her mother shouted, "Do youthink you are too good for us? If youdon't work (in the fields) you are notone of us (meaning she would be ban-ished from the family)."

We had discovered the source ofthe sabotage. As Juanita later becameaware, part of the unconscious wasstill trying to be connected to her past.Being licensed represented a finalseparation from a Hispanic identity toan Anglo identity resulting in the lossof her family forever (this must havebeen quite a dilemma for a seven-year-old).

Using the imagery of the olderand younger Juanita in the samescene, I had the adult Juanita talk tothe younger Juanita about what shewas thinking and feeling. With a littleconvincing, the younger Juanita

accepted that the older Juanita washer grown up. I had the older Juanitaquickly tell her what had happened inthe years since age seven. In factJuanita had not seen her mother forthe last ten years and had only mini-mal contact with her siblings. Facedwith this frightening reality, I had theyounger Juanita take a trip with theolder Juanita to where the olderJuanita now lived. Once she saw herhouse, the younger Juanita was ableto stay in the present. We thenaddressed the issue of the youngerJuanita painfully letting go of hermother and family, the older Juanitareassuring her that she could take careof the younger Juanita.

Finally, we developed a sensorysignal of reassurance, so that whenev-er she felt the upsetting sensations inthe body, the older Juanita wouldcomfort her. Juanita then took heroral exam. She reported being muchmore comfortable and was able tomanage the anxiety she felt. And, shepassed!

I call this technique Rapid AgeRegression. It is an adaptation ofErickson's Crystal Ball Technique,which he used in a variety of ways1.During the induction, the key is tohave the focus of attention on thebody sensations associated with thepresenting symptom. The next step isto create a dissociation from the feel-ing by having them change the sensa-tion into a room and to maintainseeing themselves as an adult.

When patients access the situationin the past, it is important to see theyounger self as separate from theolder self so they can keep their adultperspective and resources. Ericksonemphasized the importance of thisseparation, not wanting the affect ofthe negative situation to become toointense, to prevent a collapse into thefeeling, which could create futureresistances.

When accessing a part of theunconscious associated with thesymptoms, almost without exceptionthat part of the unconscious is notaware of the current situation. In mostcases, simply updating and reorient-ing the unconscious will result in adecrease of the negative affect.

Many times the adult client has no

See CASE REPORT on next page


idea of how to sooth the younger self.In those cases, this technique permitsthe therapist to give therapeutic sug-gestions that the client's consciousmind can pass on to the younger self,or make presuppositional observa-tions that the unconscious can "over-hear." This approach indirectlybypasses both conscious awarenessand potential resistance.

In 1978, Erickson told me that ifyou take care of the person's symp-tom and the person has a need in thefuture, he will come back to deal withother issues. Over the past sevenyears, I have coached Juanita threeseparate times on how to deal withconflicts with co-workers, subordi-nates and supervisors where this feel-ing was triggered. This illustrates thatwhen there is a powerful anxietygrowing up, it can inhibit learningcertain skills necessary to deal withadult life. Managing the early feelingsdoes not automatically lead to know-ing how to deal with the current situ-ations.

Terry Argast is the clinical direc-tor for The Southern CaliforniaSociety for EricksonianPsychotherapy and Hypnosis.

1. There are at least seven cases in theliterature where Erickson usedthis technique: The CollectedPapers of Milton H. Erickson,Volume IV. Edited by E. Rossi,Ph.D., 1980, New York,Irvington Publishers, Inc. (pages79-80, 81-85, 85-87, 163-168,397-404, 407-410, 410-412)

CASE REPORTcontinued from page 3

Facing PanicBy R. Reid Wilson, Ph.D.

People who are hit with panicattacks have a common response.They feel compelled to fight thesymptoms with all their availableresources. They brace for the fight asthey approach any feared situation.And if they predict this on-guardapproach will fail, they avoid enteringthe scene as the only way they canguarantee their safety. But this resis-tance and avoidance comes with aprice: a restricted lifestyle, anxioushypervigilance and often depression.

Over the past three decades, spe-cialists in the treatment of panic dis-order have helped their clients movefrom a commitment to resist theirsymptoms to one of acceptance. Byallowing the racing heart and spin-ning head and wobbly legs to contin-ue in a permissive mentalenvironment, clients discover thatthey don't actually have a heart attack,go crazy or faint. As they adopt thisnew permissive attitude - "It's OK tobe anxious here." "I can handle thesesymptoms." "I'm willing for peopleto notice my nervousness." - theneach panic attack runs a more limitedcourse with far less intensity.

While this permissive approachhas been standard, there also has beena secondary approach to treatment: tovoluntarily, purposely seek toincrease the uncomfortable physicalsymptoms. This paradoxicalapproach, dating back at least to Dr.Victor Frankl's logotherapy, is nowset to take center stage. The chiefreason is a pragmatic one: the moreprovocative treatment is the briefestof treatments.

This winter, the AnxietyDisorders Association of Americawill release Facing Panic: Self-helpfor People with Panic Attacks. Thisguide is a synthesis of the work of thisfield's foremost clinician-researchers.Here is the central therapeutic strate-gy, expressed as five instructions tothe reader: Get anxious on purpose.Once you are anxious, encouragethe symptoms to continue for a longtime. During this time, stop worry-ing and start supporting yourself.Let go of your safety crutches. Dothis over and over again, in all yourfearful situations.

T H E R A P E U T I C F R A M E W O R K SLet's look at each of the five direc-

tives:

Get anxious on purpose. The keyhere is not just to become anxious,but to purposely choose to get anx-ious. It is the seeking of the anxietystate that distinguishes this step fromthe more common approach of toler-ating or putting up with the symp-toms. It is a shift in one's relationshiptoward anxiety, and it is a critical dis-tinction. "Having" anxiety is insuffi-cient; "wanting" anxiety is the centralgoal.

Once you are anxious, encouragethe symptoms to continue for a longtime. Here is an extension of the firststep: invite your distress to stayaround as long as possible. Try tokeep it. If it subsides, feel disap-pointed, and look for ways to bring itback. We know from our studies offlooding that prolonged exposureleads to habituation. But this onlyoccurs if the person drops his guardand allows the anxiety to exist duringthat time. I am proposing that wechallenge the foundation of thisflooding protocol. We can greatlyshorten the required length of expo-sure if we emphasize the person'stherapeutic stance: first, to seek outthe uncomfortable symptoms, andthen, to consciously desire for them toremain for as long as possible.

During this time, stop worryingand start supporting yourself. Whilewe encourage clients to feel scaredand to feel the uncomfortable physi-cal sensation of panic, we discourageworried thoughts (there is an appro-priate therapeutic time to encourageworried thoughts, too, but I won'tcover that in this brief article.). Weare battling two fronts here. First,panic sufferers will worry about justhow uncomfortable the symptomswill feel. But, more importantly, theywill worry about the catastrophic out-comes: fainting, having a heart attack,making a fool of themselves. Wewant them to learn, through specificexercises, that the panic attack will beuncomfortable but not horrible. Oncethey can downgrade their interpreta-tion of the symptoms, then they canaccept their symptoms instead of fearthem. This stance is reflected in suchsupportive statements as, "I'm scared,and I'm safe."

Let go of your safety crutches.

Safety crutches are actions that helpprevent or mute the symptoms ofpanic. We have identified over sev-enty behaviors, such as carrying ananti-anxiety medication in their pock-et, practicing breathing skills, moni-toring their pulse rate, sitting close toan exit, leaning against a wall, stayingsomewhere only briefly, turning theradio up, never passing a car, andalways avoiding crowds. While theseare understandable, protective strate-gies, they all are based on the funda-mental misperception that panicsymptoms result in catastrophe. Wehelp clients identify their safetycrutches and gradually reduce theirreliance on them. As they realize thatthey can manage the sensations ofpanic without these restrictions, theyare willing to take more risks in theprovoking situations.

Do this over and over, in all yourfearful situations. To overcomepanic, people need to practice theirskills again and again, in as many dif-ferent locations and circumstance aspossible. Primary in this effort is towant to feel anxious and to desire toremain uncomfortable for as long aspossible. As they change their atti-tude in this manner, they discover thatgoing face-to-face with panic eventu-ally reduces their symptoms andgives them back their freedom.

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MICHAEL F. HOYT, Ph.D.By Roxanna Erickson Klein, R.N., Ph.D.

A senior staff psychologist at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in SanRafael, California, Michael Hoyt is a respected and wide-ranging brief therapist.He is a multi-theoretical thinker and expert clinician, a prolific author and editorand has taught numerous highly acclaimed workshops in the U.S. and interna-tionally.

Hoyt completed undergraduate studies at UCLA, an internship at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, and received his Ph.D. at Yale University in1976. After a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California inSan Francisco, he took a position at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California,where he remains today. He says, "When I started at Kaiser, I discovered the'real world.' We have to find ways of working with many different kinds of peo-ple and problems, rather than selecting patients that will fit one brand of thera-py." He described some of these experiences in a 1992 presentation and paper,"Managed Care, HMOs, and the Ericksonian Perspective."

Since 1988, Hoyt has given workshops on "Single-Session Therapy" at sev-eral Ericksonian Congresses. He also presented an invited address entitled"Termination: How and Why to Say When," as well as an analysis called "WhatCan We Learn from Milton Erickson's Therapeutic Failures?" His views anddiligent preparation as well as his broad perspectives stimulate audience mem-bers to consider a multi-theoretical framework and to think outside the box.

His wide interests and encyclopedic knowledge are reflected in the variousbooks he has authored, including Brief Therapy and Managed Care, Some

CONTRIBUTOR OF NOTE The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter VOL. 22, NO. 2 5

Stories Are Better than Others, Interviews with Brief Therapy Experts, and(forthcoming) The Present Is a Gift. He edited several books, including TheFirst Session in Brief Therapy, Constructive Therapies (Vols. 1 & 2), and TheHandbook of Constructive Therapies.

Hoyt's mind moves with remarkable ease back and forth among ideas for psy-chotherapy, including quotations from a poem or novel, a reference to a movieor song, a metaphor from sports, and maybe a joke or quip. He balances a busyschedule, seeing clients fulltime at Kaiser along with his other endeavors. Hismany contributions, both to the work of the Erickson Foundation and to the fieldof psychotherapy are appreciated by all who have the pleasure of working withor knowing him.

I asked him how he found his energy and how he held on to the inspirationfor continued professional growth. We talked about the importance of seasonedmentors, including Erickson and Haley, and how he was able to learn so muchfrom his teachers. After a moment of seriousness, Hoyt paused as he re-experi-enced a meaningful moment. "Sometime in 1992," he told me, "I contacted JayHaley, by letter and telephone, asking him to participate in an interview for abook I was working on at the time. He indicated his preference not to do a for-mal interview, but then graciously added, 'How about if we just get together fora drink?' And so we did, at the Fifth International Ericksonian Congress, inDecember 1992. Sitting atop the Hyatt-Regency hotel, we chatted a bit. I hadno specific agenda, other than to enjoy the pleasure of Haley's company. Finally,however, an important issue came to my mind. 'Jay, may I ask you a question?''Sure,' he replied. I paused, then asked: 'What do you feed your twinkle?' Jaysmiled. 'You have one, too, don't you?' he replied. 'Well, yeah, but yours isolder-I want to make sure I'm feeding mine the right stuff!' We both laughed."


age

EmpiricallySupported(Therapy)

RelationshipsJohn C. Norcross, Ph.D.

Professor of PsychologyUniversity of Scranton

Scranton, PA 18510-4596570-941-7638 (voice)

[email protected]

Recent years have witnessed thecontroversial promulgation of prac-tice guidelines and evidence-basedtreatments in mental health. For bet-ter and worse, insurance carriers andgovernment policymakers areincreasingly turning to such guide-lines and compilations to determinewhich psychotherapies to fund.Indeed, along with the negative influ-ence of managed care, there is proba-bly no issue more central to cliniciansthan the evolution of evidence-basedpractice in psychotherapy.

Foremost among these initiativeshave been the APA Society ofClinical Psychology's Task Forceefforts to identify empirically sup-ported treatments (ESTs) and theAmerican Psychiatric Association'spractice guidelines, on disordersranging from schizophrenia toanorexia to nicotine dependence.

