Customer Reviews

Uncommon Therapy: The Psychiatric Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D.

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Anyone who is seriously interested in NLP and/or hypnosis should read this book - over and over again!

There are plenty of books that have been described as 'classics' of their genre, though few of them actually deserve that description. Jay Haley's book is one of the few

If I have any complaint at all about this book, it concerns the first 50-odd pages (Chapters 1 and 2) which consist of Haley's efforts to codify the general principles behind the Ericksonian method - and is rather overlong (by any standards) as an introduction.
If anyone were to ask my opinion I'd say skip these two chapters when you first read the book. Then read them afterwards and see what *you* think.

In Chapter 3 there is a complete change of pace as Haley very quickly starts to bring in the wealth of Ericksonian material - case descriptions, actual dialogue, etc., which make up the body of book from then on.

Chapters 3 - 9 are interestingly set out so as to deal with seven major aspects of adult life - courtship, becoming an adult, marriage, childbirth and dealing with young children, family problems, letting go (when your kids are ready to leave home), and 'the pain of old age'.

I found this style of presentation is very effective, and Haley provides plenty of interesting and useful material, including many of the Ericksonian classics: The woman who was too fat to get married, the February Man, the Tomato Plant, the 'Incomplete Handshake' hypnotic induction, and so on and so on.

Incidentally, it is important to understand that Erickson ALWAYS worked on the basis of this simple belief: Every patient already has the resources to deal with their "presenting problem". On this basis Erickson did not TELL people what they should do, instead he aimed to help them to find their own solution.

In the case of the Prussian gentleman, for example, Erickson believed (correctly) that his apparently physiological problem had a psychological genesis. After interviewing the man he also came to the conclusion that the man had repressed himself to such an extent that only an emotional outburst would get him "unstuck". So Erickson did his best to get the man to lose his temper. Which he did - and immediately *started* to recover his health.

The "cure" may have been unorthodox by some standards, but it worked. And despite all his very traditional credentials, Erickson was far more interested in facilitating people's return to health than in limiting himself to traditional medicine's view of how a doctor should or should not behave.

So why not buy the book, and meet one of the 20th century's most outstanding healers. Enjoy!

"Uncommon Therapy" is probably the best introduction to Erickson's work and concepts. It presents a broad, yet useful, overview of Erickson's operating premises and how they are implemented in his communication techniques. This title doesn't delve into the excruciating technical details of his methods as some of the more esoteric titles do. A good follow up populist title to this would be "My Voice Will Go With You", which also doesn't require one to be a communication technician to come away with a world full of practical ideas.

Milton Erickson's ideas can change the way you think, the way you perceive your world and the way you communicate with that world. "Uncommon Therapy" is one of the ten books that have most influenced my perceptions.

Those who don't know of the work of Milton Erickson have missed out on one of the more interesting tributaries of the stream of modern psychotherpy. Erickson didn't do much about actually formalizing his approach to therapy in a systematic way and that has fallen to others, notably Jay Haley. What fascinates Haley, and will surely fascniate the reader, is Erickson's unique and unorthodox approach to dealing with psychological problems. He ignores the underlying casuse and goes straight for eliminating the disturbing symtoms. He believes that it is a lot easier to help people heal if they are not currently in pain (psychological or physical). He is a genius at devising ways to short circuit his patient's problem behavior. The case histories are stunning little vignettes that in many cases cause one to laugh out loud.

Erickson uses many cognitive techniques, including some versions of hypnosis and suggestion that are of his own devising. This is simply fascinating reading and one doesn't have to be a therapist or even particulary interested in psychotherapy to appreciate this book. It holds a lamp up to a lot that is human but disturbing in all of us. There is much we can learn here. It is also just plain fun.

This book about Erickson's approaches to client therapy is great. The book contains a number of 'short stories' that reveal his incredibly unique, insightful and highly effective ability at approaching client issues in a way that will absolutely generate a positive change in that individual. A MUST READ for anyone who wants to witness how communication, subtle or not, can impact a person without their even knowing it!

Innovative approach to therapy! Dr, Erikson was an expert on the nature of humans. He did not focus on the cause of a patient's problem but rather on how change in a person's behavior could provide the solution. It is inspirational in that the realization of effective therapy is that there is no one treatment, and approaches to treatment vary according to the therapist's interpretation. "Thinking outside the box", so to speak. The approaches Erikson implements are humorous and extremely effective! I could not put the book down!

I read Uncommon Therapy for a class in college. I had not heard of Erickson until then, but learning about him is one of my most memorable college experiences. What a great introduction to both Erickson and Haley. Erickson's approaches captured in this piece are exciting and unbelievable at times. His sarcastic and mesmerizing ways are amazing attributes, he's personality, charming. This book describes so many of Erickson's techniques in a way that even a beginner can learn from it. In the helping field today, Erickson's technique may seem outlandish or unacceptabile to most, but knowing Erickson through this book has given me a better understanding of how we have built from his foundation.

Uncommon Therapy is a good survey of Dr. Milton Erickson's approach to therapy. The book consists of stories from Erickson's case files along with an explanation of the approach that Erickson took. This book is potentially useful for anyone who has problems and wishes to solve them as the techniques could be applied on a personal level. The people who should be interested in reading this book are the professionals who wish vary their and customize their approach to their patients.

My interest in the book was to find out more about Erickson and his therapeutic techniques that I could apply in my own life. It succeeded in satisfying both my aims. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.

Quite an interesting read, there are plenty of examples of Erickson's unique methods. However, there is little about hypnosis. That is by no means a shortcoming, but some would expect a book on Erickson to be heavy on hypnosis. Haley shows that Erickson was a man of varied approaches, always choosing methodology based upon the circumstances, not a preset frame of reference. Well worth the money and the read.

Milton Erickson is always worth reading about. His approach to psychotherapy is original, effective, sensible and fun. He studied the conventional methods, but he didn't use them. He used his own methods, and did so masterfully.

One of the most refreshing things about him is that he tossed the usual routine in the garbage. You won't find him sitting in a chair next to his patient who is babbling on and on about childhood and parents. Erickson didn't dwell on the past, which makes him unique in his field.

Erickson looked for solutions in the present, and found them. His patients often presented very extreme, very pathetic problems. He tackled them head on. In this book you will see how he succeeded, in his very practical and imaginative way.

Hard to review a book like this, as it is a combination of biography and therapy tecnique. The author is not a Pulitzer Prize journalist but the subject is so intense and fascinating I could not put it down....if you are a therapist or in the healing arts you definately want to read this to see what one man can do, it is an inspiration as well as a text book.....lot of method given too....you can really learn from this book.