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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. 23, No. 3 WINTER 2003

See INTERVIEW on page 22

Inside This Issue

INTERVIEW:Pat Love, Ed.D. 1

CONTRIBUTORS OF NOTE:C. Alexander Simpkins Ph.D. and Annellen M. Simpkins Ph.D. 4

INTRODUCING THE INSTITUTES:The Milton H. Erickson Institute of Dallas 6

SPEAKING OF RESEARCH:Some Neurological Evidencefor Fostering New Learnings in Clients 8

CASE REPORT:Making the Illusion Real 9

HISTORICAL TIMES:James Esdaile: The Grandfather of Hypnoanesthesia 12

FACETS AND REFLECTIONS: 13

Visit Our Website:www.erickson-foundation.org

December 2003

Brief Therapy Conference: Essence and Evolution

San Francisco

Space is still available for the upcoming Brief Therapy Conference: Essenceand Evolution, December 11-14, 2003, at the San Francisco Hilton and Towers,in San Francisco, Calif. Sponsored by the Milton H. Erickson Foundation, theBrief Therapy Conferences are the only multi-disciplinary conference on brieftherapy in the world. Last year's Brief Therapy Conference (Orlando, December2002) was the highest rated Conference in Foundation history.

The Conference offers a maximum of 31 Continuing Education Hours.Registration must be done onsite at the San Francisco Hilton and Towers (333O'Farrell Street; Tel, 415/771-1400), Thursday morning, December 11, 2003,beginning at 6:00AM. Registration fees for the full Conference for all attendeesis $599. For those unable to attend the full Conference, day tickets are availableonsite for $175 per day.

The Conference consists of keynotes, workshops, topical panels, supervisionpanels, dialogues, conversation hours, clinical demonstrations and solicited shortcourses. The faculty includes: Danie Beaulieu, Jon Carlson, Frank Dattilio,Robert Dilts, Yvonne Dolan, Betty Alice Erickson, John Frykman and MurrayKorngold, Stephen Gilligan, William Glasser, Mary Goulding, Michael Hoyt,Stephen Lankton, Pat Love, Scott Miller, Michael Munion, John Norcross,Christine Padesky, Michele Ritterman, Ernest Rossi, Francine Shapiro, DanShort, R. Reid Wilson, Michael Yapko, and Jeffrey Zeig. Keynotes will be givenby Albert Bandura, Robin Lakoff, Donald Meichenbaum, and Frank Sulloway

To receive the full conference brochure contact The Milton H. EricksonFoundation, Inc., 3606 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016-6500; tel, 602/956-6196; fax, 602/956-0519; E-mail, [email protected] Pleaseinclude your complete mailing address with your request. Visit our Web Site,www.erickson-foundation.org/brfther.htm for a registration form and the latestConference information.

AN INTERVIEWWITH

PAT LOVE, Ed.D.Interviewed by Richard Landis, Ph.D.

Pat Love, Ed.D., a graduate ofWest Virginia University, began herprofessional career as a CounselorEducator at Texas A & M University,Commerce, in the field of Marriageand Family Therapy. She went on toco-found the Austin Family Institutewhere she continued to train, super-vise, write and lecture. She is also acharter faculty member of the ImagoInstitute for Relationship Therapy.

Dr. Love has published severalprofessional articles, book chapters,and authored/co-authored TheEmotional Incest Syndrome, HotMonogamy, The Truth About Love,and How to Ruin a Perfectly GoodRelationship. She has appeared onnumerous television shows, includingrepeat appearances on OprahWinfrey, the NBC Today Show,and CNN. She is regularly fea-

I N T E R V I E Wtured in magazines, some includeCosmopolitan, Glamour, GoodHousekeeping, New Women, Self,Men's Health, Men's Magazine,Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, NewYork Times Sunday Magazine, GoodHousekeeping and Reader's Digest.Love is also a frequent honored pre-senter at the Milton H, EricksonFoundation conferences.

Most recently, Love has intro-duced Neuro Affect Therapy as amajor contribution to couples thera-py. (For more information on Neuro

Affective Therapy, please see SharonMcLaughlin's audio review of Love'sworkshop at the Couples Conference

The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter2 VOL. 23, NO. 3


EDITOR’S COMMENTSRecently, one of my students

asked me what I thought brief therapyis. I found it both a simple and a pro-found question. It was simple if I justlooked at what the surface questionimplied: What number of sessions orelapsed time is needed for therapy tobe considered brief? Six? Twelve?Or "Less than a year of sessions?Before the insurance runs out?" I sawthe question as profound if both briefand therapy were taken into consider-ation. Simply stated, for me, therapy,as provided by ourselves or throughothers assisting us, is the means for usto return to a balanced state after wehave developed a rigid unbalancedreflex. Therefore, for me, brief thera-py is the act of doing something thatbreaks the inertia of the old unbal-anced pattern and redirects the patternback to center. My goal in doingbrief therapy is not necessarily to fixor cure the problem, but to make thesystem fluid again so the naturalprocess of balance can more easilyoccur.

In the service of that student'squestion, we have amassed somewonderful articles, columns andreviews in this issue, which empha-size brief elements that can be used inthe perturbing of a rigid inertia.

I have long been enamored withthe ins and outs of the human condi-tion. I have found that the more Iunderstand the effects that our biolo-gy has on our human differences andsimilarities, the more magical beinghuman appears to me. Therefore, Iasked Pat Love to spend some timewith me to describe her adventureinto the utilization of her understand-ing of the biological nature of humansin the service of brief interventionswith couples. Her interview is fol-lowed by a review of her tapedprovocative and exciting workshopthat she presented at the CouplesConference in San Francisco in Juneof 2003, Using Neuro-affective

Therapy to Help Couples.

The neurological perspective isfurther explored in Alexander andAnnellen Simpkins' research reviewon Some Neurological Evidence forFostering New Learnings in Clients.This is a wonderful article by anincredible team of clinicians andresearchers. I encourage you to readmore about them in the Contributorof Note column by Roxanna EricksonKlein. They are truly a gift to thefield.

Presentations by Rossi andErickson act as a bridge between theresearch and practical applications.Ernest Rossi approaches the issue ofneural growth in his clinical demon-stration videotape Facilitating theCreative Dynamics of GeneExpression and Brain Growth,reviewed by Deborah Beckman. Atthe Brief Therapy Conference inOrlando Florida in December 2002,Rossi gave an elegant demonstrationthat utilizes his models of the plastic-ity and the heuristic state of thehuman brain when aided by hypnoticpatterns.

Maria Escalante Cortina's evoca-tive review of Erickson's presenta-tions at St. Luke's Hospital from 1958brings a clean edge to the pragmaticapplication of hypnosis as it appliesto medical practices. Here, encapsu-lating his years of research, Erickson

Executive Editor: Richard Landis, Ph.D.

Managing Editor: Sharon McLaughlin, M.A.

Review Editors: C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D., Annellen Simpkins, Ph.D.

Online Editor: Barry Grossman, Ph.D.

Production Assistant: Karen Haviley

Guest Editors: Betty Alice Erickson, M.S., LPC, LMFTInstitutes: Marilia Baker, M.S.W.

Contributor of Note: Roxanna Erickson Klein, R.N., Ph.D.Historical Times: Eugene Don

Guest Reviewers: Michael Grusenmeyer, M.D., Deborah Beckman, M.S., LPC, Kathleen Donaghy, Ph.D., Maria Escalante Cortina, M.A., DDS, Will Handy, LMSW

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

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

NEWSLETTERVOLUNTEER

FOR COUPLES CONFERENCE 2004!The Milton H. Erickson Foundation is seeking full-time graduate students

and interns to assist the staff and faculty at the upcoming Conference,Challenging Couples, Challenging Therapists, March 26-28, 2004, at the LAXMarriott Hotel, Los Angeles, California.

Volunteer duties include assisting with registration procedures, continuingeducation, assisting faculty and monitoring meeting rooms. In exchange for theregistration fee volunteers must send a $75 deposit that will be refunded aftersuccessful completion of volunteer duties.

Full-time graduate students and interns are the first to be accepted as volun-teers. If needed, professionals will be accepted as the meeting draws closer.Volunteer duties are assigned based on the needs of each session, the faculty andstaff. Accepted volunteers must attend a MANDATORY volunteer meeting onThursday, March 25, 2004, at 3:00 PM. To volunteer, please send a letterrequesting a Volunteer Application to: The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc.,ATTN: Volunteer Coordinator, 3606 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016-6500.For questions and information contact the Erickson Foundation: Tel, 602/956-6196; Fax, 602-956-0519; E-mail, [email protected]

speaks to medical professionals abouthow "...hypnosis is primarily amethod of communicating ideas topeople..." Erickson then explains thenature of the ideas that are so impor-tant for physicians to communicate.