Although these and other effortsto promulgate evidence-based psy-chotherapies have been noble inintent, they neglect at least threeessential elements of psychotherapy:the person of the therapist; the thera-py relationship; and the patient's non-diagnostic characteristics.

Within this context, in 1999 Icommissioned an APA Division ofPsychotherapy Task Force to identify,operationalize, and disseminate infor-mation on empirically supported ther-apy relationships. We aimed toidentify empirically supported (thera-py) relationships rather than empiri-cally supported treatments - or ESRsrather than ESTs. Specifically, thedual aims of the Division 29 TaskForce were to identify elements ofeffective therapy relationships and todetermine efficacious methods of tai-loring therapy to the individualpatient on the basis of his/her (nondi-agnostic) characteristics

The three-year work of the TaskForce on Empirically Supported

Therapy Relationships has generatedthree products. First, we published asynopsis of our work in a 2001 spe-cial issue of Psychotherapy. Second,the research reviews and clinicalpractices were published in a book,Psychotherapy Relationships thatWork (Norcross, 2002, OxfordUniversity Press). And third, mem-bers of the Task Force are presentinga series of addresses and workshopson its conclusions and therapeuticpractices, including a workshop at the2002 Brief Therapy Conference spon-sored by the Erickson Foundation.

The Task Force has generated alist of empirically supported relation-ship elements, characterized asdemonstrably effective, promisingand probably effective, or insufficientresearch to judge. The characteriza-tions were made by the SteeringCommittee on the strength of theresearch evidence. The evidentiarycriteria encompassed the number ofsupportive studies, the consistency ofthe research results, the magnitude ofthe positive relationship between theelement and outcome, the directnessto outcome, the experimental rigor ofthe studies, and the external validityof the research base.

In condensed form, theConclusions are as follows:

♦ The therapy relationship makessubstantial and consistent contribu-tions to psychotherapy outcome inde-pendent of the specific type oftreatment.

♦ Practice and treatment guide-lines should explicitly address thera-pist behaviors and qualities thatpromote a facilitative therapy rela-tionship.

♦ Efforts to promulgate practiceguidelines or evidence-based lists ofeffective psychotherapy withoutincluding the therapy relationship areseriously incomplete and potentiallymisleading on both clinical andempirical grounds.

♦ The therapy relationship acts inconcert with discrete interventions,patient characteristics, and clinicianqualities in determining treatmenteffectiveness. A comprehensiveunderstanding of effective (and inef-fective) psychotherapy will considerall of these determinants and theiroptimal combinations.

♦ The following list embodies theTask Force conclusions regarding theempirical evidence on General

Elements of the Therapy Relationshipprimarily provided by the psychother-apist.

Demonstrably EffectiveTherapeutic Alliance

Cohesion in Group Therapy

Empathy

Goal Consensus andCollaboration

Promising and ProbablyEffectivePositive Regard

Congruence/Genuineness

Feedback

Repair of Alliance Ruptures

Self-Disclosure

Management ofCountertransference

Quality of RelationalInterpretations

♦ Adapting or tailoring the thera-py relationship to specific patientneeds and characteristics (in additionto diagnosis) enhances the effective-ness of treatment.

♦ The following list embodies theTask Force conclusions regarding theempirical evidence on Customizingthe Therapy Relationship toIndividual Patients on the basis ofpatient behaviors or qualities. Forexample, clients presenting with highresistance have been found to respondbetter to self-control methods andminimal therapist directiveness,whereas patients with low resistanceexperience improved outcomes withtherapist directiveness and explicit

guidance. Demonstrably Effective as aMeans of CustomizingTherapyResistance

Functional Impairment

Promising and ProbablyEffective as a Means ofCustomizing TherapyCoping Style

Stages of Change

Anaclitic/Sociotropic andIntrojective/Autonomous Styles

Expectations

Assimilation of ProblematicExperiences

♦ Current research on the follow-ing patient characteristics is insuffi-cient for a clear judgment to be madeon whether customizing the therapyrelationship to these characteristicsimproves treatment outcomes.

Attachment Style

Gender

Ethnicity

Religion and Spirituality

Preferences

Personality Disorders

We invite all mental health pro-fessionals and training programs tofamiliarize themselves with theresearch findings, clinical practices,and limitations of the Task Forcereports in order to enhance awarenessand use of what "works" in the thera-py relationship.

The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter VOL. 22, NO. 2 7

DONATIONS NEEDED:

ISH To Grant Hypnosis Scholarships to Health Professionalsin Developing Countries Treating Pain

The majority of adults and children who have chronic diseases such as can-cer or sickle cell disease or HIV, or who must go through procedures for a vari-ety of conditions, and who live in developing countries will receive no treatmentsfor pain.

Colleagues in developing countries have expressed interest in learning to usehypnosis to help these patients. However, in general they cannot afford the costof attending workshops. The International Society for Hypnosis will establish aselection committee to give scholarships for physicians, psychologists, socialworkers, nurses, and dentists in developing countries so that they may attendtraining workshops sponsored by the ISH, SCEH, Ericksonian Society, and/orASCH.

Scholarship amounts will cover travel and registration. Recipients will beexpected to contribute toward food and housing.

We ask for contributions for this purpose. To make a donation or for ques-tions contact ISH-Developing Country Scholarship Fund, ISH Central Office,Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, Level 3, Centaur Building, WestHeidelberg, Victoria 3081, Australia. (U.S.A. contact: Karen Olness, M.D.,Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Mailstop #6038,Cleveland, OH 44106; E-mail, [email protected])

Thank you for your consideration.

Karen Olness, MD, ABMHPresident Elect, ISHPast President ASCH, SCEH, and ABMH


see INTERNATIONAL on next page

The Milton H.Erickson of

Northern Portugal, By Marilia Baker, M.S.W.

Email: [email protected]: http://www.ismai.pt/imhep

The Milton H. Erickson ofPortugal, Zona Norte (Oporto), wasestablished in early 2000, the first inthe country. Its founders are PeterHawkins, Ph.D., University ofSunderland, England and InstitutoSuperior da Maia (ISMAI, Portugal);Lic.Psych. Ana Rita Almeida, assis-tant professor of Psychology atISMAI and Psychologist AgostinhoAlmeida,(no relation), a distinguishedin te rna t iona lvisiting profes-sor and lecturer,currently prin-cipal researcherand pro-presi-dent of ISMAI.Prof. Agostinhounderwent hisgraduate studiesin psychology,sociology, andanthropology aswell as trainingin psychoanaly-sis at Cornelland Vanderbilt.The internation-al characteristicof this Instituteis notable - insync with the spirit of the EuropeanUnion - and is primarily fostered byPeter Hawkins. A Reader in healthpsychology at Sunderland, he is visit-ing professor at the Universities ofSalamanca, Valencia and La Laguna,Spain; Taskent, Uzbekistan; Crete,Greece, and Cluj in Romania.Hawkins has been using clinical hyp-nosis since the 1980's. From 1987 hehas been a trainer and consultant forthe British Society of Medical andDental Hypnosis, and review editorfor the British Journal of CounsellingPsychology. He was recently appoint-ed honorary member of the BritishAssociation of Medical Hypnosis.

In Peter Hawkins' words, "Myfirst exposure to Ericksonian thinkingand practice was through Erickson's

& Rossi's Experiencing Hypnosis:Therapeutic Approaches to AlteredStates (Irvington, 1981), along withlistening to 'The Ocean MonarchLectures" audiotapes. There followedworkshops with Bill O'Hanlon andothers. As faculty at the Institute ofStrategic Psychotherapy in Rome,where Ernest Rossi also teaches,Hawkins became more familiar withEricksonian work.

Prof. Ana Rita has undergoneintensive training at the EricksonFoundation. Almeida and Hawkinspresented, "Dorothy Meets theWizard: An Allegory for aPsychodynamic Approach," at therecent Eighth International Congress,Erickson's Centennial Celebration inPhoenix (2001).

Clinical hypnosis is not wellknown in Portugal. The MHEInstitute has promoted training atISMAI including Jeffrey Zeig on"Brief Therapy: Key Concepts in theEricksonian Approach," PeterHawkins on "Hypnosis: ClinicalApplications," and Prof. Jose'Navarro Gongora (University ofSalamanca, Spain) on "FamilyTherapy: an Introduction." BrentGeary, Coordinator of Training at theFoundation, is scheduled to teach inSpring 2003. The Institute's foundingmembers have established anadvanced specialization course inClinical Hypnosis and BriefPsychotherapy at ISMAI. It is athree-year long training programintended for masters and doctoral-

I N T R O D U C I N G T H E I N S T I T U T E S

level health professionals. See:www.ismai.pt/elearn/hcpb.

To fully observe and oversee thetenets and ethical uses of hypnosis inPortugal, the MHEI Board ofDirectors invited Jose Marto, ManuelDomingos, and Claudia Carvalho, allof Lisbon, as well as other interestedprofessionals to create the PortugueseAssociation of Clinical Hypnosis.Along with the MHE Institute, theirobjective is to disseminate excellent

INSTITUTES REQUESTAD

work in the field of clinical hypnosisand to provide education and trainingprograms to a multi-disciplinarygroup of professionals. To that end,the Institute has published a hand-book by Peter J. Hawkins, Introducao'a Hipnose Clinica: Um guia paraProfissionais. (2001) Coimbra:Quarteto. The three members of theBoard have been accepted to presentat the upcoming Brief TherapyConference in Orlando, Florida.

Ana Almeida, Jeffrey Zeig, Agostinho Almeida,Fernando Almeida (Prof. Do ISMAI)

The Third Meeting of The Latin AmericanAssociation of Milton H. Erickson

Institutes and CentersReport by MHE Institute,

Florianopolis, Brazil.

The third meeting of the Latin American Association of Milton H. EricksonInstitutes and Centers was hosted by the MHE Institute of Florianopolis, Brazil,May 24-26, 2002. This successful meeting assembled most representatives fromthe 26 MHE Institutes in Latin America and nearly 200 attendees interested oralready practicing Ericksonian approaches to psychotherapy and hypnosis.

The main characteristic of this significant encounter was the spirit of frater-nity and fellowship among participants. Marcia Alencar, executive director,host-Institute and meeting organizer, introduced via PowerPoint, a historicaloverview of the Foundation, its founders and staff; Jeffrey Zeig's welcome; andthe history of each seven Institutes in Brazil. Themes presented ranged from"Indirect Work with Families," by Teresa Robles, Mexico, to, "EricksonianApproaches in Psycho-Oncology," by Margarida Carvalho, Brazil, both highlyrespected Ericksonian pioneers. Chile was present with, "An Overview ofEricksonian Hypnosis 22 Years After Erickson's Death," "The Use of Humor inEricksonian Therapy," and, "Brief Hypnotherapy in Health Psychology," byMario Pacheco, Sebastian Castro and Maria Elena Viveros respectively.Argentina presented, "Psychoprophylaxis in Surgery," by Doris Suchecky and,"Trapped in Her Own Body," by Maria Machado. Ana Luco, of France andChile, presented, "Bulimia and Boundaries Building."

Other contributions by Ericksonians were offered: Ricardo Feix on

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


INTERNATIONAL continued from page 8

INTENSIVES AD

"Chemical Dependency and Hypnotherapy;" Bayard Galvao with research on,"Relaxation, Trance, Hypnosis: Theoretical Perspectives;" Angela Mendonca,"Orienting Parents on Ericksonian Approaches;" Magda Pearson on, "EMDRand Hypnosis;" Mohamad Bazzi on "Advances of the Neurosciences inHypnology;" Antoni Althoff on "Pain Management;" Marcia Mathias on,"Smoking Cessation Programs in a Cardiovascular Hospital;" Sofia Bauer on,"Treating Anxiety and Depression with Hypnosis;" Marcia Alencar brought"Family Life Cycle;" and Marilia Baker, "Ericksonian Strategies with Couples."Ericksonians Leonardo Romao, Gustavo Mendonca, Gastao Ribeiro, andEduardo Penido also presented.

