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The unconscious in Ericksonian hypnotherapy
Abstract
An explanation of Milton H. Erickson's therapeutic view of the unconscious is presented in comparison to Freud's view. Because of the current popularity of brief behavioral therapy as advocated by managed care, which overlooks the unconscious, the importance of the unconscious is emphasized as necessary to help the client change and eliminate the symptoms that limit him/her. The symptom as metaphor is considered favorably. An outline of the hypnotherapeutic method of working with the unconscious, illustrated with clinical cases, is presented to justify the New Hypnosis, as subsumed under the Ericksonian model.
... (adapted from Waxman, 1989, p. 219;italics ours) The second type, "indirect trance language" established by Milton Erickson in the 1960s (Erickson & Rossi, 1979) uses narratives and indirect suggestions, hence referred to as modern trance language (MTL). Here it is not a "powerful" therapist who initiates hypnotic responses by direct suggestions, instead, control is shifted to the patient or to the patient´s "unconscious" (Araoz, 2001). The following quote demonstrates an indirect, permissive trance language (Ericksonian style): ...
This study compares the effects of two trance texts using different language patterns, i.e., modern trance language (MTL) characterized by indirect suggestions as well as narrative style and traditional trance language (TTL) found in traditional societies (e.g., Navajo, San, Aranda aborigines, etc.) that uses multiple repetitions along with narrative sequences. The Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) was used to evaluate the effects of both texts regarding cognition, emotion, physical experience, and trance depth. In this randomized controlled online study, 178 participants were assigned either to the MTL group or to the TTL group. The PCI and other tests (e.g. Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory) were presented to the participants before and after listening to the hypnosis audio of the respective trance text. There were no significant differences between groups concerning trance depth, emotional, and physical experience. However, on the cognitive-imaginative level it was shown that the TTL group experienced more imaginations (PCI-subdimension “visual imagery,” p = .009, d = 0.38) and less cognitive activity (PCI-subdimension “inner dialogue,” p = .002, d = 0.40) than the MTL group. The results indicate that TTL increases imagery and decreases cognitive activity to a larger extent than MTL. This further indicates the potential of TTL to facilitate more vivid and intensive trance experiences.