The remainder of this newsletterpresents practical ideas and tech-niques: how to use brief interven-tions to help jog the inertia of therigid reflexes. Will Handy's reviewof Christine Padesky's audiotapeConstructing New Core Beliefs,focuses on the content of such com-munications of which Ericksonspoke. In the Facets and Reflectionssection, Francoise Quelin provides amonumental behavioral metaphorthat extends the legacy of Erickson.Case Reports describes an interven-tion that appreciates the differencebetween reflexive versus mindfulresponses in keeping a family united.

As I reviewed all of the materialfrom which to choose for thisnewsletter, I was struck by the sheervolume of excellent research-basedand creative training that has takenplace over this last year. With that inmind, I am excitedly looking forwardto this December's Brief TherapyConference in San Francisco, and Ihope to meet many of you there.

Richard Landis Ph.D.Laguna Niguel, Calif.

COUPLES


See CONTRIBUTOR on page 8

NEW CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT!

Challenging Couples, Challenging Therapists

The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc., with organizational assistance byThe Couples Institute (Menlo Park, Calif.), is sponsoring the next CouplesConference, Challenging Couples, Challenging Therapists, March 26-28, 2004(Friday through Sunday), at the LAX Marriott Hotel at the Los AngelesInternational Airport. The Couples Conferences have become a leading vehiclefor learning the applications and the latest research on facilitating treatment withcouples.

Learn to work with hostility, violence, affairs, depression, narcissism,divorce, deception, addictions, PTSD, and passive-aggression.

Meeting the challenges are Daniel Amen, Ellyn Bader, Stephanie Brown,Helen Fisher, Pat Love, Cloé Madanes, Peter Pearson, Esther Perel, Terry Real,Janis Spring, and Jeffrey Zeig. Keynotes will be given by Daniel Amen, HelenFisher, Pat Love, Cloé Madanes, Terry Real, and Janis Spring.

Additional Special Programs!A six-hour workshop entitled Laws & Ethics: Update for Clinicians Working

with Families and Children is included in the Conference and will run concur-rently with the Conference sessions. Attendees may elect to register for thiscourse only. Steven Frankel, Ph.D., J.D. will present the workshop on Friday,March 26. This course covers topics necessary for professional license renewal.

Domestic Violence Workshops I and II, will be offered on Sunday, March 28,and will be presented by Cloé Madanes. As of January 1, 2004, CaliforniaMFT's, LCSW's, and all Licensed Psychologists are required to take a course inspousal or partner abuse. The Domestic Violence Workshops I and II will coverthe required topics.

The Challenging Couples, Challenging Therapists offers a maximum of 19.0Continuing Education Hours (20.0 for those attending the full conference includ-ing the Laws & Ethics Track). Newsletter Readers: See page 3 for a specialregistration offer! For a complete brochure contact The Milton H. EricksonFoundation, Inc., 3606 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016-6500; Tel, 602-956-6196; Fax, 602-956-0519; E-mail, [email protected]. To view theConference Schedule at a Glance, visit the Conference web page: www.erickson-foundation.org/challenge.htm

C. AlexanderSimpkins Ph.D.

and Annellen M.Simpkins Ph.D.

By Roxanna Erickson Klein, RN, Ph.D.

C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D.and Annellen M. Simpkins, Ph.D. area husband and wife team. Their inter-est in psychology began as a deeplyfelt concern followed by a commit-ment to have a positive effect in theworld. They became interested in theunconscious mind early on as a pri-mary source for positive potential,and have been pursuing this interestin several forms, through hypnosis,psychotherapy, and Eastern philoso-phy for many years.

In their early years of trainingthey decided to try to deepen theirlearnings by seeking out personalteaching from experts in the field ofpsychotherapy and hypnosis. As partof an independent study masters'degree program through GoddardCollege, they traveled to leaders inthe field. Their independent studiescontinued at the University of Floridawhere they had private meetings witha number of superb teachers, includ-ing Arthur Combs and SidneyJourard. This background provided aplatform of understanding of human-istic therapy, self-disclosure, and self-actualization. There, at the Universityof Florida they ran groups undersupervision to put some of the theo-ries into practice and also studiedbehaviorism and gestalt therapy,comparing and contrasting methods.

Next they traveled to Baltimorewhere they began a long-lasting rela-tionship with Jerome D. Frank, M.D.Ph.D., at Johns Hopkins MedicalSchool's Phipps Clinic. Frank wasinvolved in the latter years of a 25-year study of psychotherapeuticeffectiveness. He taught the Simpkinsto open their minds and look beyondthe taken-for-granted level, to searchfor more universal underlying factors.They interned on the wards at Phippsand met with Dr. Frank regularly todiscuss psychotherapy. They alsointerned at Sheppard Pratt under theguidance of Lawrence Kubie.

Their first hypnosis teacher was

G. Wilson Shaffer, retired Dean ofJohns Hopkins University, Directorof Training in Psychotherapy atSheppard Pratt, and Director of theHopkins Counseling Center for manydecades. Learning to recognize andtrust the client's internal capacity andpotential under his supervision, theybegan their first hypnotic work withclients.

They came to San Diego for fur-ther development and higher degrees.During their graduate work at UnitedStates International University(USIU), they began their studies withMilton Erickson in 1976. They wouldnever forget their first appointment,scheduled for 11 a.m. on a Monday.They expected it to last an hour or soat the most, but ended up staying fora week, attending his fascinating sem-inars. Every time they traveled tostudy with Erickson, they witnessedhim disclosing his vast depth ofknowledge in subtle and sensitiveways. Each seminar was unique, butthe threads of the tapestry of histeaching led to many theoretical inter-pretations. The Simpkins also studiedwith, learned from, and were super-vised by Ernest Rossi, who expertlyhelped to guide their graduateresearch comparing insight therapy tohypnotherapy. His creative andinsightful interpretations of hypnosishelped to broaden their own under-standings. Hypnosis later became oneof their primary tools of therapy asthey worked with clients at the USIUCounseling Center and later in privatepractice.

The work with Erickson andRossi bridged their other researchinterests that include brainwaves andmental states, creativity, and creativelearning. Additionally, anotherimportant tool for the Simpkins'inquiry into the unconscious has beenthrough meditation, Eastern philoso-phy, and learning the martial arts.They became fascinated by theancient understandings of mind inBuddhism, Zen, Taoism, andConfucianism. They have been writ-ing books on these topics and teach-ing martial arts and meditation formany years.

Balancing their private practice,which specializes in hypnotherapyand meditation, they have evolved

C O N T R I B U T O R S O F N O T E

writing as a primary occupation.Authors of eighteen books, with sev-eral more in process, they have writ-ten on self-hypnosis: Effective SelfHypnosis: Pathways to theUnconscious with a paperback ver-sion, Self Hypnosis Plain and Simple.This book has been translated intoItalian, Spanish, and Bulgarian. Theyhave also written a book on psy-chotherapy, Timeless Teachings fromthe Therapy Masters, which includesa large section on Dr. Erickson. Thisbook won first-place from the SanDiego Book Awards in 2001. Theirearly Eastern philosophy books werea series on meditation, Principles ofMeditation, Living Meditation, andMeditation from Thought to Actionand Zen Around the World. Theyhave written two series on Easternphilosophy: a Simple series, SimpleZen, Simple Buddhism, SimpleTaoism, Simple Confucianism, and

CALL FOR PROPOSALS


Visit Our Website: www.erickson-foundation.org

The Milton H.Erickson Institute

of DallasInterviewed by Marilia Baker, MSW

The MHE Institute of Dallas isunique among the other 108 institutesaround the world; two of its foundingboard members can be said to havestudied with Milton H. Erickson,M.D., from the day of their birth!Actually, one could add, they proba-bly heard and became familiar withtheir father's memorable hypnoticvoice before their birth.

The idea of establishing anInstitute in Dallas emerged fromBetty Alice Erickson's monthly hyp-notherapy seminars. A small butenthusiastic group of professionalshad met monthly for several yearsand in Fall, 1997, decided to create anInstitute. Deborah Beckman M.S.,and Will Handy, L.C.S.W., offeredtheir services as teaching facultywhich allowed emergence of a visionfor the Institute to focus on training inEricksonian approaches. The Boardof Directors was rounded out by co-seminar member, Richard Long,Ph.D., Dan Short, Ph.D., Betty AliceErickson, M.S., and RoxannaErickson Klein, Ph.D.