All presenters brought state-of-the-art perspectives connected with the psy-chosocial realities in the continent, thus creating opportunities for dialogue. Twopresentations, among so many highpoints, are of note, "The Evolution ofHypnosis, from the Classical Era to the Ericksonian," in which Ricardo Feix dis-cussed what and how each Institute in Latin America is 'doing' Ericksonian hyp-notherapy, and inviting representatives to further research and development.Sofia Bauer gave a moving homage to Dr. Erickson in showing her work "PassIt On," with her supervisees and patients. As a student of Stephen Gilligan earlyin her career, and inquiring how she could pay him, he told her: "Pass it on. Passon the knowledge, as Milton Erickson did with me." Sofia has created a behav-ioral health social clinic dedicated to "passing on the knowledge." Students agreeto see, gratis, a number of needy patients weekly, under her supervision, also probono. This commitment is for the duration of their training and for life. Theindomitable and generous spirit of Milton H. Erickson lives on.

In Memory of Dr.Jean GODIN

Jean Godin passed away onSeptember 7, 2002, at the age of 71.His love and fascination withEricksonian psychotherapy startedlong after he graduated from theUniversity of Bordeaux as a psychia-trist in 1960. As a seeker of what itmeans to be human, he later obtaineda doctorate degree in social psycholo-gy in 1972. His route started in thenavy as a military physician in IvoryCoast, in Madagascar and in NewCaledonia. When back in France in1974, he worked in private practice inBagnères de Bigorre in the Pyrenees,where he decided to get a cabin thathe greatly loved. In the late seventies,he moved to Paris. Very active insports, riding horses, playing polo,even being a fencing champion, hisinterests then moved to spendingmore time in studying philosophy andhypnosis.

I N M E M O R I U MHe learned about Ericksonian

hypnosis in Great Britain and, in 1984and 1985, met Jeffrey Zeig in Paris.The cause was on its way. Godinbegan organizing meetings with col-leagues and the first training inEricksonian hypnosis was set up inFrance in 1985. The famous Frenchtraditionalist hypnotherapist, Dr.Leon Chertok, acknowledged hiswork.

It was then a time of experimenta-tion and innovation. As a pioneer,Godin introduced Ericksonian hypno-sis in France, founded the first MiltonH. Erickson Institute in France, TheMilton H. Erickson Institute of Paris.He offered the opportunity to his stu-dents to be exposed and trained byimportant figures in the field, amongothers: Paul Watzlawick, Jay Haley,André Weitzenhoffer, Jeffrey Zeig,Betty Alice Erickson, Ernest Rossi,Herbert Lustig, Daniel Araoz, JoyceMills, Joseph Barber, GastonBrosseau, Philip Zindel, Nicole

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MEMORIUM continued from page 9

Cuddy, Jacques Quelet and many others.

Godin spent most of his time ingiving workshops and lectures inEricksonian hypnosis and in writingarticles and books. He wrote the sec-tion on hypnosis for the Encyclopédiemédico-chirurgicale (1991). Activetill the end of his life, he was anHonorary Member of the SociétéFrançaise d'Hypnose, President of theAssociation Française de NouvelleHypnose, and continued to give train-ing workshops and organizing sum-mer schools in France, Russia,Canada, Switzerland and Belgium.

Godin's legacy is a complex onethat comes from his talent as a trainer,his ability to gather people in enthusi-

DATE TITLE / LOCATION / LEADER CONTACTS2002

11/6-10 53rd Annual Workshops and Scientific Program / Boston, Mass. / Invited Faculty 1.

12/12-15 The Brief Therapy Conference: Lasting Solutions / Orlando, Fla. / Invited Faculty 2.

2003

1/18-19 Hypnotic Phenomena For Intervention: Expanding the Clinical Practice for Hypnosis / Paris, France / John H. Edgette, Psy.D. 3.

1/23-24 ISCT / Vienna, Austria / Invited Faculty 4.

1/24-26 Hypnosis and Corporate Success / Moscow, Russia / Edgette 5.

1/25-26 Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychotherapy / Munster, Germany / Zeig 6.

2/14-16 Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychotherapy / Guadalajara, Mexico / Zeig 7.

2/17-21 Intensive Training in Ericksonian Approaches to Brief HypnoticPsychotherapy - Fundamental / Phoenix, Ariz / Brent B. Geary, Ph.D, Zeig, and Invited Faculty 2.

2/24-28 Intensive Training in Ericksonian Approaches to Brief HypnoticPsychotherapy - Intermediate / Phoenix, Ariz. / Geary, Zeig, and Invited Faculty 2.

3/7-9 Three Voices...on Couples Therapy / Phoenix, Ariz. / John Gottman, Ph.D., Cloé Madanes, Ph.D., Pat Love, Ed.D. 2.

3/14-16 Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychotherapy / San Sebastian, Spain / Zeig 8.

3/20-23 M.E.G. Annual Conference & First World Congress of Ego State Therapy / Bad Orb, Germany / Invited Faculty 9.

4/3-6 Intensive Supervision Workshop in Ericksonian Clinical Hypnotherapy / New York, NY / Zeig 10.

4/4-6 & Level I: Fundamentals of Ericksonian Hypnotherapy / Dallas, 4/25-27 Texas / Betty Alice Erickson, MS, Deborah Beckman, MS, Will

Handy, LMSW-ACP 11.

4/19-26 Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychotherapy / Hong Kong, China / Zeig 12.

5/16-18 Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychotherapy / Guadalajara, Mexico / Zeig 7.

5/22-25 Latin American Erickson Congress / LeÛn, Gto., Mexico / Invited Faculty 13.

6/2-4 Introductory Hypnosis / Toronto, Canada / Zeig 14.

6/12-14 Love & Intimacy: The Couples Conference / Calif. / Invited Faculty 2.

7/11-13 & Level II: Intermediate Skills in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy / Dallas,8/1-3 Texas / Erickson, Beckman, Handy 11.

7/31-8/3 Intensive Supervision Workshop in Ericksonian Clinical Hypnotherapy / New York, NY / Zeig 10.

Contact Information:1. The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis; Tel, 617/236-5800;

P.O. Box 642114, Pullman, WA 99164-2114.2. The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc., 3606 N. 24th Street, Phoenix,

AZ 85016-6500; Toll-free tel, 1-877-212-6678; tel, 602/956-6196; fax, 602/956-0519; E-mail, [email protected] ;http://www.erickson-foundation.org

3. Dr. Victor Simon, Institut de Médecine Psychosomatique et d'HypnoseClinique, 26 Parvis Saint Michel, 59000, Lille, France; Tel, +33 (0)3 20 5740 07; Fax, +33 (0)3 20 57 99 00; E-mail, [email protected]

4. Sonja Radatz; E-mail, [email protected]. Anastassia Glinskaya, 31, Pokrovka, office 36, IGISP, 105062, Moscow,

Russia; Tel/Fax, (095) 924-10-18 or (095) 917-80-20 or (095) 917-80-28; E-mail, [email protected]

6. Helga Huesken Janssen; E-mail, [email protected]. Juan Francisco Ramirez Martinez; E-mail, [email protected]. Elizabeth Goitia; E-mail, [email protected]. Milton Erickson Gesellschaft Fur Klinische Hypnose (M.E.G.);

Waisenhausstrasse 55, D-80637 Munich, Germany; Tel, +49/89/340 29 720;Fax, +49/89/340 29 719; E-mail, [email protected] ; Web,www.meg-hypnose.de

10. Helen Adrienne, MSW, 420 East 64th Street, New York, NY 10021; tel,212/758-0125; E-mail, [email protected]

11. Deborah Beckman or Will Handy, The Milton H. Erickson Institute ofDallas, 4144 N. Central Expwy, Ste. 520, Dallas, TX 75204; Tel, 214-824-2009

12. George Zee; E-mail, [email protected]. Instituto Milton H. Erickson De LÈon, Laja #124, Jardines del Moral, C.P.

37160 Léon, Guanajuato, Mexico; E-mail, [email protected] or E-mail,[email protected]

14. Edythe Nerlich, Hincks-Dellcrest Institute, 114 Maitland Street, Toronto,ON, Canada M4Y 1E1; tel, 416/972-1935 ext.3341; fax, 416/924-9808; E-mail, [email protected]

To submit a listing for Upcoming Trainings, please send dates, title of work-shop, venue, city/state/country, list of presenters, and complete contact informa-tion ONLY. A $10 fee, per listing, is required. Deadline for the 2003 SpringIssue (April) is January 30, 2003. All workshop submissions are subject toapproval by the Erickson Foundation. For more information, please contact theErickson Foundation at 602/956-6196; or E-mail Production Assistant, KarenHaviley, [email protected].

UPCOMING TRAINING

asm and a cause, his concern of ethicsand his passing on the principles andknowledge of Ericksonian psy-chotherapy and hypnosis. In this lega-cy, Dr. Jean Godin invites us tocontinue our own routes and tributesto the field of hypnosis.

Christine GUILLOUXPsychologist-PsychotherapistIntroduced to Ericksonian hypnosisand trained by Dr. GodinVice-President of the SOCIETEFRANCAISE D'HYPNOSEVice-President of the MILTONH.ERICKSON NICE CÔTED'AZUR

Visit Our Website:www.erickson-foundation.org

Subscribe to the Erickson Listserv:www.topica.com/lists/EricksonList

REAL PEOPLE AD


CONFERENCE NOTESThe Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc., is sponsoring The Brief Therapy Conference: Lasting Solutions, December 12-15, 2002, at the Hilton Hotel in the Walt

Disney World® Resort, in Orlando, Florida. The program will include Keynotes, Workshops, Topical Panels, Supervision Panels, Dialogues, Conversation Hours,Clinical Demonstrations and Short Courses. Multidisciplinary Presenters to include Andreas, J Beck, Berg, Carlson, de Shazer, Dilts, Ellis, Erickson, Freeman,Gilligan, Goulding, Lankton, Miller, Norcross, Padesky, Papp, Polster, Prochaska, Rossi, Weiner-Davis, Wilson, Yapko and Zeig. Keynotes will be presented byNicholas Cummings, Pat Love, and Donald Meichenbaum.

ONSITE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE ONLY. For a complete brochure contact The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc., 3606 N. 24th Street, Phoenix,AZ 85016-6500; tel, 602/956-6196; fax, 602/956-0519; E-mail, [email protected]; Web site, www.erickson-foundation.org/brfther.htm .

The First World Congress of Ego State Therapy and the Annual Meeting of M.E.G. will be held March 20-23, 2003, in Bad Orb, Germany, sponsored by the MiltonErickson Society of Germany. The Congress celebrates the 25th anniversary of M.E.G. in Bad Orb.

The double-congress will feature workshops from the leading experts in the field of Ego State Therapy and Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychotherapy. The pre-senters include John Watkins, John G. Watkins, Claire Frederick, Maggie Phillips, Woltemade Hartman, Shirley McNeal, Pricilla Morton, Burkhard Peter, DirkRevenstorf, Gunther Schmidt, Susy Signer-Fischer, Bernhard Trenkle, Charlotte Wirl, and Jeffrey Zeig.

For information and registration contact: Milton Erickson Gesellschaft für Klinishce Hypnose M.E.G., Waisenhausstr. 55, 80637 München, Germany; Tel, +49 8934029720; Fax, +49 89 34029719; E-mail, [email protected]; Web, www.meg-hypnose.de

The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) is sponsoring the 45th Annual Scientific Meeting & Workshops on Clinical Hypnosis, "Visibility,Collaboration & Progress," April 4-8, 2003, in Alexandria, Va. The meeting will include an integrated mix of workshops, symposia sessions, lunch presentations andsocial events. In addition, Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced workshops will be offered. For more information, contact the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis-Education and Research Foundation, 140 N. Bloomingdale Road, Bloomingdale, IL 60108-1017 ; Fax, 630/351-8490 ; E-mail, [email protected]

The fourth Latin American Ericksonian Psychotherapy Conference, will be held May 22-25, 2003, in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. The Conference is organized bythe Instituto Milton H. Erickson de León. Invited presenters include Juan Pablo Alcántara, Marilia Baker, Adriana Barroso Santoyo, Sofia Bauer, Liliana Cané,Magguie Carvalho, Omar Chogriz, Iris Corzo Solis, Angela Cota Guimaraes, Gustavo Cota Guimaraes Mendonça, Cristina Cota Guimaraes Mendonça, Juan AntonioDe la Mora Vázquez, María Escalante Cortina, Gastón Hernández Zatarain, Cécile Laversin, Isabel León de Zegarra, Camillo Loriedo, Cloé Madanes, José AugustoMendonça, Carmen Milán, Sandra Ostrosky, Mario Pacheco, Marisol Segovia, Teresa Robles, Francisco Robles, and Gary Ruelas. The opening of the Conferencewill be presented by Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D.