The Institute training brochurebest describes their vision: "Ratherthan relying on a formula or set ofrules, Erickson developed treatmentfrom his own vivid, astute observa-tions of the person in front of him.Our training strives to teach the samestandards: to develop each participant'sability to create a unique therapy fortheir clients." Following the guide-lines established by the EricksonFoundation, and with the invaluableand generous input of Rubin Battino,M.S., president, the Milton H.Erickson Society of Dayton, Ohio,the Dallas Institute created beginning,intermediate and advanced trainingworkshops with 120 hours total classtime.

The MHE Institute of Dallas con-tinues to provide monthly meetings,some as a forum for each attendee to

teach a particular area of expertise.Other meetings serve as a means tohone hypnotic skills. In these, aclient, from the practice of a regularattendee, agrees to be presented, sim-ilar to a patient being presented atGrand Rounds in the medical arena.Each professional provides a healingtrance for the client. Afterward, theclient critiques what was received andafter the client leaves the room, mem-bers discuss their own and other peo-ple's approaches. As DeborahBeckman says,"This on-going oppor-tunity for refinement of professionalclinical skills, with an emphasis onhypnosis, provides a rich learningatmosphere and a spirit of cama-raderie."

Beckman, institute training coor-dinator, is a therapist in private prac-tice in Dallas and has distinguishedherself for developing an effectivemethod of treating sleep disturbancesand creating individualized therapeu-tic metaphors. She has presented atmajor conferences, including the 8th

Erickson Congress (2001); Rome(2002), and at the 2002 Brief TherapyConference in Orlando. She is sched-uled to present at the 2003 BriefTherapy meeting in San Francisco.Beckman is currently writing a self-help book on sleep disorders, basedon her methodology of working withthese patients.

Will Handy, also a primary facul-ty member providing training, isdescribed by his fellow team mem-bers as excelling in making

Erickson's philosophy intimatelyavailable to clients and peers alike.The brochure describes his uniquestyle: "Will weaves the (Ericksonian)method into a more traditional-look-ing session, only occasionally usingoutright hypnosis." Will has a privatepractice in addition to working withHIV patients at a mental healthagency where he also supervises ther-apists.

Richard Long, Ph.D., clinical psy-chologist, is particularly talented inworking with children and adoles-cents. He is in private practice whileholding a teaching position atSouthern Methodist University.Richard's expertise, academic focusand years of clinical work, provideboth a balance and broader perspec-tive for evaluation of services andactivities of the Institute.

Dan Short, Ph.D., former execu-tive editor of the FoundationNewsletter, resigned as a foundingboard member when he moved toPhoenix to become associate directorof the Foundation where he hasfocused on developing the EricksonArchives.

Roxanna Erickson Klein, Ph.D., isa registered nurse for St. PaulHospice, working with terminally illpatients in their homes. Additionally,she is a member of Board of Directorsof the Erickson Foundation and con-siders the Archives to be her area ofspecial interest. Roxanna also servedas editor of the Newsletter for morethan a decade.

The final Board member, BettyAlice Erickson has been part of theInstitute's training programs since itsinception. In addition to her privatepractice and tenure as an editor for theFoundation Newsletter, she is current-ly writing a book about Milton H.Erickson with Bradford Keeney,Ph.D., for the Profiles inHealing/Cultural Healing Series. Shemaintains a busy teaching schedulewith a particular interest in bringingEricksonian ideas to areas not com-monly associated with the Ericksonmovement such as Azerbaijan,Siberia, Bali and Nepal.

Future plans include sponsorshipof workshops in other regions whichhave not had financial resources toprovide Ericksonian training. Someof this will be funded by the prizemoney awarded to the EricksonFamily by the German Institutes(M.E.G.). Betty Alice has alsoreceived the first Premio FrancoGranone, awarded by the CentroItaliano di Ipnosi Clinica eSperimentale, of Torino, Italy, inOctober, 2003. The money given withthis honor will likewise help fundworkshops in areas of the world withlimited financial means.

It is an important goal of theDallas Institute to pursue communi-cation with other Erickson Institutesand other teachers of Ericksonianwork in order to exchange informa-tion, compare methods, and ideas forfuture programs. "Cross-fertilizationwith other creative people can onlyenhance programs," commentedRoxanna enthusiastically. "The gen-erous efforts of Rubin (Battino) help-ing Will and me with our curriculumis a prime example of Dr. Erickson'sphilosophy of sharing" adds Deborah.Another such cross-fertilization ishappening through the contributionsof Albina Tamalonis, Psy.D., who hasbeen a guest presenter at theIntensives and at the monthly gather-ings. The Institute faculty is gratefulfor her generosity, enthusiasm andcontinued support.

The Dallas MHEI through itsmembers' vision, mission, program-ming and talent exchange efforts is atrue embodiment of Milton H.Erickson's profound belief in thecooperation principle in hypnosis andpsychotherapy and the deep respectfor the uniqueness of each individual.

I N T RO D U C I N G T H E I N S T I T U T E S

NINTH CONGRESS


CONTRIBUTORcontinued from page 4

Simple Tibetan Buddhism and a TenEasy Lessons Series: Zen in Ten,Taoism in Ten, and forthcoming onBuddhism in Ten. These books havebeen translated into numerous lan-guages. Their Eastern philosophybooks not only inform people aboutthese ancient traditions but also guidein incorporating the wisdom intoeveryday life. Most include chapterson psychotherapy and many refer toErickson, pointing out the many over-laps with his ideas. They also have abook on martial arts, Chung DoKwan: The Power of Tae Kwon Do

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

For the processes of new learnings and new experiences do not cease withchildhood; they continue throughout life, bringing with them even new and dif-ferent possibilities of favorable or unfavorable personal adjustments. (Erickson& Rossi 1980, Vol IV, xviv)

We as therapists try to encourage new possibilities for our clients with theassumption that this will help them. Erickson showed us that there are alwayscreative alternatives. He was a living testament to successful innovation in howhe lived and worked. One source of confirmation for the value of stimulatingnew options in clients as Erickson did can be found in neuroscience research.

Prior to the 1990's, most neuroscientists believed that neural connectionswere formed in the early years, and they remained fixed and unalterable through-out life. If damage occurred, function was permanently lost. But recent researchwith animals and humans has revealed a large amount of plasticity in the humanbrain. And in the mature adult, new neural connections do form under certaincircumstances.

It has long been known that human vision has a blind spot where the opticnerve attaches to the retina but that the visual cortex fills in the area so that wedo not see any gaps in our visual field. However, when patients have damage totheir visual cortex, gaps in their visual field would be expected to occur. Yet inmany cases, the brain fills in the gap, leaving patients unaware of any hole intheir vision. (Ramachandran 1992)

How does this happen? Gilbert and Wiesel (1992) were some of the manyresearchers who looked for answers in the physiology of the brain. Theydestroyed a small area of the retina in animals and found that at first, the cells inthe visual cortex became unresponsive. But within a few minutes, the retinalcells close to the lesion excited the area on the visual cortex in place of the dam-aged retinal cells, filling the gap.

Similar remapping was seen when a limb was amputated. In experimentswith monkeys, the middle digit of one hand was amputated. (Merzsenich, 1984))Within two months, the receptors in the cortex corresponding to the middle digitwere taken over by the two adjacent fingers so that when either of these digitsmoved, the cortex area for the amputated digit also responded.

Further research extended over twelve years showed that the cortical areaoriginally corresponding to the lost hand of the monkeys was taken over by thesensory input from the face (Pons 1991). The effect was explained as researcherscame to understand how the neural networks for body sensations are mapped

References:Aglioti, S., Smania, N., Atzei, A. Berlucchi, G. 1997. Spacio-temporal proper-

ties of the pattern of evoked phantom sensation in a left index amputeepatient. Behavioral Neuroscience. 111. 5. 867-872.

Gilbert, C. D. & Wiesel, T. N. 1992. Nature (London) 350, 150-152.

Ramachandran, V.S. 1993. Behavioral and magnetoencephalographic correlatesof plasticity in the adult human brain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 90 10413-10420.

Ramachandran, V.S. 1992. Blind spots: Investigating how the visual systemcompensates

for gaps in perception is helping researchers elucidate how the brain processesimages. Scientific American, May.

Merzenich, M.M., Nelson, R.J., Stryker, M.S., Cynader, M.D. Schoppmann, A.& Zook,

J.M. 1984. J. Comp. Neurol. 224, 591-605.

Pons, T. P., Preston, E. Garraghty, A.K., Ommaya, A.D., Kaas, J.H., Taub, E. &Mishkin, M. (1991) Science 252, 1857-1860

BAY AREA

and a philosophical novel in anaction-adventure genre, A PerfectWorld. Another forthcoming book ison yoga, and they are currently work-ing on two new books on hypnosis.They continue their path and hopetheir books will enhance potential, asErickson always encouraged.

We, at the Erickson Foundationare gratified and privileged to haveAlex and Annellen Simpkins workingwith us on the Newsletter where theyhave recently accepted the responsi-bility as Reviews Editors. Their deepappreciation for the vastness of thepathways of healing is an asset to usall.

Some Neurological Evidence for Fostering New Learnings in ClientsBy C. Alexander Simpkins Ph.D. & Annellen Simpkins Ph.D.

onto the cortex. The widely accepted model known as the Penfield homunculusshows that hands are mapped on the brain next to the face. The fact that sensationsin the face were felt as the lost hand shows the plasticity in the brain to remap withnew connections that are close by on the cortex.

These findings became even more clearly evident with human subjects.Ramachandran (1993) worked extensively with amputees who suffered from phan-tom limb pain. He was able to trace out the activated areas in the cortex by stimu-lating certain places on the face, which were experienced by the patient as fingerson his phantom limb. Later research has supported that considerable reorganizationof the cortex takes place over time (Aglioti, 1997). The brain responds by makingnew connections when the need is there.

As clinicians, we utilize these discoveries from neuroscience when we encour-age our clients to engage in new behaviors. By applying such Ericksonian methodsas tasks and new hypnotic experiences, we can stimulate neural pathways in ourclients that lead to the favorable possibilities for personal adjustment Erickson sowisely foresaw.

The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter VOL. 23, NO. 3 9

See CASE REPORT on page 13

C A S E R E P O R T

Making the Illusion Real

Richard Landis, Ph.D.Laguna Niguel, CA

Allison was a 48-year-old, six-foot-two inch, big-boned woman whoheld her entire family hostage to thefears that she would embarrass themin public or destroy family events,both of which she did with regularity.She was brash and insensitive to any-one's feelings but her own. With glee,she would point out any shortcomingor physical imperfection a personmight have. She was a thoroughlyunpleasant person. Her parents wouldplaintively say to Jim, the youngerbrother, "How could she say that toAunt Elma?" However, they wouldrefuse to confront Allison for fear thatshe would not come to the familyevents that she destroyed. The parentsvalued the illusion of family unityabove all even though Allison's

behavior put her as an outsider. Myclient, Jim, spent his entire life tryingto protect his parents and change hissister by confronting her in the pres-ence of his mother and father, only tohave the parents deny there was aproblem.

When Jim came to me he was mir-roring his parents pattern of com-plaining about Allison's hurtfulbehavior when she was not around

and, fearful of making a scene anddisrupting the illusion of family unity.Jim did not want therapy. While hesaid he wanted advice as to what todo, he also stated that there was noth-ing to do and he just had to live withit. It looked as though it was going tobecome one of those dreaded, "ain't-it-awful" sessions.

In two weeks a family get-togeth-er was scheduled where fifteen rela-tives would meet to watch a sportingevent on the parents big screen televi-sion. Jim was beside himself. Hegreatly wanted to visit with the otherfourteen relatives, whom he liked andwith whom he got along. He knewthat his desperation in wanting to pro-tect them all from Allison's hurtfulbehavior would keep him from enjoy-ing the event.

Jim was convinced that there wasnothing that could be done, so Iagreed with him. When he mentionedthat family always had several bettingpools for certain outcomes of thesporting events, I asked, "Since noth-ing can be done to stop Allison,would the family be willing to set upa betting pool to predict how long

after Allison arrived she dropped thefirst bomb? Or to whom it would bedirected? Or how many of her all timefavorite "inappropriatenesses" shewould do in an hour? Or... ?"

Jim convulsed in laughter. "Theywould love it!" Jim thought for aminute and said, "But, I would haveto set it up before the get-together andwe would have to keep straight faces.Mom and Dad would never want tohurt Allison's feelings."

I said that would be fine and that Iknew he would know how to do it.

I got a phone call from Jim threemonths later. He said that the get-together was wonderful, and that hisMother won the big pool in guessingwhich bomb Allison would throwfirst and to whom. The result was thateveryone was rooting for Allison tosay certain things in certain ways sothey could win a particular pool.Their primary reaction to Allison'spreviously brutal attacks was now

INTENSIVES

...his Mother won the big pool in guessing which bombAllison would throw first and to whom.


BRAZILThe 9th PanAmerican Brazilian Congress of Hypnosis and Psychosomatic

Medicine and the 1st Congress of Hypnosis of the Medical Hypnosis of theSociety of Rio de Janeiro was recently held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August2003. The highly successful meeting attracted participants from all over LatinAmerica, according to the main organizers, Jairo Mancilha M.D. and MarciaMathias, Lic. Psych. The faculty included presenters from South America as wellas Teresa Robles, Ph.D., of Mexico and Stephen Paul Adler, Ph.D., and BettyAlice Erickson, M.S., from the United States.

During the Congress, the entire faculty, participants and the children of thelate David Akstein, M.D., who was a leading figure, prominent author andfounder of the Brazilian Society of Medical Hypnosis gathered for a tribute to hismemory. A short film was shown and colleagues expressed appreciation for themonumental contributions of Akstein. Commemorative medals were given tothe family and a few others who have continued the work of Akstein and to thepromotion of legitimate hypnosis in South America. Akstein's son, ClaudioAkstein, M.D., expressed the family's appreciation for this great tribute to hisfather.

The Fourth Meeting of Ericksonian Therapists inLatin America, May 22-25, Cuernavaca, Mexico

Organized by the Centro Ericksoniano de Mexico and the Institute ofCuernavaca, this important gathering attracted attendees from throughout LatinAmerica, Italy and France. Sponsored by the Latin American Association ofMilton H. Erickson Institutes and Centers, the meeting had the theme of"Ericksonian Psychotherapy Today in Latin America".

Unique to this Congress, was the introduction of many recent books authoredby participants in both Portuguese and in Spanish. Foremost was Homenaje aElizabeth Moore Erickson: mujer extraordinaria, profesional, esposa, madre,companera" by Marilia Baker, MSW, of the MHE Institute of Florianopolis,Brazil. Elizabeth Erickson was designated as Patron of Honor for the

Conference and delivered a short speech via video.

Keynotes speeches were a unique means of recognizing and uniting the dif-ferent groups. They were delivered by Teresa Robles of Mexico, Sofia Bauerand Marilia Baker both of the MHEI Florianopolis, Mario Pacheco, SebastianCastro and M.Elena Viveros of MHEI Santiago, Chile and Jeffrey Zeig and BettyAlice Erickson of the U.S.

In addition to lectures, short courses and workshops by the 50 invited facul-ty, there was an Institutes meeting in open air, outdoors, following the localnative, ancient tradition, of gathering the wise and learned individuals of theregion to discuss their common destiny. Representatives from Argentina, Brazil,Chile, Mexico, as well as guests from Societa' Italiana Milton Erickson (SIME),Brazilian Society of Hypnosis, IFACT/Brief Therapy Institute, France, UNAM(Autonomous University of Mexico) and many others were present.

This meeting was an extraordinary event. It united professionals fromthroughout the world, allowing them to come together, share experiences,exchange ideas, and plan for a cooperative future which can only benefitmankind.

POLAND: The "10th Birthday Celebration" of the Erickson Institute of Poland, held

June 23-25, 2003 was very successful for the 300 participants from Poland andEurope. Directors Kasia Szymansa, Ph.D., and Kris Klajs, Lic. Psych., had puttogether a busy program in the beautiful city of Krakow. The atmosphere of theRenaissance architecture in the "old town" and the status of the oldest Universityin Poland, added to the overall sense of learning in a magical atmosphere.Faculty from the United States, Germany, Switzerland and Poland, includingBrent Geary, Ph.D., Eric Greenleaf, Ph.D., from the United States and BernhardTrenkle, Dipl. Psych., of Germany participated in this well-organized and infor-mative meeting. The Institute also provided well-attended pre- and post-Conference workshops on topics such as the handling of stress, anxiety and panicattacks.