For information contact the Instituto Milton H. Erickson de Léon, Laja #124, Jardines del Moral, C.P. 37160, Léon, Guanajuato, Mexico; Tel, +52 477 7175 828;E-mail, [email protected] or [email protected]

The International Society of Hypnosis is sponsoring the 16th International Congress on Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, August 2-8, 2003, in Singapore. The firstthree days of the Congress will include clinical skills workshops; the final three days include Scientific Papers and Invited Addresses. In addition a limited numberof invited workshops will be presented at the post-congress workshop program on the exotic tropical Thai Island of Phuket (space is limited).

For information contact 16th ISH Congress Secretariat, ICMS Pty Ltd., 84 Queensbridge Street, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia; Tel, +613 9682 0244; Fax, +6139682 0288; E-mail, [email protected] ; Web, www.icms.com.au/16ish

The Seventeenth International Congress of Hypnosis of the International Society of Hypnosis (ISH) will be held in Querétaro Mexico, October 2006. For moreinformation contact Centro Ericksoniano de México, Patricio Sánz 1205, Col. Del Valle, C.P. 03100 México, D.F., México; Web, www.hipnosis.com.mx ; Email,[email protected] or [email protected]

Research Brief onBrief Therapy

By C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D.&

Annellen Simpkins, Ph.D.

During the past twenty years therehas been movement toward shorten-ing the duration of treatment(Garfield & Bergin, 1994). Manyindividual research projects, as wellas meta-studies of research projects(Lambert and Bergin,1992), havefound that brief therapy can be aseffective, if not more effective, than

long-term therapy. In their overviewof psychotherapy research, Lambertand Bergin stated that brief therapyhas a significant effect on clients,with fifty percent showing improve-ment by the eighth session.

But critics of time-limited therapyhave since emerged, with researchfindings that seem to refute studiessupporting brief therapy. Theybelieve that limiting the number ofsessions of treatment is an unfairform of rationing therapy to clients,which often deprives them of com-pleting the process in depth. One ofthe proponents of this view, Ivan J.

Miller (1996) has denied the validityof a number of the studies of brieftherapy, asserting that these projectsdo not prove the superiority or equiv-alence of short-term therapy.

Dr. Erickson, in his usual clear-sighted manner, offered a shift in per-spective that dissolves thedisagreement. He described his treat-ment as a short-term, long-termmethod. He saw patients for a limitednumber of sessions, but he stimulatedin them a long-term learning process,directed to their individual needs andmotivations. The initial stimulus wascarefully considered and strategically

S P E A K I N G O F R E S E A R C H

planned by him, then introduced andfostered during the sessions. Deepercomprehensive learning, once initiat-ed, grew and evolved over time. "Inhis work, Erickson opened the doorfor change and in that way he had amajor impact on brief therapy"(Fisch, 1982, p.157). Numerous sto-ries tell of patients who returnedyears later to tell Erickson of themany discoveries and changes theyhad made during the years.

Lawrence Kubie agreed thatchange takes time; "There are manypatients who during the course oftreatment seem to their relatives,friends, and therapists as well to bemaking no progress at all, but whosome years later show that they havegained an enormous amount." (Kubie,

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The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter VOL. 22, NO. 2 13RESEARCHcontinued from page 12

EMDR AD

1973 881) Change isn't necessarilystandardized or linear.

Studies of short-term therapy withlong-term follow-ups at six months,five years, ten years, and twenty yearssupport this perspective. Patientsshowed increasing improvement aftertermination over ten years and contin-ued improvement up through twentyyears. Only half of the change tookplace during the time of treatmentitself. (Liberman in Frank, 1978)Short-term interventions have long-term effects.

Researchers face challenges incorrectly accounting for the slowprocess of maturation from brief psy-chotherapeutic interventions.Experimental methods, which arealways striving to be standardized inorder to be rigorous, run the risk ofbeing too limited, thereby missing thetruly significant data. But researcherswho are interested in measuring howtherapeutic change occurs areresourcefully creating sensitive andbroad research methods.

These new research methodsattempt to realistically represent the

individual change process as it occursin real-life therapy. For example, amethod known as the cohort-sequen-tial design uses groups to study long-term effects of change without theexpense and time of a longitudinalstudy (Anderson, 1993). This methodallows researchers to approximatelongitudinal data analysis by combin-ing information from different over-lapping subjects at different stagesalong a time continuum. This methodis frequently used for developmentalstudies, but could, according toAnderson, be adapted to examinechange following treatment.

A new method to help therapistspredict how many sessions a clientwill need was tested by Lambert,Hansen, & Finch (2001). They ana-lyzed data from over 10,000 patientsto understand the association betweenlength of treatment and improvementand then passed this information on totherapists.

With these and other creativeinnovations in methods and designs,we hope that research will discoverhow to make treatment optimal.Then, psychotherapists can achievetherapeutic goals, while protectingthe needs of the patient, without tak-ing longer than needed for effective-

ness.

References:Anderson, E.R. (1993) Analyzing

change in short-term longitudinalresearch using cohort-sequentialdesigns. Journal of Consultingand Clinical Psychology, 61.929-940.

Fisch, R. (1982). Erickson's impacton brief psychotherapy. In J.K.Zeig (Ed) EricksonianApproaches to Hypnosis andPsychotherapy. New York:Brunner Mazel.

Garfield, S. and Bergin, A.E. (1994).Introduction and historicaloverview. In S.L. Garfield andA.E. Bergin (Eds.), Handbook ofPsychotherapy and BehaviorChange (4th ed. pp3-22) NewYork: Wiley.

Kubie, L.S. (1973). The process ofevaluation of therapy in psychia-try. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry. 28.880-884.

Lambert, M.J. and Bergin A.E.(1992) Achievements and limita-tions of psychotherapy research.

In D.K. Freeheim, H.J.Freudenberger, J.W.S. Kessler,S.B. Messer, D.R. Peterson, H.H.Strupp, and P.L. Wachtel. (Eds.)History of Psychotherapy: ACentury of Change. Washington,D.C.: American PsychologicalAssociation.

Lambert, M.J. and Hansen, N.B.,Finch, A.E. (2001). Patient-focused research: Using patientoutcome data to enhance treat-ment effects. Journal ofConsulting and ClinicalPsychology. 69, 2, 159-172.

Liberman (1978) The maintenanceand persistence of change:Long-term follow up investiga-tions of psychotherapy. In J.D.Frank, R. Hoehn-Saric, S.D.Imber, B.L. Liberman and A.R.Stone. Effective Ingredients ofSuccessful Therapy. New York:Brunner Mazel

Miller, I.J. (1996). Time-limitedbrief therapy has gone too far:The result is invisible rationing.Professional Psychology:Research and Practice. 27, 6,567-576


Stories to Wet your BreathBy Terry Tafoya, Ph.D.

(Tape Incomplete)

2001 8th International Congress on Ericksonian Hypnosis and PsychotherapyPhoenix, AZ

See page __ for ordering information.

Tafoya, PhD, is a colorful figure; he dresses fully in contemporary NativeAmerican garb, complete with moccasins, long hair secured in braid holders andjewelry that he proudly explains was hand made by his relatives. He carriesdrums, rattles and other native ritual items to his presentations, using them topunctuate the salient points. Although only the drumbeats remain of the multi-sensory elements, these audiotapes contain a wealth of content that can in them-selves create their own atmosphere of cultural contact.

Splendidly conceived and presented, they offer aspects of some NativeAmerican cultures that have parallels in Ericksonian work. "Stories to Wet YourBreath" is a well-constructed presentation that follows a logical outline, buildingupon generally accepted principals of oral tradition and cultural identity.Blossoming within this frame is a series of stories that do more than just illus-trate the points Tafoya wishes to make. The stories simultaneously draw in thelistener, provide entertainment along with information and discretely give way toan experiential aspect that almost, but never fully, overtakes his classroom out-line. Using this strategy, Tafoya engages the audience to broaden their culturalperspectives and to appreciate the extent to which therapeutic observations andinterventions are bound by culture.

Tafoya's use of native stories creates a bridge between didactic elements andthe deeply layered wisdom that supports his topic. He uses his own experiencesand family traditions to invoke the cultural context within which the stories func-tion, when they were told and when they must not be told; their proper settings;the characteristics of the people for whom they were intended; and the multiplepractical, historical, ecological and spiritual levels they encompass.

A story of a big, hairy, bad-smelling monster whose favorite meal is ten chil-dren cooked over a fire has the commonplace use of scaring children into nothurting themselves with foolish behavior. It also teaches self-reliance, courage,thinking quickly, sharing knowledge, using and enhancing community, and thatnothing is evil and worthy of destruction. Even a monster, once transformed, hasa place in the world.

The tape has a major problem. It is incomplete due to a technical failure. Onlythe first of the two-tape presentation was recorded. Normally such a flaw wouldeliminate the tape from distribution. I requested that the Foundation make anexception here, because even in its truncated form, Stories to Wet Your Breath istoo valuable to throw away.

The didactic outline, the seductive storytelling and experiential integration allare the work of a polished presenter. The title, Stories to Wet Your Breath, maybe assumed by some to be a misprint - however, it isn't. It works beautifully asan intriguing invitation to extend one's thinking and expression. Tafoya instills adesire to learn more -- more about Tafoya's professional work, more about cross-cultural aspects of practice, more about integrating metaphors and stories intodaily work, and more about bringing experiential richness into every aspect oflife.

Stories to Wet your Breath - a confusing title for a clear presentation!

Reviewed by: Will Handy, M.S.Dallas, TX

The Widow as Butterfly: Working withGrief and Loss

By Terry Tafoya, Ph.D.

See page __ for ordering information.

At first listen, one may wonder what Tafoya is talking about The Widow asButterfly and how it relates to grief and loss. He is not using an outline-basedstructure to organize his talk - a sure way to startle an audience. Part way througha Native American teaching story, he digresses into a clarifying aspect of thePacific Northwest Native cultures from which the story sprang. That leads to acomparison to the traditions of the Taos Pueblo, in which Tafoya also has roots.Thorough explanation of the traditions of both cultures requires a glimpse at thelinguistics. This leads a further digression into cosmological underpinnings ofthose cultures' world views. He then makes a contrast to Euro-American tradi-tions, language, cosmology and culture. Finally the listener arrives back to thestory although not entirely sure how all the informative digression relates togrief.

The central story, about widows wrapping themselves in the grief of loss andlater emerging into a more beautiful phase of their lives, is well developed andbeautifully presented. The feeling of drifting initially gave me the sense thatTafoya was merely not so well prepared for this talk. Upon re-consideration, Ifelt this loose framework was purposeful, adding another element to the processof teaching. The stories drifted and evolved, hanging in the background like atapestry against the wall. This is true to the way stories are used in a less formalteaching environment, as was much of Erickson's work. I came away musinghow this drifting and apparently informal style might be used in my own psy-chotherapeutic practice.

In societies in which oral traditions are dominant, the elders extend their wis-dom in a blend of semi-structured stories integrated into everyday interactions.A major theme in the function of story and ritual is providing a framework onwhich to hang the meanings of one's life. Stories "mean" different things to achild, an adolescent, an adult and an elder. The structure of traditions and ritualsprovide markers for major changes in life, as well as giving opportunities both tofeel and to complete the emotions that accompany changes.

Though he presents a dense trove of images and concepts of assimilating, andgrowing, through grief, Tafoya doesn't provide nearly as much direct teaching ashe does in "Stories..." Many people simply have no context in which to integratesignificant loss. Tafoya's teaching of traditions, rituals and the support systemsof Native American in this tape do provide a frame for the building of a mean-ingful context.

Widow as Butterfly is an immersion of sorts, demonstrating how significantand dramatic metaphors can be interspersed within apparently less importantteachings. His voice is consistently kind and healing and he literally rushes topack in as much wisdom as he can in his limited time. These tapes, as well as anyopportunity to see Tafoya in person, are highly recommended. He is a master sto-ryteller and a rare teacher who can bring the reality of other thinking close so thatit can be both heard and felt.