I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O M M U N I T Y

Erika FrommBy Dr. Steven Kahn

Ericka Fromm, Ph.D., was notonly a leading contributor to hypno-sis, but helped steer all of psychologyin new directions with numerousbooks and over 100 scholarly articles.Born in Germany, she first fled theNazi regime to work in a Hollandmental hospital-one of the first psy-chologists to work in such a position.After four years, she again fled theonslaught of the Nazis and immigrat-ed to the United States. The lovingDutch family who helped her greatlywhen she first arrived with her newand hard-earned doctorate in hand,remained her life-long friends. Shefelt so supported by the family thatshe considered Dutch to be her moth-er language and Holland her nativeland for the rest of her life.

In 1960, she became interested inhypnosis. She overcame her initialskepticism about it and became a pio-neer in the field, attempting to imbueit with a scientific rigor and testabili-ty. In the 1970's, she published twocompendiums of edited papers (withRonald Shor), which investigated all

the relevant ongoing research in hyp-nosis. She also began an investigationof self-hypnosis which "everyone wasdoing clinically, but no one had stud-ied systematically." In the 1990's, shepublished (with Stephen Kahn) asummary of her research on self-hyp-nosis, as well as another collection ofscientific papers and a clinical bookintegrating psychoanalysis and hyp-

I N M E M O R I U M nosis (both with Michael Nash).Expanding her work into the 21st

Century, she edited (with StephenKahn) a clinical casebook about thechallenges hypnotherapists face intheir work. in l999, she wrote a paperon the need for passion in those enter-ing the field of hypnosis. No longer anew phenomenon, she said, it hadbecome "normal science."

Her renown as a researcher and

clinician brought her into contactwith many students. She spent fourdecades at the University of Chicagowhere she taught, did research andtrained thousands of students. Hercommitment to truthfulness and to thedissemination of unimpeachableknowledge was her trademark. Herencouragement of and generosity toher students was equally celebrated.

She was always interested in cre-ativity. As a graduate student, shewrote to Einstein and Freud abouttheir innovations in such a lively andenergetic way that they actuallyresponded. She explored the role ofhypnosis in creativity and, at onetime, hypnotized Andrew Greeleywho then became a prolific writerexposing some of the underside of theCatholic Church.

Throughout her life, she pos-sessed a belief in a self that could pre-vail over the legacy of the past, onethat could create new hope and broad-er horizons despite what one hadendured-to rise above and triumph, asshe would say, "like a Phoenix fromthe ashes."

Fromm, who is survived by twograndsons, Daniel and MichaelGreenstone and two great-grandsons,gave us all a model of living life. It isfor us now all to strive to emulate thisremarkable woman even as we mournher passing.

Her commitment to truthfulness and to the dissemination of unimpeachable

knowledge was her trademark.


David Akstein, M.D.(1923-2003)

By Madeleine Richeport-Haley, Ph.D.

The scientific and clinical worldof hypnosis will miss David Akstein,a neuropsychiatrist who practicedmost of his life in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil. He was a colleague and dearfriend of Milton H. Erickson, whohad written a preface to Akstein's1973 book Hipnologia. Akstein'scontribution to the field of hypnosisin Brazil was sizeable. He was thefounding president of the "BrazilianSociety of Medical Hypnosis" in1957. In 1960, he published, TheEthical, Moral, and Religious Aspectsof Hypnosis which contributed tochanging Brazilian law and prevent-ing lay people from practicing hypno-sis. He spent many years as an activistworking against charlatanism inBrazil.

Akstein developed tests for theconcentration reflex and eye roll,publishing about these. In 1992, someof his work was published in FrenchUn Voyage a Travers La Transe La

Terpsichore-Transe-Therapie.

He attended and presented atInternational Congresses around theworld and was widely published in avariety of languages including in theJournal of the American Society ofClinical Hypnosis. He was anHonorary Fellow of ASCH, taughtcourses in hypnosis for "The

Brazilian Society of Hypnosis" andthe "Society of Medical Hypnosis inRio de Janeiro." He founded theBrazilian Journal of Hypnosis in1980 and was its Editor until 1993.He remained Editor Emeritus until hisdeath.

Dr. Akstein became interested intrancedancing in the AfricanBrazilian religions in the fifties wherehe saw their tremendous potential fortherapy. He contributed to using theAfrican Brazilian trance states, prac-ticed by more than 50% of the popu-lation within the natural religioushealing systems, adapting it into atherapy to be used with clients. He

I N M E M O R I U Mcalled this technique terpsicore-trancetherapy or TTT – Terpsichoreis the Greek goddess of dance andmusic. According to Akstein, this wasa non-verbal group psychotherapywith kinetic giratory movementsleading to trance induction, liberationand release through progressiverelaxation. Akstein was generous andenthusiastic in sharing his interest in

the African Brazilian religions withmany colleagues who arrived to con-sult from around the world. He per-mitted me to observe his clients inorder to research using hypnosis tomake a differential diagnosis.

He also pioneered the work ofapplying EEG's to mediums'trancedancing in the cult groups.

Akstein was a researcher whowanted to know more about the natur-al forms of trance states and how theycould be applied clinically. He neverapproached this with a spiritual biasas did so many others when alternatebelief systems are so much a culturalway of life. He was a true scientist.

Akstein was born in MinasGerais, Brazil. He graduated fromMedical School at the StateUniversity of Rio de Janeiro in1948 and worked as a general prac-titioner in the Amazon region.Moving to the United States in1992, he wanted to bring TTT topopulations here as well as to workwith his eldest son, Ricardo, aphysician in the U.S. His last yearswere spent writing a book to bepublished posthumously in Brazil.

A few months before his death,he returned to Brazil with a premo-nition of his death, wanting to be inhis own land. He died of cancer onJune 25, 2003.

David Akstein was honored atthe 9th PanAmerican BrazilianCongress of Hypnosis andPsychosomatic Medicine and the1st Congress of Hypnosis of theMedical Hypnosis of the Society ofRio de Janeiro in August 2003.

His colorful presentations, senseof humor, and gift for communicat-ing in Brazil made him a culturebroker mediating between the med-ical and cultural worlds. He was apioneer who will be dearly missed.

Erickson Press Advertise

He was a true scientist.



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James Esdaile: TheGrandfather of

HypnoanesthesiaBy Kathleen B. Donaghy, PhD

" What is new is old, and what is old isnot new." Voltaire

Most people would consider theuse of hypnosis as a modern and per-haps even "new age" means of attain-ing surgical anesthesia. What fewpeople realize is that the practice hasbeen utilized with success since 1845when James Esdaile, a Scottish sur-geon, developed a technique to putpatients into trance during surgery(that's 45 years BF, or "BeforeFreud"). Upon graduating fromEdinburgh, he obtained a positionwith the British East India Companyand began doing surgeries on patientsusing only hypnoanesthesia. As JohnElliotson's protégé, Esdaile had morefreedom to practice as a medical offi-cer, because he was operating onIndians rather than Englishmen. Atthat point in time, in addition to phys-ical trauma and shock, postoperativeinfection occurred in the majority ofpatients and there was a huge mortal-ity rate. (It was not until the nine-teenth century that surgical asepsisbecame understood as being impor-tant.) He would produce a state oftrance by stroking the patient's bodyfor several hours, along with mesmer-ic hand and arm motions (later calledthe Esdaile State). With hisapproach, he dramatically improvedthe surgical success rate; fatal surgi-cal shock and postoperative infec-tions occurred in only 5% of his casescompared with the average 50% mor-tality rate reported by his fellow sur-geons.

During the mid-1800s, surgerywas greatly feared – perhaps evenmore than death – because it wasaccompanied by incredible pain.Alcohol and opium were the onlyanesthetics available, and mostpatients screamed and struggled andhad to be held down during their surg-eries. Thus, the emotional shockdeterred healing beyond the physicalloss of blood (sans transfusion) andinfection (sans antibiotics). Manypatients went into severe shock anddepression during convalescence.

After doing 75 surgeries withhypnoanesthesia, Esdaile wrote to themedical board, but the British med-ical establishment rejected his claims.Undaunted, he contacted the deputygovernor of Bengal, who appointed a committee of physicians to reviewhis growing body of work.Subsequently, the governor appointedEsdaile to head a research hospitalnear Calcutta to continue his workwith hypnosis. After one year, andwith ongoing success, he was reap-pointed to Sarkea's Lane Hospital andDispensary to continue to expand theresearch into other areas of medicine.

His successful surgery casesincluded an amputated arm, a radicalmastectomy, two amputations ofpenises, three cataract removals, fivecases of removing enlarged toenailsby their roots, seven operations forfluid buildup in various body cavities,and the removal of fourteen scrotaltumors, ranging from 8 to 80 poundsin weight.

Still, he received ongoing criti-cisms of his work from local physi-cians who were unable to replicate hisresults, and who speculated that hiswork was only successful because ofpatient selection criteria. Theylabeled his approach crude:"Whereas such a procedure may wellbe applicable to the Indian, we wouldscarcely consider it appropriate for aEuropean or Britisher." Esdaile per-formed more scrotal tumor surgeriesin one month than those taking placein all the other hospitals in Calcutta ina year. Fellow surgeons speculatedthat his patients were merely hysteri-cal, and Esdaile responded in goodhumor, stating that his report of thecases was still worthy of scientificreport if only as an example of an epi-demic of insanity!

Esdaile remained in India until1851, having completed more than300 painless surgeries with the use ofwhat he called "mesmerism." He wasdisheartened to learn that the inventorof ether as an anesthetic was awarded$10,000 – and it was described as theearliest anesthetic. Within two years,ether, nitrous oxide, chloroform, andother chemical anesthetics werewidely used in dentistry, and surgery;and anything resembling mesmerismwas consigned to the dustbin of histo-ry – at least as an approved medical

technique. Indignant, he left his prac-tice in Calcutta and moved closer tohis family. He died at the age of 50 in1859, allegedly from tuberculosis.

Among his many works,Mesmerism in India was later pub-lished under the title of Hypnosis inMedicine and Surgery. This bookcontains reports of 73 cases ofsurgery, along with other medical illnesses such as palsy, lumbago, sciatic, convulsions, and tic-douloureaux-all treated with "mes-merism." It also contains a summaryof his philosophy of medicine, anddenigrates the medical establishmentwho summarily shunned new ideas.He worked tirelessly, one by one, toeducate other physicians about thevalue of hypnosis in anesthesiaand analgesia. It was only after hisdeath – 32 years later – that the

H I S T O R I C A L T I M E S

British Medical Association finallyconceded, recognizing hypnosis (aterm coined by James Braid in 1842)as a viable treatment for pain, insom-nia, and other functional problems.

Given that the discovery of chem-ical anesthesia came prior to thewidespread application and acknowl-edgement of Esdaile's approach, it istempting to wonder how modernmedicine would be different if theseinventions had waited to emerge untilEsdaile had caught on. Once anapproach is distrusted, the Universeseems resistant to granting it recon-sideration. Perhaps acceptance ofmedical hypnosis will be fosteredover time as it's applied as an adjunctto enhance current surgical practices,rather than as a stand-alone substitutefor anesthesia and analgesia.

Lankton


CASE REPORTcontinued from page 9

disappointment if they lost the pool,rather than fear and hurt. They alsopresented more acceptance andenjoyment of Allison's presence sincethey were no longer in a protectivestance, but in a position of curiosity.By the end of the night, Allison wasjoining in with the relatives, enjoyingthe post-game banter. She was nolonger an outsider, but one of thefamily.

Jim said that there have been threeother get-togethers since then. Eachtime, Allison entered like a hurricanebut soon was quieted by the accep-tance and positive attention shereceived.

A year later, Allison is still some-what brutal and attacking in the restof her life, but at family get-togethers,

she is an accepted member of theclan.

When we are negatively anticipat-ing an attack, the amygdale, hypo-thalamus and reticular activatingcenter in the brain stem all come intoplay. These are the survival centers ofthe brain. The entire body is gettingready to protect itself from imminentdestruction. However, when we arecounting the number of occurrence sof something in anticipation of a pos-itive outcome, the left frontal lobe ofthe cortex becomes activated and thebrainstem quiets. We have nowplaced ourselves outside the scene weare watching and decreased ouraccess to negative emotions. Whenthe body is not preparing to protectitself from imminent annihilation, itcan relax and enjoy the show.Breaking the negative interactiveloop between the family and Allisonmade new interactions possible.

Jeff Zeig recently sent me a letter hereceived from Françoise Quélin.Reading it brought me back to a cold,winter day in Phoenix. Some colleaguesand I had just had our first meeting withErickson and he had given us his tradi-tional assignment - "Go visit theBotanical Gardens." We spent manyhours looking at strange and familiarplants until we saw the Boojum tree andthe creeping devils. It was a surprisethat later prepared me for further dis-coveries about my assumptions of life.But I was not to know that until much later.

Reading Françoise Quélin's letter, I found my heart warming in gratitude forhis creating a Botanical Garden for others to explore and discover. And, in hisway, extending Erickson's legacy.

Here are some excerpts from that letter:

Paraplegic since I was wounded by a bullet during the Algerian war,... I havehad to deal with rather violent fits of pain. This had been going on for fortyyears, until I was treated with Erickson therapy. After the first session, the pain

was greatly diminished and what was left was not only acceptable, but evenseemed mild.

This feeling of well-being that I have experienced during this past year, mademe wish to thank Erickson and all those who have worked to pass on his teach-ings, especially in France, Jean Godin and Olivier Perrot, whose expert care Ibenefited from in Fontainebleau.

In homage to him, I am dedicating the arboretum, which I have been planti-ng in a two acre prairie, just bordering my own hamlet in the Gatinais - a region90 km south of Paris - to the memory of Milton Erickson...

...I have also placed a few objects that I chanced upon, to evoke ties, refram-ing, confusion... an accessory that used to hold wine bottles, now holds short sto-

ries. My sister has strewn poppy andblue flax flower seeds which will germi-nate next year. A mosaic fresco depictsthe relationship between the patient andthe therapist: seagulls in flight over astormy sea. I have written next to thefresco, "The wind carries the seagull,but it is the seagull that flies and divesinto the sea." On another fresco there isa long violet graffiti that spells out"Erickson," next to his portrait. Theidea is to surprise and give a feeling ofmovement.

Sunset is especially beautiful here. It is the perfect time of the day to take awalk in the alley that circles round the arboretum. ...When I am watering, I lookout at the prairie. I discover wild grasses, some of which I don't know; newspecies grow and flower there. I often tell myself that, "each blade is a differentshade of green..."

I thank Mrs. Erickson for authorizing me to call my arboretum, the MiltonErickson Arboretum, after her husband, and I cordially invite all Ericksonians topass a moment!

Françoise QuélinCeriseauxemail: [email protected]

And thank you, Françoise Quélin.Richard Landis

F A C E T S A N D R E F L E C T I O N S

DALLAS

On another fresco there is a long violet graffiti that spells out "Erickson," next to his portrait. The idea is to surprise and give a feeling of movement.

The Online version of The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter can be found at

http://www.erickson-foundation.org/news


UPCOMING TRAINING

DATE TITLE / LOCATION / LEADER CONTACTS

2003

9/5-12/19 15-Week (Friday afternoons) Training: Hypnosis For Psychotherapists / Marin, Calif. / Eric Greenleaf, Ph.D. 1.

12/11-14 The Brief Therapy Conference: Essence and Evolution / San Francisco, Calif. / Invited Faculty 2.

2004

1/7-11 ZIST - Supervision / Penzberg, Germany / Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D. 3.

1/11-15 ZIST - Comprehensive Training / Penzberg, Germany / Zeig 3.

1/24 The Pain of Human Experience: Parenting, Internal Voices, and Suicide / Los Angeles, Calif. / Edwin Shneidman, Ph.D., Daniel Siegel, MD, Lisa Firestone, Ph.D. 4.

2/6-8 Fundamental Hypnosis Workshop / New York, NY / Zeig 5.

2/7 Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion / Los Angeles,Calif. / Firestone, Joyce Catlett, M.A., Siegel (Discussant) 4.

2/14-17 Master Class - Intensive Supervision Workshop in Ericksonian Clinical Hypnotherapy / New York, NY / Zeig 6.

2/23-27 Intensive Training in Ericksonian Approaches to Brief Hypnotic Psychotherapy - Fundamental / Phoenix, Ariz. / Brent Geary, Ph.D., Zeig, and Invited Presenters 2.

2/27-29 Fundamental Hypnosis Workshop / Guadalajara, Mexico / Zeig 7.

3/1-5 Intensive Training in Ericksonian Approaches to Brief Hypnotic Psychotherapy - Intermediate / Phoenix, Ariz. / Geary, Zeig, and Invited Presenters 2.

3/11-14 Master Class - Hypnosis Supervision / Brussels, Belgium / Zeig 8.

3/26-28 Challenging Couples, Challenging Therapists / Los Angeles,Calif. / Invited Faculty 2.

4/30-5/2 Intermediate Hypnosis Workshop / New York, NY / Zeig 5.

5/13-14 Anxiety and Depression / Nova Scotia, Canada / Zeig 9.

5/15-18 Master Class - Intensive Supervision Workshop in Ericksonian Clinical Hypnotherapy / New York, NY / Zeig 6.