Reviewed by: Will Handy, M.S.Dallas, Texas

T O P I C R E V I E W A U D I O T A P E S


See DISRUPTING on page 17

TOOLS AD

Profiles of HealingEdited by Bradford Keeney, Ph.D.

(A series of volumes, with includedCD's, on the theme of healing-All sold

individually)

Ringing Rocks Press, Ringing RocksFoundation, Philadelphia 2000-2002

Bradford Keeney has broadenedhis already impressive credentials bythis current focus on healers, shamansand alternative healing methods in amultiplicity of cultures. Currently,there are twelve imposing, individualvolumes in this set; others areplanned. The reasonable prices areamazing - soft-cover editions are lessthan $20 and hard-bound books in aslipcase are $40. The care and atten-tion to detail given to each of thesepresentations is evident. One of thevolumes Ikuko Osumi, Sensei:Japanese Master of Seitki Jutsu isbound accordion-fold style, adding aunique facet to the respectful presen-tation of this ancient practice of trans-mitting life energy.

This series is timely. Indigenouscultures and individuals who practiceways of native healing are endan-gered and becoming lost. Spirituality,the over-riding theme, is often over-looked in Western medicine. Thesevolumes illustrate the integration andinseparability of body and spirit.

There is a vastness of scope - froma Navajo medicine woman, to a Zuluhigh sanusi, from the rituals ofKalahari Bushmen to shamans ofSouth American rain forests and faithhealers of Brazil and Bali. Each cul-ture, each group, healer and shaman,each book, stands alone, but whentaken together provides a whole larg-er than the sum of the parts. Keeneyhas other volumes planned includingone on Milton Erickson, which hestates, "will bring to light the quietspirituality of an extraordinary heal-er."

The books are laden with exquis-ite photographs. Great care has clear-ly been taken to arrange thesephotographic glimpses in ways thatshow parts of ceremonies as well asparts of the lives of the people in thevarious regions. Songs, prayers, tradi-tional music and live words of vari-ous rites and ceremonies have beenrecorded and placed on the CD pro-viding an auditory accompaniment.

Keeney has focused almost exclu-

sively on the practitioners, on theirwords, songs and their ceremonies.There is no distraction of "someoneexplaining" what is happening. Thevoices of each of the healers andshamans is heard individually both inprint and on the CD's. They talk aboutthemselves, about the ways in whichthey were taught and the spiritualityin their ceremonies. The healing andrites are not explained; they areaccepted and expressed as they areunderstood by those who performthem. The effect of the photographs,written words of the people perform-ing the rituals and the accompanyingrecording of music and the actual cer-emonies is breathtaking.

Each of these volumes lets peopleexperience some of the ways in whichpeople of other cultures understandthe world that is around us all. We aregiven the opportunity to gain a bit ofthe wisdom and to appreciate differ-ent perspectives of life and healing.The experiential aspect allows thereader's conscious and unconscious toenter the ceremonies, to feel the sen-sations of those who are participatingin that life and to expand personalvision.

Keeney invites us all to becomepart of what he calls the "circle of tra-ditional knowledge that has survivedfor thousands of years." The Profilesof Healing series respectfully collectsand preserves the wisdom of indige-nous cultures even as they celebratethe differences.

Reviewed by: Betty Alice Erickson, M.S.Dallas, Texas

T O P I C R E V I E W

Disrupting CouplesConflictual

CommunicationBy Ellyn Bader, Ph.D.

Brief Therapy Conference 1998

See Page ___ for ordering information

Disrupting Couples' ConflictualCommunication was presented at theErickson Brief Therapy Conferencein 1998. Bader demonstrates one por-tion of her work with couples: dis-rupting couples in communicationconflict. In a 30-minute segment, shequickly introduces guidelines thatfacilitate new ways to interrupt pro-jecting and blaming, moving eachperson toward a greater experience ofdifferentiation. In the remainder ofthe video, she fields questions fromthe audience including the participa-tion of the "de-roled" clients.

Bader begins with a short expla-nation about collapsing a therapy ses-sion into an abbreviated format forthe sake of demonstration. She theninvites the couple to talk about whythey came to therapy. After severalminutes of dialogue between the two,she interrupts to explain how shemight help. She skillfully validatesboth positions and explains what shedid with some other couples who hadsimilar conflicts. With a clear con-tract for work from the couple in thatsession, she instructs both on a styleof dialogue to which they agree. Inaddition she uses simple writtenguides to assist each client in theirpart.

As Bader works, a lively, interac-tive, directive approach is witnessed.She slows and monitors the couple'sinteraction and interrupts them to

V I D E O R E V I E W


SCSEPH AD

PUBLISHER'S NOTES

Review of "The Handbook of Ericksonian Psychotherapy"The August 2002 issue of The Hungarian Journal of Psychotherapy, includes

a review of "The Handbook of Ericksonian Psychotherapy," (Page 287) [TheMilton H. Erickson Foundation Press, 2001], edited by Brent B. Geary, Ph.D.,and Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D. For more information contact The Hungarian Journalof Psychotherapy: Szil·gyi E. fasor 109, 1026 Budapest, Hungary; Tel/Fax, (36-1) 225-8896; Web, www.pszichoterapia.hu ; E-mail, [email protected]

French Translation of Erickson BooksThe Collected Papers of Milton H. Erickson (Erickson, Rossi), has been

translated into French by Editions Satas Publishing in Brussels, Belgium. Thefour volumes may be purchased for the price of 170 Euros (plus shipping). Thevolumes also may be purchased individually. The French version of TheFebruary Man also is available for 35.90 Euros (plus shipping).

For more information contact Editions Satas Publishing: Web, www.satas.beor by E-mail, [email protected]

Hipnosis ClÌnica. Obra Selecta de Milton H. Erickson en hipnosis No.1: El Manual

A Spanish language translation of selected papers of Milton H. Erickson,edited by Luis Miguel Gómez Díaz, is available through Solingraf publishingcompany. For information, contact Marqués de Monteagudo 18, 3.o izqda.,28028 Madrid, Spain; Tel, 91 725 14 15; Fax, 91 356 67 01; E-mail, [email protected] or [email protected]; Web, www.editamostulibro.com

Einzelunterricht bei EricksonThe German translation of Experiencing Erickson, authored by Jeffrey K.

Zeig, Ph.D. (Brunner/Mazel, 1985), is now available through Carl-Auer publish-ing company. For information contact www.carl-auer.de

French

Creer le reel.Hypnose et Therapy

Ed Seuil La Couleur des Idees

By Thierry Melchior

Published in 1998, ThierryMelchior's Creer le reel: Hypnose etTherapy shows the development ofhypnosis in Europe. A comprehensivepresentation of hypnosis and brieftherapy, it provides a reflection aboutthe role of language and communica-tion in the development of hypnosis.

The core chapters of the book aresix and seven. After presenting a briefsummary of hypnosis, from Mesmerto Milton Erickson, the author devel-ops a theory of hypnosis as a model ofcommunication and the relationbetween language, reality and imagi-nation.

Melchior's ideas are intriguing.

F O R E I G N B O O K R E V I E W SWhat is a suggestion? Is it a descrip-tion of what is happening? Or of whatis going to happen? Or could it bewhat J. Austin named a "Performatif"an act in itself done only throughwords, as in, "I now pronounce youman and wife?" If communication isalready an act of hypnosis, does thetherapist need to declare that he isworking with hypnosis?

Melchior reminds us that in hyp-nosis, there can be more than twopeople involved. In fact, he describesat least 23 possible ways to have adialogue between the therapist andthe patient. Among them are: Whothe patient will be? Who the patientwas? Who the patient wants to be?Who the patient didn't want to be? Or,what he calls a "partial destinataire"-the patient's body or part of thepatient's body? All different relation-ships and inter-relationships are pos-sible.

Readers are invited not only to

practice hypnosis but to reflect upontheir practice. In a sensible and intel-ligent way, he opens new doors forthe reader, mixing philosophy, psy-choanalysis, linguistics, theory andpractice.

Reviewed by: Gerard Fitoussi, M.D.Las Vegas, Nev.

French

Erickson, Hypnoseet Psychotherapie

By Dominique Megglé, M.D.

In Erickson, Hypnose etPsychotherapie, we follow the life ofMilton H. Erickson M.D., from hisbirth, December 5, 1901 in Aurum,Nevada until his move to Phoenix,Arizona in 1948. In this unpretentiousbook, Meggle gives a brief account ofthe life of Erickson and of the intro-duction of his work in France and the

rest of Europe.

This reviewer enjoyed the inter-twining of a biography, theory andpractice of hypnosis. The opinions,enthusiasm, and frustrations - the"coup de gueule" of Meggle's work-ing as a psychiatrist added to theenjoyment.

The charm of the book alsoemphasized what is missing. It is nota thorough biography of Erickson.Neither is the book a detailed presen-tation of hypnosis. It is a little bit ofthis and a little bit of that. However, itis interesting to muse and to movealong with Meggle and discover somepearls along the road.

Ericksonian Hypnose etPsychotherapie is mostly for readerswho are unfamiliar with Erickson orhis works or for those who want aquick and refreshing view ofEricksonian influences in Europe.

Reviewed by:Gerald Fittoussi, M.D.Las Vegas, Nev.


ADV. WORKSHOPS ADclarify or to model empathy. She reframes negative assessments and uses theirown language to create a new experience for them.

The video displays her clear, engaging, informal and assuring style. Sheeffectively and adroitly interrupts ramblings and brings the couple back to thework that is facing them. The work appears direct, natural and easy, a sign of awell-skilled and knowledgeable therapist.

This clinician enjoyed viewing the tape several times to glean pointers withconflicted couples. It would certainly be an asset to any therapist interested inimproving his/her repertoire with difficult couples. As I watched, I was hopingthe work would continue over several sessions as the process grew. The coupleappeared encouraged as they agreed on a home assignment and another session.

Questions from the audience could seldom be heard, but were usually clari-fied by Bader. Her answers described her thinking about this couple and why sheproceeded as she did. After the session, she continued to clarify her approachusing several examples of other couples with whom she has worked.

Overall, Disrupting Couples Conflictual Communication is a valuable tapefor clinicians, not only for those interested in focusing on difficult couples, butfor all therapists interested in clear communication between clients.

Reviewed by,Shari Porter JungDallas, Texas

DISRUPTINGcontinued from page 15


FrenchActes de 2* Forum

Francophoned'Hypnose et de

Therapies BrevesEd d l' Arbousier. Mai 2001

Take 300 participants, 50 speak-ers, the wonderful location of Vaison-La Romaine in the south of France,add a pinch of enthusiasm, somecuriosity, a desire to learn and share -all under the supervision of the mas-ter-chef, Dr. Patrick Bellet, FoundingPresident of the French SpeakingConfederation of Hypnosis and BriefTherapy and you end up with a won-derful recipe for the field ofEricksonian Hypnosis and BriefTherapy!

The two volumes of The ForumFrancophone d'Hypnose et deTherapies Breves transcribe the dis-cussions and presentations in this col-loquia. Topics have a wide rangefrom conceptualizations and reflec-tions on hypnosis to direct applica-tions for terminally ill patients, aswell as ways of helping with phantomlimb pain and preparation for preg-nancy. Drs. Fischer and Costi, two

F O R E I G N B O O K R E V I E W Spsychiatrists in private practice,describe their work with psychoticpatients. With boldness yet with pru-dence they began working with hyp-nosis five years ago-now they enterdaring new territory. Dr. Jean-PatrickZicarelli discusses failures whileusing hypnosis, reminding us thathypnosis, despite it usefulness, is nota panacea.

There is a small but moving dedi-cation to the memory of Dr. JacquesQuelet who died in1999. Quelet was amilitary physician at Saint-Cyr andPolytechnique, the French equivalentof West Point. He was one of the few,along with Dr. Jean Godin, to partici-pate in the renewal of hypnosis inFrance, training and teaching col-leagues with humor and clarity aswell as helping so many patients.

The Colloquia of Vaison-laRomaine is not yet a tradition, but it'swell on its way to becoming one inthe French-speaking world of hypno-sis. The two volumes, ForumFrancophone d'Hypnose et deTherapies Breves, demonstrate thatconvincingly.

Reviewed by:Gerard Fitoussi, M.D.Las Vegas, Nev.

RussianNew Lessons in

HypnosisBy Betty Alice Erickson, M.S.