5/21-23 Voice Therapy Training: Applications to Clinical Practice:Level 1 / Santa Barbara, Calif. / Catlett, Firestone 4.

5/28-30 Intermediate Hypnosis Workshop / Guadalajara, Mexico / Zeig 7.

6/21-25 Master Class - Hypnosis Supervision / Madrid, Spain / Zeig 10.

7/5-8/7 Intensive Training on Ericksonian Psychotherapy [Spanish] 11.(Credits for Masters on Ericksonian Psychotherapy) / MexicoCity, Mexico / Invited Faculty

7/26-30 Intensive Training in Ericksonian Approaches to Brief Hypnotic Psychotherapy - Fundamental / Phoenix, Ariz. / Geary, Zeig, and Invited Presenters 2.

8/2-6 Intensive Training in Ericksonian Approaches to Brief Hypnotic Psychotherapy - Intermediate / Phoenix, Ariz. / Geary, Zeig, and Invited Presenters 2.

8/9-13 Intensive Training in Ericksonian Approaches to Brief Hypnotic Psychotherapy - Advanced / Phoenix, Ariz. / Geary, Zeig, and Invited Presenters 2.

Contact Information:1. The Milton H. Erickson Institute of the Bay Area; 1398 Solano Avenue,

Albany, CA 94706-1832; Tel, 510/464-1140; Fax, 508/519-0534; Web,www.miltonherickson.com

2. The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc., 3606 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ85016-6500; 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. med. Wolf E. Buntig; E-mail, [email protected]

4. The Glendon Association; Tel, 800-663-5281, ext. 29; E-mail,[email protected]

5. Susan Pinco; E-mail, [email protected]

6. Helen Adrienne; E-mail, [email protected]

7. Juan Francisco Ramirez Martinez; E-mail, [email protected]

8. Mokhtar Mourabit; E-mail, [email protected]

9. E-mail, [email protected]

10. E-mail, [email protected]

11. Centro Ericksoniano de Mexico; Patricio Sanz 1205 Col. Del Valle, C.P.03100 Mexico D.F.; Tel, (0052) 9116 0606, (0052) 9116 0607; E-mail,[email protected] ; Web, www.hipnosis.com.mx

To submit a listing for Upcoming Trainings, please send dates, title of workshop,venue, city/state/country, list of presenters, and complete contact information ONLY.Information must be sent in the format above. A $10 fee, per listing, is required. Deadlinefor the 2004 Spring Issue (March) is January 30, 2004. All workshop submissions aresubject to approval by the Erickson Foundation. For more information, please contact theErickson Foundation at 602/956-6196; or E-mail Production Assistant, Karen Haviley,[email protected] .


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CONFERENCE NOTES

The Brief Therapy Conference, sponsored by the Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc., will be held December 11-14, 2003, at the San Francisco Hilton and Towers,in San Francisco, Calif. The Conference consists of keynotes, workshops, topical panels, supervision panels, dialogues, conversation hours, clinical demonstrationsand solicited short courses. The faculty will include Beaulieu, Carlson, Dattilio, Dilts, Dolan, B.A. Erickson, Gilligan, Glasser, Goulding, Hoyt, S. Lankton, Love,Miller, Munion, Norcross, Padesky, Rossi, Shapiro, Short, Wilson, Yapko, and Zeig. Keynotes given by: Albert Bandura, Robin Lakoff, Donald Meichenbaum, andFrank Sulloway. To receive the full conference 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, www.erickson-foundation.org/brfther.htm

The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) is sponsoring the 46th Annual Scientific Meeting & Workshops on Clinical Hypnosis, "Hypnosis and the Careof the Soul," March 12-16, 2004, in Anaheim, Calif. The meeting will include an integrated mix of workshops, symposia, lunch presentations and social events. Basic,Intermediate, and Advanced workshops will be offered. For information contact the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis-Education and Research Foundation, 140N. Bloomingdale Road, Bloomingdale, IL 60108-1017 ; Tel, +630-980-4740 ; Fax, 630/351-8490 ; E-mail, [email protected]

The Fourteenth IFTA World Family Therapy Congress, will be held March 24-27-2004, in Istanbul, Turkey. The Congress theme is, "Families in a Time of GlobalCrisis." The Congress is organized by The International Family Therapy Association (IFTA), and The Turkish Association of Marital and Family Therapy(TRAMFT). For more information contact: ODS Congress Management, Yildiz Cicegi Sokak, No: 12/1, 80630 Etiler, Istanbul, Turkey; Tel, +90 212 287 58 00; Fax,+90 212 352 26 60; E-mail, [email protected]; Web, www.ifta2004.org

The Milton H. Erickson Foundation is sponsoring Challenging Couples, Challenging Therapists, March 26-28, 2004, at the LAX Marriott Hotel at the Los AngelesInternational Airport. Organizational assistance was provided by The Couples Institute, Menlo Park, Calif. Faculty includes Daniel Amen, Ellyn Bader, StephanieBrown, Helen Fisher, Pat Love, Cloé Madanes, Peter Pearson, Esther Perel, Terry Real, Janis Spring, and Jeffrey Zeig. Keynotes will be given by Daniel Amen, HelenFisher, Pat Love, Cloé Madanes, Terry Real, and Janis Spring. A Laws and Ethics Track, presented by Steven Frankl, Ph.D., JD, and Domestic Violence I and IIworkshops, presented by Cloé Madanes, Lic.Psych., will run concurrently with the Conference. 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, www.erickson-foundation.org/challenge.htm

The First International Symposium of the Croatian Society for MedicalHypnosis - Magical Fruits of the Mind, will be held April 30-May 2, 2004, inOpatija, Rivijera, Croatia. Topics will include hypnosis in gynecology and obstet-rics, hypnosis with children, psychopathology of personality disorders and its ther-apeutic approach, Aikido-NLP-Hypnosis, hypnosis in oncology and immunology,and others. For information contact CMA-CSMH, Dr. Denisa Legac, Strma 12Lug, Samobor 10320, Croatia; Tel, +385 91 5057449; Tel, +43 676 585 34 02 A ;Fax, +385 1 3375 666; Fax, +43 316 384 560 6 A ; E-mail, [email protected]

The 16th International Congress on Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, sponsoredby the International Society of Hypnosis (ISH) will be held October 17-22, 2004,in Singapore. The Congress will include clinical skills workshops with the finalthree days including Scientific Papers and Invited Addresses. In addition a limit-ed number of invited workshops will be presented at the post-congress workshopprogram on the exotic tropical Thai Island of Phuket. For information contact 16thInternational Congress on Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, C/- ICMS Pty Ltd, 84Queensbridge Street, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia; Tel, +61 3 9682 0244; Fax,+61 3 9682 0288; E-mail, [email protected] ; Web, www.icms.com.au/16ish

The Seventeenth International Congress of Hypnosis of the InternationalSociety of Hypnosis (ISH) will be held in Querétaro Mexico, October 2006. Formore information 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]

SCSEPH


Lankton / USE THIS BORDER

Milton H. Ericksonat St. Luke's

HospitalPasadena, CAOctober 1958

Available from The Milton H. EricksonFoundation Press

www.erickson-foundation.org/press

6 Compact Disc Set $89

6 Audiocassette Set $59

See page 22 for ordering information

When I first heard about the seriesof CDs, "Milton H. Erickson at St.Luke's Hospital," which were record-ed during a conference given byMilton H. Erickson, at St. Luke'sHospital in Pasadena California inOctober 1958, I immediately beganwondering what that conferencemight have been like. One of my firstquestions was whether studentswould be taught as they are nowa-days, and how things could be done

C D R E V I E Wwithout the electronic devices, VCRs,and all the things we currently use.

I was amazed as I began listeningto Dr. Erickson's voice. It sounded soclose, so present. At first, he told hisstudents that hypnosis is a phenome-non that requires participation as ameans to encourage them to getinvolved actively during this trainingcourse. It seemed that not all partici-pants were familiar with hypnosis sohe began with an introduction:"Hypnosis is a technique, a methodol-ogy, an approach to the patient, and Iexpect you to have that amount ofmedical knowledge references foryou to practice in your own field, andyou use Hypnosis to facilitate yourcontact with the patient, to enable thepatient to comprehend you better, andto motivate your patient in the accep-tance of medical care, and guidance,and advice, and instruction. You see,hypnosis is primarily a method ofcommunicating ideas to people... in

See ST. LUKES on page 17


MILLS

hypnosis you establish, by putting aperson into a trance, a state of recep-tiveness to ideas, and as they arereceptive to ideas, then they becomeresponsive to ideas..." The introduc-tion was surely an effective way toprovide beginners with informationthat enabled them to get familiar withthe use of hypnosis.