Publishing House "Class"2002

New Lessons in Hypnosis, writtenin Russian, is for both beginning stu-dents of hypnosis and experiencedpractitioners. Based on a seminarErickson gave in Moscow in 1996, itbegins with descriptions of funda-mental concepts and principles ofEricksonian psychotherapy. It dis-cusses the conscious and uncon-scious, and vital principles ofinteractions between people, espe-cially the therapist and the patient.

The book is replete with examplesfrom her personal cases and fromexperiences gained from her father,Milton H. Erickson, M.D.Illustrations are carefully chosen toinform and to provide a sense of whoErickson herself is, as well as who herfather was. Many stories come fromMilton Erickson's work with evenmore from her own clinical practice.These case examples and storiesexpand sights and perspectives ofreaders in ways not easy to predict.

Much has been published aboutMilton Erickson with stories of howhe raised his children. New Lessons inHypnosis gives readers the chance tosee this from the perspective of thechild, and at the same time it presentshis daughter's professional insightsinto some of his work.

Ms. Erickson provides plenty ofdemonstrations of hypnosis showinghow to elicit various phenomena. Inany seminar Erickson teaches therealso are elements of group psy-chotherapy. The transcripts of trancesfor resolution of various problemsprovide useful examples of how sheworks and gives ideas to readers. Insummary, this book becomes a manu-al for her work.

Although Erickson draws cleardistinctions between her work and herfather's contributions, it is impossibleto separate them completely. Thepreface acknowledges that, stating,"...that of all the Ericksonian psy-chotherapists, Betty Alice will alwayshave one unique characteristic. She isthe only one who can begin a story,'Once upon a time, Daddy said ... '"

Reviewed by: Eugene Don, Psych.Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine

HEALING THE WHOLE PERSON

A Solution-Focused Approach to UsingEmpowering Language, Emotions, and

Actions in TherapyBy Robert McNeilly

Wiley and Sons, 2000

A lovely dictionary definition of the word approach is, " to come closer ordraw nearer." In numerous case presentations, in his book, Healing the WholePerson, McNeilly demonstrates how readily clients are able to come closer to asolution as he draws them nearer to their circumstances. For example, heempowers angry clients by first observing the subtle distinctions between resent-ment, indignation, frustration, and rage. Then, he combines an apt reframingwith directed action.

In fine Ericksonian tradition, McNeilly first demonstrates how the therapistcan know where to focus, and then, utilizing the client's energy and resources,how to shift the client's focus. The experienced clinician can take pride in rec-ognizing his own strengths while finding ways to catalyze movement to the next

possible level. "Inexperienced" therapists will discover a variety of ways to min-imize their frustrations and accelerate their learning curve. Due to the clarity ofMcNeilly's presentation, beginning therapists and graduate students can go along way toward formalizing their own approach, both theoretically and practi-cally.

The indexes and tables of content are very helpful. So is reading this bookfrom cover to cover. However, I would also encourage the experienced, and"temporarily challenged," therapist to just open the book and see how thenumerous tables and tasks might inspire you to assist your clients with more thanwords.

McNeilly's Healing the Whole Person, consistently offers ways to guide aclient into physically experiencing and expressing the solution while in the ses-sion. It, provides ways of encouraging the client to continue the healing expres-sion in their lives.

This reviewer couldn't be more delighted to offer appreciation for such athoughtful and tidy presentation of a complex theory. This is not simple stuff; itis simply offered.

Reviewed by: Deborah Beckman, M.S., LPC, Dallas, Texas

B O O K R E V I E W


HOW THE WORDHEALS

Hypnosis inScriptures

By John Lentz, D.Min.

Published by iUniverse, Inc. Lincoln, NE 2002

When I got How The Word Heals-Hypnosis in the Scriptures- by JohnLentz I was curious about its con-tents. It was not merely a book usinghypnotic devices to analyze the HolyScriptures; it was a lot more.

Reading this book as a text givesthe reader the opportunity to findmeanings in the Scriptures that can beused by both believers and non-believers. Special attention is given tothe way language is used in the Bibleand how indirect suggestions, refram-ing, symbols directives, and futureorientation, among a wide variety oftechniques can be found throughoutthe Bible. A good example can befound in Chapter five where theBeatitudes are reviewed. The first one"Blessed are the poor in spirit fortheirs is the Kingdom of Heaven," isinterpreted as a means to alter thereader's attitude about the world, andthemselves in the world. How theWord Heals, provides ideas, opensdoorways and helps therapists seednew ideas when their clients, as Rev.Lentz says, "Are blocked by theirfocus on themselves," thus promotinga more outward focus. When I wasreflecting on this, I immediately real-ized how this same chapter could beused during treatment of depressionas a means to help people regain per-spective and hope.

Rev. Lentz shows a vast numberof hypnotic devices that imply care tothe reader and are interspersed inverses that create confusion in thebook of Philippians. This book is afitting further legacy of Dr. Erickson'sinfluence since it could not have beenwritten without using an Ericksonianperspective and understanding ofHypnosis. Furthermore, by usingHypnotic devices to analyze the Bibleand showing how often caring andhealthy messages are implied andembedded in the text, another realiza-tion about Erickson emerges: Manypeople recognize a spiritual dimen-sion to Erickson's work. If spiritual is

defined as respectfully demonstratingcare and compassion while enhanc-ing healthy living and positive self-respect, then Dr. Erickson's work, likethe Bible, is very spiritual.

Rev. Lentz's comments also are anexcellent source of ideas that can helpcounselors during therapeuticprocesses. For example, the chapterdealing with the book of Ruth empha-sizes how tragedies can influencesomeone's life and even become asource of inner strength and positivemotivation, thus promoting strongerpersonal beliefs. The book also showsexamples of language using rapport,congratulation and motivation, whichare fundamental during the therapeu-tic processes. In my opinion, theseideas could be tailored to specificcases. I have found some to be espe-cially useful when treating peoplewho have suffered strong accidents.

The book also inspired me to usea passage from Genesis to promotepositive imagery for a client. I real-ized that using imagery from Genesiscould enhance the whole processes.The words "The Earth was a formlessvoid" (this can be a metaphor forareas where tissues were either hurt orlost, where there is "nothing").Imagery about how the world wascreated could be a means for enhanc-ing cell growth during both treatmentand natural healing processes.

"How the Word Heals-Hypnosisin the Scriptures," by John Lentz isboth inspiring and resourceful. This isa book all therapists should have atthe office, because it offers so manypractical uses for language with allclients, no matter what their beliefsare. One does not need to read it step-by-step, or chapter-by-chapter. Bystarting it at any page, one will surelyfind an endless source of ideas bothfor therapy and one's personal life.

Reviewed by:Maria Escalante Cortina, M.A.Centro Ericksoniano de México

B O O K R E V I E W


International Handbook of ClinicalHypnosis

Graham D. Burrows, Robb O. Stanley & Peter B. Bloom, (editors)

Wiley & Sons, United Kingdom, 2001

Hypnosis is used today by more and more practitioners, in more and moreinstitutions and with treatment for more and more illnesses and diseases. Factsand data about hypnosis are increasing. We are learning about its uses, its resultsand about the consequences of using it. It is not easy for most to keep in touchwith all the advances. In fact, it is easy to get lost in some of the contradictoryinformation.

The newly published resource, the International Handbook of ClinicalHypnosis provides much needed information. It offers a wide range of topics andchapters authored by senior researchers and clinicians, including perspectives onthe relatively new field of hypnosis and psychoneuroimminology. New informa-tion can expand and sometimes change traditional views of hypnosis; how itworks; and how it can be utilized. In Chapter Five, Helen J. Crawford invali-dates the usual but incorrect assertion that hypnosis is a right hemisphere task.She states on page 61, "There is a growing evidence that hypnotic phenomenaselectivity involve cortical and sub-cortical process of either hemisphere depen-dant upon the nature of the task..."

Further discussions refer to work published by Laidlaw in 1996 and 1997, inwhich subjects were given hypnotic suggestions about physical reactions to aller-gens. The mechanisms of physiological changes brought about by the hypnosiswere outlined. Some of the changes included a lessening of anxiety as well as alowering of blood pressure. In maxilla-facial surgery patients, for example, it isbelieved that hypnosis assisted in a reduction of surgical blood loss.

Dabney Ewing, a physician at Tulane University definitively states, inChapter 19, his beliefs and clinical observations about the use of hypnosis in thetreatment of burn patients. He emphasizes that hypnosis is the psychiatricmodality of choice for burn patients and predicts, "it will not be long before aburn center is considered inadequately staffed without someone competent in theuse of hypnosis." What a long way hypnosis has come since Mesmer and the

Franklin Royal Commission!

Further, Ewing points out, hypnosis can be used at every stage to help apatient overcome the excruciating pain and the anxiety that comes with severeburns. Hypnosis also has positive results in the constant fights against infection,guilt, anger, regression, difficult changes in body image, and the arduous tasksof rehabilitation that thermal or chemical injuries produce. Empirical studieshave also shown that hypnosis decreases the amount of inflammation if it usedin the first hours after the burn.

Some chapters, such as the one on the use of hypnosis for burns, are unequiv-ocal in support. However, there are some questions about various areas wherethere is still no definitive answer, despite definitive investigation. The debateabout the efficacy of hypnosis in the treatment of depression is still open.Burrows and Boughton, conclude that "there is still no empirical data to provethe use of hypnosis in depression" (p.136) and "it is time for an open assessmentof hypnosis in depressions." (p.139)

The last chapter is devoted to the negative consequences of hypnosis wheninappropriately or ineptly applied. Hypnosis is an empowering method forpatients but can have good and bad consequences, depending on its usage. Thenegative consequences could be mild and transitory or severe, like psychoticdecompensation, depression, panic reactions and suicidal acting out. Thisreminds us that the practice of hypnosis requires training, supervision, and prac-tice. The golden rule is to not treat any illness with hypnosis that one would notbe competent to treat without hypnosis.

A handbook is, according to Webster's Dictionary, a book capable of beingconveniently carried as a ready reference. This handbook is not completelyaligned with that definition because numerous subjects are not covered, includ-ing hypnosis in skin diseases, sports medicine and geriatric populations. It is,nevertheless, a very useful reference where the most advanced concepts andresearch on hypnosis are reported. It offers a profusion of footnotes, allowingthe reader to further pursue his own research.

A book for beginners, or for the experienced practitioner, the InternationalHandbook of Clinical Hypnosis opens new paths and pushes the frontiers of whatis thought possible with hypnosis. The book can add to the knowledge and bold-ness of hypnosis practitioners providing a more secure ground with data backingup office practices.

Reviewed by:Gerard Fitoussi, M.D.Las Vegas, Nev.

B O O K R E V I E W

Brief Therapy With Individuals andCouples

Jon Carlson and Len Sperry (Eds.)

Zeig Tucker and Theisen, Inc., Phoenix, AZ 2000

Brief Therapy with Individuals and Couples is a collection of well-writtenessays that provides a basic overview of 17 approaches to time-limited psy-chotherapy. Several strategies from within the cognitive, behavioral, psychody-namic and constructivist traditions are outlined, as well as newer ones such asEMDR and the biopsychosocial approach. Each theory is presented conciselyand includes references that direct the curious reader to classic texts for moredetailed information.

The editors, Jon Carlson and Len Sperry state in their introduction they want-ed to, "...gather writings from the divergent field of brief therapy into a singlesourcebook that would include therapy with both individuals and couples." Theycertainly achieved their goal. The book is well edited, and thought provoking.

The articles themselves are kept brief (averaging 30 pages) and follow stan-dard format: the origins of the theory, clinical indications for use, primary strate-

gies, and case examples. It is well constructed, unifying the essays in a waythat highlights their individual differences thereby making them more distinctand accessible. It provides also a welcome flow to the book so often missingin other collections of essays.

Arnold Lazarus, Francine Shapiro, Bruce Ecker, Len Sperry and MichaelHoyt are among the contributing writers. Included also are essays on objectrelations, Adlerian, reality, imago, solution focused and Rational-Emotivefamily therapies, as well as the Satir System and Psychoeducational strategies.

While Erickson is mentioned throughout, there is no specific essay deal-ing with hypnotherapeutic approaches to brief therapy. Curiously, no articlesfrom the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto Calif. are included, despitetheir pioneering work in the field. The book is a solid college text or primerfor anyone curious about how other traditions solve the problem of doingtherapy briefly.

Reviewed by:Tom Kennedy, LPCDenver, Colo.

B O O K R E V I E W


See INTERVIEW on page 22

INTERVIEWcontinued from page 1"Nicole:

An Erickson CaseFollowed for 22

Years"John Frykman, Ph.D.

2 cassette tapes: IC-01 W47 AB 8th.International Congress on Ericksonian

Approaches--2001

Nicole was the last patient MiltonErickson treated. The four-hour 1979session was videotaped and then edit-ed to just one hour. Frykman, a col-league enrolled in one of Erickson'sseminars, then continued seeingNicole sporadically during the next22 years.

The audiotaped presentation madeby Frykman includes some ofErickson's words to Nicole as well asa discussion by Frykman about whatboth he and Nicole learned from thefour hours spent with Erickson.

Nicole was a 19-year old who hadbecome paralyzed after an automo-bile accident. Erickson speaks to herwith his usual charm and determina-tion. He insists that Nicole sit facinghim, with her back to her mother.Then he tells her "You have an under-exercised dimple." Nicole's immedi-ate reaction was a smile but theunusual phrasing was clearly multi-level communication.

A lengthy examination had con-vinced Erickson that most of Nicole'spain was reminiscent pain. Hebelieved she had shut down psycho-logically because of guilt related tothe accident. Talking to her, he tellsof his own paralysis and about theparalysis of one of his patients. Bothof the stories have a theme of slowrecovery.

He continues, telling her that oneof his own children "knew that peoplewalked." That child, in her determina-tion, screamed with frustration beforeshe learned to walk. "How do youthink you scream?" asked Dr.Erickson, capturing and fixingNicole's attention with this unusualquestion.

"First you take a deep breath...."What wonderful, playful interven-tion! Nicole then knew frustration isnatural and had a way to express it.Expression of emotions can lead toless guilt. It would be difficult forNicole to remain "shut down psycho-

logically" when she recognizedscreaming was an option and anoption suggested by a physician whohad also felt the frustration of paraly-sis.

On follow-up visits with Nicole,Frykman was struck by the continu-ing usefulness of Erickson's words tohim. "Study human anatomy for visu-al clues. Be a good observer. Look forthe meaning." Frykman also observedthe enduring effect of Erickson'swork with Nicole. She began usingher hands and expressing her emo-tions more freely. She even beganwearing purple.

Later, Nicole said that eventhough much of the session was "veryvague" to her, "It was very wise toturn my back on my mother. I wasfeeling that way anyway," she said.

Frykman continued to work withNicole. Her stormy marriages and herspiritual development during theyears are also discussed in this tape.

At this point in time, 22 yearsafter her session with Erickson,Nicole still has pain in her legs, butshe can walk with the aid of a walker."I was always looking for a cure,"says Nicole. Erickson's metaphor andsuggestion to Nicole was "An Indianhunts by waiting on a rock in the for-est" letting her know that she didn'tknow the possibilities of the futureand that patience and frustration areboth integral to eventual success.

It would have been wonderful tosee Erickson's work on the videotape.It was less so to hear about it on theaudio. Nevertheless, Frykman's com-ments and his own excellent work,along with Nicole's conversationswith him, provide a unique view ofbuilding on Erickson's work over aprolonged period of time.

This set of cassette tapes, Nicole,An Erickson Case has historical inter-est for Ericksonian therapists. It is awonderful example of how, in onefour-hour session, Erickson's voice isheard on such a deep level thatchanges continue for decades after.

Reviewed by:Eric Greenleaf, Ph.D.The Alameda, Calif.

A U D I O TA P E R E V I E W

books and more than 400 journalarticles.

Dan Short (DS): What do youconsider your greatest area ofaccomplishment?

Nicholas Cummings (NC): I amprimarily a psychotherapist. This hasalways been my first priority. I start-ed private practice in 1948. For morethan 50 years no matter what else Iwas doing, whether I was running themental health system at Kaiser orfounding a new company, I wouldstill see 40-50 patients a week. Iwould see all of my patients onMondays and Tuesdays starting at3:00 AM and working until midnight.My sessions were 45 minutes so that Icould see four patients in each three-hour block. While working with allof my professional projects I neverstopped my practice. Throughout mycareer I have remained a psychother-apist in the trenches.

DS: How did you decide tobecome a therapist?

NC: I was a paratrooper in WorldWar II. Forty percent of the fatalitiesfor paratroops was psychological.There was a superstition among thetroops that the average life expectan-cy of a paratrooper was four jumps.If he was an officer it was only twojumps. This belief helped alleviateanxiety and allowed the solider tojump into combat for their first, sec-ond, and third battle. But when itcame time for the forth jump the sol-dier would freeze at the door. This iswhat we called "jump door fever."The jump sergeant would then haveto put his boot in their back and forcethem out the jump door. Invariablyunder these circumstances the trooperwould go into a panic state and whenhe hit the ground he would forget allof his training and be dead withinminutes.

Dr. William Menninger (CarlMenninger's brother), the ChiefPsychiatrist for the military duringWW II, conceived the idea that if thesoldier could be talked out of the doorhe would not go into a panic state. Sohe brought several of us paratroopcombat officers in for special trainingat a school in Long Island. Myteacher was Freda FrommReichmann. She taught us how totalk the paratrooper out the door in

five seconds. The five-second inter-val was critical because jumpingsooner than that would cause theparatroopers to run into each other. Ifthe jump was delayed the paratroop-ers would be spread too thin whenthey landed. After I took that coursefrom Freda Fromm Reichmann, Inever lost another solider to "jumpdoor fever."

She was a remarkable woman. Iwas having coffee with her oneevening and said, "If I survive thisbloody war then I am going tobecome a psychiatrist so that I canfind out why, when frightened ofdeath, people do things that hastentheir death." She said, "If that is thetype of question you are going to ask,don't become a psychiatrist, becomea psychologist because that is whereyou will get training in research." Ihad finished premed and was destinedto go to medical school when I wasdrafted. After returning from the warI completed a second B.A. in psy-chology, so that I would be acceptedinto the psychology program atBerkley. It was Freda FrommReichmann that gave me the idea ofbecoming a psychologist and it wasshe who taught me how to do brieftherapy in only five seconds.

DS: You are a person who hasspent an enormous amount of ener-gy looking for ways to help otherpeople.

NC: I had an important epiphanynear the end of WW II. I had beenwounded in battle. I almost died frommachine gun wounds in my abdomenand left knee. While still in recoveryat the field hospital I found out thatmy company was assigned to liberatethe concentration camp atBuchenwald. With armies moving infrom the East and West, Hitler hadgiven the order that every Jew shouldbe dead before the allies arrived. Theinfantry was not going to be able tomake it in time so once again theycalled in the Eighty-second Airbornetroops to parachute in. My companywas assigned Buchenwald. I remem-bered saying to myself, "My God, Idid not go through all this to miss outon the one thing I fought the war for."I got up and started walking out of thehospital with a cane. The medicalofficer tried to stop me. He said hewas going to court-martial me. I


replied, "Well that is the only wayyou will stop me." So I was probablythe only paratrooper in the history ofthe war to parachute carrying a cane.

What we found at Buchenwaldwas horrific. The stench of decayinghuman flesh was everywhere. TheGermans were killing Jews so fastthey did not have time to bury them.They were just pushing them asidewith bulldozers. The slaughter wasso grotesque. That experiencechanged my life. Before that time Iwould have never believed thathumans could be so inhuman towardone another if I had not seen it withmy own eyes. We captured theguards and liberated the inmates.Those that were still alive were ema-ciated and near death.

So after the war I did a lot of workwith holocaust survivors in SanFrancisco. They loved working withme because I had been there.

DS: Brief therapy would nothave been an accepted approach atthis time.

NC: After returning from the warand getting into graduate school I wasmade to feel terrible about the use offive second therapy with the soldiers.I was told that I had probably dam-aged them for life, never mind thefact that the intervention saved theirlife. So as penitence I went into train-ing in New York to become a psycho-analyst.

Erik Erikson was my training ana-lyst. I saw him four days a week. Inthe tenth month he said, "We aregoing to go two more months andthen we will finish." I said, "What doyou mean? I am supposed to be inanalysis for years of training." Hesaid, "No. If we continue your psy-choanalysis beyond two more monthsyou will become a brilliant insuffer-able psychoanalyst. But if we stopnow you will spend the rest of yourlife innovating." I was furious. Thiswas the one and only time that Ijumped off the couch and faced him.I said if he discontinued the training Iwould go out and get another analyst.He said, "If you want to do that it isyour privilege but then the blood willnot be on my hands." We spent thelast two months arguing about this.He won.

I returned to San Francisco,

bought a leather couch and began mypractice as a psychoanalyst. Afterabout two years I realized that if thiscontinued I would be seeing theseclients four or five times a week forseven to ten years and at the end ofmy life have only reached 80 or lessindividuals. This seemed so terriblyinefficient. I thought back to the dayswhen I was saving paratroopers livesby talking them out the jump door infive seconds. Then I saw the adver-tisement for the job of ChiefPsychologist at Kaiser Permanente. Iwas chosen for the job of bringinggood mental health to enrollees.

In 1957 I wrote the first compre-hensive, prepaid, reimbursable psy-chotherapy benefit in the UnitedStates. Before I wrote this no healthinsurance company would reimbursefor psychotherapy. Before 1957, psy-chotherapy was considered unworthyof reimbursement. Their practice wasthought to be too ethereal.Actuarialists would say, "How long ispsychotherapy? It is as long as apiece of string."

From 1957 to 1960 I was able todevelop a prepaid psychotherapy ben-efit that covered approximately twomillion people. Up until that time aperson had to be wealthy in order toreceive psychotherapy. There was noinsurance. We soon found out thatwhen blue collar workers came in forpsychotherapy they did not knowhow to lay on the couch and free asso-ciate. No matter how much you triedto teach them they would not do it.After multiple failures we decided tostart listening to our clients and that iswhen we developed the model ofintermittent psychotherapy through-out the life cycle.

DS: Please explain thisapproach to psychotherapy.

NC: I invented the model knownas focused intermittent psychotherapythroughout the life-cycle. The think-ing prior to this was that the patientwould continue to come for psy-chotherapy until a permanent curewas obtained. Of course, nobodycould ever let go of the therapybecause how could you ever say thatyou will never again need help. I sawpsychotherapy differently, more simi-lar to how a physician practices. Youcome in to your family doctor withthe flu and he treats that problem. Hedoes not keep you on weekly visits

until there is evidence that you willnever again need medical attention.This new model stated that through-out the life-cycle there will be timeswhen a person might need psy-chotherapeutic help. Some peopleneed help when leaving home for thefirst time or getting married or losinga job or getting a divorce or retiring orgrowing old. Rather than startingover with a new therapist each time Ienvisioned a single therapist follow-ing an individual throughout the life-cycle. This model was first describedin the early 1960‚s in a paper titled"The General Practice ofPsychology," and has since workedvery well.

To support my claims I developeda research program that would trackthe outcomes of a focused psy-chotherapy benefit offered to 30,000subscribers over a period of threeyears. We found that over 60 percentof physician visits were based on psy-chosomatic complaints. What con-vinced the insurance company of thevalue of this benefit was the moneythat was saved in medical expenses.Kaiser went from making psychother-apy an exclusion to making it manda-tory. In 1963 Kaiser Permanentebecame the first health insurer toinclude psychotherapy as a regularbenefit. The other insurers then fol-lowed their lead.

DS: You have also beeninvolved with the graduate trainingof future psychologists.

NC: In the 1960's I became dis-gusted with the fact that the majorityof graduate students were beingtrained by professors who had neverworked with psychotherapy patients.I decided to do something about it. In1969 I became the founding Presidentof the California School ofProfessional Psychology (CSPP). Itwas the first doctoral-level clinicaltraining program to emphasize expe-riential learning, personal therapy as arequirement for trainees and a facultyof practicing clinicians. I was thefounding president of all four cam-puses and continued to serve as pres-ident for seven years. Theeducational model that we incorporat-ed changed graduate training in psy-chotherapy forever.

DS: I have heard that the cur-rent status of managed care is nowin decline.

NC: Managed care is a transitorything. It is merely the first chapter inthe industrialization of mental healthcare. Things will never again be the

way they were. Managed care willcontinue to evolve.

Because of recent court decisionsand what I call the "doctor knows bestlaws" managed care can no longerdictate to practitioners. The result isthat costs are beginning to rise and asa result the health care companies aregoing to return more and more of thecost to the patient through co-pay-ments and first installments. In aneffort to control what they considerneedless or wasteful long-term thera-py the industry will turn to EBTs, evi-dence-based therapies. The positionof all major insurers will be that if itis not evidence-based, we do not haveto pay for it. No one will be able togo to court and argue with this.

DS: What do you see as thefuture of the field?

NC: Within the next five years weare going to begin to see the integra-tion of behavioral care into primarycare. This is the next step in the evo-lution of health care. In this new erapsychologists will work side by sidewith physicians providing primaryhealth care. The United States AirForce has already adopted this modeland implemented it into more thanhalf of their installations. KaiserPermanente is in the process ofimplementing the model throughoutCalifornia.

DS: Please give an example ofhow this works.

NC: In Northern CaliforniaKaiser has 2.5 million enrollees. Foreach population of 20,000 they haveassigned a team of primary physi-cians, psychologists, nurse practition-ers, and other appropriate personnel.This is ingenious because you havethe power of a large company brokeninto smaller groups to foster the typeof familiarity where everyone isknown by name. Psychologists areon location in the primary care set-ting. Whenever a physician has apatient who might be suffering fromdepression or emotional problems orsomething of that sort, the physicianwill say, "I think this is somethingthat Dr. Short might be able to help usout with. Let's go down the hall andhave a talk with him." The physicianwill then accompany the patient to thepsychologist and all three will discussthe issue. The physician remains inthe room for the first several minutesso that the patient does not feel aban-doned. The patient perceives this as aseamless part of health care. They donot feel that they have been sent awaybecause the problem is "all in their


head." The psychologist is right thereon the primary care floor.

Research so far has shown that inthe traditional health care settingphysicians will identify 40% of thepeople who need psychological ser-vices. Of that small number only10% will actually follow through on areferral. So in most health care sys-tems only 4% of those who need thistype of care actually receive it. Butwhen you have the psychologist onlocation you get an identification rateat 90% of which 85% go into therapy.

When the health care industrysees how beautifully this works andhow much money is saved in medicalcosts, they will convert to this systemof integrated care. Now imaginegoing from seeing only 4% of thepeople who need therapy to 85% ofthe people who need therapy. In theintegrated health care model, psy-chologists will also be involved inwhat we call "population manage-ment sessions" in which they rungroups for people who have diabetesor asthma or hypertension. With theuse of these groups the compliancewith medical treatment shoots way upwhich also cuts down on medicalcosts. For instance a person with dia-betes who has not complied with theproper diet will start to do so afterjoining one of these groups. Also,there is a large psychological compo-nent to all forms of chronic physicalillness. Anxiety and depressionalmost always accompany these con-ditions.

This is the future of psychology.René Descartes will finally be put inhis grave and we will no longer havea separate mind and a separate body.Psychology will become an indistin-guishable part of health care.

DS: How do you see prescrip-tion privileges fitting into thisfuture?

NC: Working within the integrat-ed model it becomes even moreimportant for psychologists to havean understanding of psychopharma-cology. Primary care physicians arefar more likely to seek the advice ofpsychologists trained in psychophar-macology than from psychiatrists,because of psychologists training andunderstanding of drug research. Oncepsychologists get prescription privi-leges across the country we will prob-ably have seen the last nail on the

coffin of psychiatry.

DS: You have made some verysignificant contributions to thefield. Why have we not seen yourwork described in graduate text-books?

NC: Because I do not believe inpsycho-religion. Most people whopractice psychotherapy belong to aschool of thought that is practicedwith religious dedication. Duringgraduate training a person becomesan analyst or a neo-Freudian or anAdlerian and then practices thatapproach in a slavish manner. I feltthat my model would fit anybody'sorientation and therefore did not iden-tify myself with any single school ofthought. Consequently, if you do notbelong to any church, then no churchquotes you.

DS: I wonder if this is whyErickson is not better known forhis pioneering work.

NC: Absolutely. Erickson didnot want to become a cult leader. Heespecially stressed this during thelater years of his life. Had it not beenfor the work of professionals like JayHaley, Ernest Rossi and Jeff Zeig wemay never have heard his name.

DS: You came to Phoenix tomeet Erickson during the late1960's. Has his work influencedyou in any particular way?

NC: Yes. I steal shamelesslyfrom everybody. I find Erickson'swork amazingly stimulating. We, ofcourse, incorporated a lot of his think-ing in our work at the MentalResearch Institute at Palo Alto (MRI).

DS: Tell me more about yourrole at MRI.

NC: I succeeded Don Jackson asthe director of MRI from 1978 to1981. I worked with PaulWatzlawick, Dick Fisch, VirginiaSatir, John Weakland, Jay Haley, andGregory Bateson. Providing leader-ship to a group with such a degree ofextraordinary talent was difficult.Each person had his or her own ideas.As director I helped them establishtheir first European conference. Itwas held in Níce, France, in 1980 andevery year thereafter, until they onlyheld conferences in the US.

DS: What type of clinical prob-lem do you consider your specialty?

NC: I enjoy working with theimpossible patient, the type of personwho everyone else has given up on. Iwas known for many years in SanFrancisco as the therapist of lastresort. I got everybody's failure.

Somehow I was able to reach thesepeople. I enjoyed the challenge andthey knew I enjoyed working withthem. I used a lot of paradox. Forinstance, I might say, "You think youare so terrible. Alright, you have sixweeks to defeat me, try to make me afailure."

DS: What makes paradox effec-tive?

NC: I used paradox with patientswho had to somehow defeat theworld. I would challenge them tocrush me. This type of patient wouldcome into the office and act unbeliev-ably rude and aggressive. In responseI would say, "If that is the most chal-lenging you can be let's quit. I havegot far more important things to dothan to work with you." Most thera-pists think that you have to smotherthe really difficult patients with kind-ness. But I was no fuzz ball. I wasreally tough on them.

DS: And why does this work?NC: With these individuals what

I often discovered was that deep-down inside there was a small fright-ened child. They were terrified ofgrowing up. They did not think thatanyone else would be there for themwhen in need. Having defeated theirparents and conned their teachersthey would come to see a therapistand think maybe this is the personwho will be there for me. To test thisidea they start to do things to defeatthe therapist. They try to frighten,intimidate or con the therapist. Mostof all they try to make him angry.Most therapists try to cover up theiranger by becoming nicer and nicer.For these patients that is a green lightto clobber you, "You Goddamnphony! I'm going to kill you." Thisdefeat would result in tremendoushostility toward the therapist for hav-ing failed them. However, whenworking with someone who does notgive up the fight, even after 10 ormore rounds, these people canbecome the most devoted and gratefulpatients.

DS: Speaking of not giving up,when did you serve as president ofthe APA?

NC: I was president of the APAfrom 1979 to 1980. Prior to my elec-tion I was told that I would never getanywhere in the APA because I wastoo controversial. But I was the firstAPA president in history to win anelection during the first of four

rounds of voting. I got more than50% of the votes on the first run.

DS: Why were you consideredcontroversial?

NC: The academicians rejectedme because I was not a behaviorist.The psychoanalysts were resentfulbecause I had left the fold. TheAmerican Psychological Associationtreated me as an adversary because ofmy efforts to professionalize psychol-ogy. As strange as it now seems,when Rogers Wright and I first wentafter licensure and reimbursement forpsychologists, the APA fought it.This is all described in our book, ThePractice of Psychology: The Battlefor Professionalism (Zeig, Tucker &Theisen, 2001).

DS: I would like to know moreabout the Nicholas & DorothyCummings Foundation.

NC: When we formed AmericanBiodyne it was our intent to showpsychologists how to build a psycho-logically driven system and then giveit away. Our plan was to cap it at500,000 enrollees and use it as ashowcase. I wanted psychologists tocome from all over the country andlearn how to create this type of sys-tem. Everyone laughed and said,"How is he going to get that manyenrollees. He has added grandiosityto his paranoia." But I had 500,000enrollees in a matter of weeks. Butthe only people who came around tolearn how to do it were business men.After two years I decided to take myfoot off the brake and we shot up to14.5 million enrollees. We were psy-chologically driven. We had no ses-sion limit. We used thepsychotherapy throughout the life-cycle model. After seven years Inever had a single malpractice suit ora complaint that had to be adjudicat-ed. When you are truly patient-ori-ented you do not get sued.

After selling American Biodyne,Dorothy and I wanted the money tobe used to help advance psychothera-py. So we formed the Nicholas &Dorothy Cummings Foundation,which has done a number of things.We provide scholarships. Weendowed a chair at the University ofNevada in Reno. We sponsor a num-ber of conferences and research pro-jects. We give the Cummings PsycheAward that carries a $50,000 award.It is the largest of its kind. You canread all about this at our website


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INTERVIEWcontinued from page 23

DONATIONSThe Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc., would like to thank the following

colleagues for their very generous donations since the last issue of The Milton H.Erickson Foundation Newsletter: Dr. Christine Kessler Chenoweth, V. AltonDohner, M.D., and Elizabeth R. Prete, LCSW. Thank you for your continuedsupport of the Foundation and its activities.

Squaw Peak Bench Fund: Be a Part of Foundation HistoryThe Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc., would like to thank the following

colleagues for their donations to the Squaw Peak Bench Fund: David Doron,Ph.D., Betty A. Elliot, Elizabeth M. Erickson, B.A., Kristina K. Erickson, M.D.,Robert B. & Kathy M. Erickson, Roxanna Erickson Klein, RN, Ph.D., Martha T.Freedman, Psy.D., Elijah David Herschler, Salvatore Iannotti, M.D., Nolan E.Penn, Ph.D., Madeleine Richeport, Ph.D. & Jay Haley, M.A., and George L.Vinnedge. Thank you for your generous donations.

A bench was constructed last summer, dedicated to Milton H. Erickson,M.D., on the Squaw Peak Mountain Preserve in Phoenix, Ariz. Erickson oftensent patients and students to climb Squaw Peak for diverse therapeutic reasons.The Erickson Foundation petitioned the City to place the memorial bench for thelast 20 years, but no benches were earmarked for the summit trail. TheFoundation persevered and finally succeeded.

The bench is half-way up the summit trail. Located perfectly, it is shaded bya Palo Verde, one of Erickson's favorite desert trees. A plaque was placed on thebench with a relief of Erickson. It reads, "For providing a vaster point of viewand a higher perspective to psychotherapy." A brick from the Cypress Streethouse was inserted into the bench.

A special hike was held on December 5, 2001, at the 8th InternationalCongress on Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy. Morethan 75 attendees made the climb to the dedication ceremony at the Squaw PeakPark Preserve on the 100th anniversary of Milton H. Erickson's birth.

The Erickson Foundation must provide a stipend of $3,000 to the City ofPhoenix for the bench. If you were unable to participate in the dedication, butwould like to help, you can send an earmarked donation to the EricksonFoundation. Those making a donation of $100 or more, will be listed on a plaqueat the Milton H. Erickson Foundation in Phoenix. All donations are greatlyappreciated.

www.thecummingsfoundation.com.The Foundation is our way of givingback to the profession.

DS: You have done a lot of hero-ic things. What do you consideryour greatest accomplishment?

NC: I have been married to mywife Dorothy for 54 years. I amtremendously grateful for that accom-plishment. My daughter Janet is apsychologist. My son is a lawyer andI like to think of him as one of the fivehonest lawyers in the United States.

DS: How do you want to beremembered?

NC: For never seeing less than 40

or 50 patients per week. I want to beremembered as someone who was inthe trenches. If there is anything thathas helped me innovate, helped meanticipate what the profession neededor where the profession was going, itwas doing an awful lot of hands-ontherapy, knowing what people in psy-chological distress feel and what theyneed. Psychologists who move up theadministrative chain without continu-ing to work with clients, end upbecoming more concerned about thecost of floor wax than what is neededby people in psychotherapy.

DS: Thank you very much. Theopportunity to interview you hasbeen inspiring.

Documents

Vol. 22, No. 3 - The Milton H. Erickson Foundation