The series of CDs includes a widevariety of ways medical doctors canuse this approach in their profession.The first example Erickson gives isabout an obstetrical patient who isabout to give birth. Here, even thoughthe husband was there, she excluded

him from the trance. Dissociationoccurs during the trance state. AsErickson says: "There is no attentiongiven to pain, distress, or anything ofthat sort because there is a fixation ofthe attention to the importantthings"... here by using this techniquewe can help the mother figure outwhether the baby will be a boy, a girl,will she have green eyes, curly hair?And surely the experience will bemuch more enjoyable."

In order to explain ideomotor phe-nomena, Erickson talks about the ideaof a motor response, a normalresponse a mother would show byopening her mouth as she is feedingthe baby.

There is also a special focus onhow a professional can know whethera subject is in trance state. This isexplained by using an example of aperson who was spontaneously show-ing signs of a narrowing and fixatingattention during a conference, eventhough she had not been put into a"formal" trance. Recognizing trance

ST. LUKES continued from page 16

states is fundamental, as opposed toasking the person whether they are intrance or not. I liked very much anexample of what Erickson did duringa demonstration. By using a lighttrance he promoted a positive halluci-nation in a woman who did not knowthat she was in a trance while shetalked to Erickson's hallucinateddaughter, and kept asserting that shewas not in a trance.

In this presentation, Ericksonexplained that hypnosis also requiresa learning process, so people need tolearn the type of behavior that isaltered during the process.

Another phenomenon that is high-lighted is catalepsy, a state wheremuscle tonicity changes and there isloss of mobility as well. It is empha-sized that these are normal phenome-na that occur during ordinary wakingstates. I think this explanation is fun-damental since people often believethat hypnosis is an extremely strangephenomenon.

As Erickson explains, it is impor-tant that rapport be taken intoaccount. He defines rapport as a: "Astate of relationship between thepatient and you in which they tend toexclude everything else, and to givetheir attention to you, and they areresponsive to you".

This series also contains a sectionwhere Erickson also talks about thecase of an 83-year-old man who wasdying of cancer and who hadextremely acute pain. As Ericksonexplains, pain is made of three com-ponents: memories of past pains, theexpectation of a future pain, and pre-sent pain. So if the man could devel-

op amnesia for past and futureexpected pain, then the pain would becut to only one third and then hecould develop amnesia of the presentpain too.

I have been reading aboutErickson's techniques for some timeand I had never found any referenceregarding the "Imaginary patienttechnique" that he used with trainees.By entering trance they could learnways to induce trance in their clients.One of the aims of this technique isthat the trainee finds the right wordsto say while having enough time to dowhat is best, for instance working on

the intonation and finding the neces-sary words. As a trainer, many timesI have found that students often timesare afraid of staring during theirinductions. I truly believe that usingthis technique during courses couldhelp new hypnotists learn more easily,both consciously and unconsciously.

As a therapist, I often find myself

working with kids. I liked howErickson recalled helping when oneof his sons fell down and was bleed-ing. In order to help him deal with thepain better Erickson asked his son tofocus on how red the blood was, thusredirecting his attention somewhereelse. As I was listening to this anec-dote I realized that many times wesuffer because we forget "looking atthe other side of things" in our lives.

This series of CDs can be veryuseful both for medical doctors, psy-chotherapists, and for people who usehypnosis since it provides a widevariety of examples where techniquescan be adapted to any particular situ-ation. The language, the use of voice,and the cases can be utilized both bybeginners and experienced therapists.While I was listening to Erickson'svoice, I also enjoyed letting my righthand levitate for a while, as I wasreviewing the series of CDs "MiltonH. Erickson, at St. Luke's Hospital inPasadena, California, October 1958."

Reviewed By:Maria Escalante Cortina, M.A., DDS

Erickson explained that hypnosis also requires a learning process, so people need to learn the type of behavior that is altered during the process.


V I D E O R E V I E WConstructing New Core Beliefs

By Christine Padesky, Ph.D.

The Brief Therapy Conference: Lasting Solutions

Orlando, Florida, December 2002

Available from The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc.

Videotape # BT02-CDV11, $59

Audiotape # BT02-CD11, $11


In "Constructing New Core Beliefs," Christine Padesky, Ph.D. presents aclear, straightforward demonstration of a cognitive technique for changing thedeeply held destructive beliefs that so often seem immune to therapy. She aimsfor big game, stating that her method works with chronic depression and anxiety,as well as addictions and personality disorders.

In somewhat of a paradoxical twist, Padesky notes that core beliefs in healthypersons occur as pairs of polar opposites, e.g., "I'm stupid" and "I'm smart," "Theworld is a dangerous place" and "The world is safe." Trouble develops when wepossess only one end of the continuum. A personality disorder might arise, forexample, if the individual has only the belief that "I am good." Then all person-al behaviors and attitudes will be self-defined as good, and the individual willlack both an ethical compass and the ability to self-correct.

Her demonstration subject, another therapist who convincingly role plays acurrent client, will sound familiar to most therapists: a teacher whose unrealis-tically high standards for herself have led to a core belief of "I'm not worthy; I'ma bad person" and a 15-year depression. She occasionally throws Padesky thekind of curve ball produced by real clients, giving the demonstration addedverisimilitude.

Padesky's method has three parts: 1) Identify, in the client's own words, thedesirable characteristic or state of being: in this case, the client wants to believeherself to be "wonderful." 2) Establish a continuum between having none of thegoal characteristic and having it 100%. This is used for global self-rating andalso to rate realms of endeavor (work or domestic performance) or individualbehaviors. 3) Keep a "core belief log," a homework assignment the client usesto keep track of small, day-to-day examples of the desired characteristic.

Padesky manages to be both warm and task-oriented, leavening her cognitivework with humor and kindness. She gently corrects her client (Linda), who dis-counts the value of her positive points and demands perfection all the time.Padesky skillfully elicits Linda's own ideas about how to convince someone ofher own worth, and we see Linda's surprise as she recognizes that the good ideasare hers.

After the demonstration Padesky adds a dose of realism, discussing the pit-falls encountered by most clients and telling us that new core beliefs generallytake about six months to form.

I was sorry that Linda never brought up an example of things she does thatshe perceives as terrible. She never said, "Yesterday I screamed at my son andsaid awful things to him." Clients often use these failings, cruelties and venali-ties to prove that they are awful, regardless of how many good things they maydo. I'm certain that Padesky has ways to approach this, and I would have likedto see them. (Answers may be contained in a book to which she refers and towhich she contributed: Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders by Aaron T.Beck and Arthur M. Freedman, et al. [1990], New York, Guilford Press.)

"Constructing New Core Beliefs" gives enough information about this tech-nique that a competent therapist could try it out. The method sounds promising,and Christine Padesky is persuasive. I recommend the tape.

Reviewed by:Will Handy, LMSWDallas, Texas

Facilitating the Creative Dynamics ofGene Expression and Brain Growth

By Ernest Rossi, Ph.D.

The Brief Therapy Conference: Lasting SolutionsOrlando, Florida, December 2002

Available from The Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc.

Videotape # BT02-CDV5, $59

Audiotape # BT02-CD5, $11


No one tape can exhibit depth of skill, a scientifically based construct, a con-ceptual clinical approach and what is possible in just one clinical hour. Or canit? It can if you are as enthusiastically focused as Rossi in his latest video,"Facilitating the Creative Dynamics of Gene Expression and Brain Growth," onhow to recognize and encourage what is possible. Rossi accomplishes this bydemonstrating what he has dedicated exhaustive research and writing to clarifyfor the rest of us: understanding human growth through brain growth via stimu-lating gene expression.

Does this tape take the place of reading his latest book? No. What it does dois give living dimension to the book's content with skills we would do well toemulate.

Rossi has long been commended by his peers for his grace and skill as a clin-ician, especially in his delicate and pointed use of pauses and thoughtful silence.His confidence and delight in what is intensely happening within the volunteer isinfectious with the audience and encouraging to the volunteer.

What is striking is how Rossi encourages the volunteer just so, and instructsthe audience in pithy asides about what is happening internally. The asides keepthe viewer informed of his careful observations of what stage of the process ofgene expression is occurring. He also lets the viewer know when and how to be silent.

Rossi is also a strong proponent of protecting privacy; he does not feel theneed to know everything that is going on in specific detail, even as he is acutelyaware of what stage of growth is being experienced by means of the simpledeclarative verbalizations the subject expresses. Such as informing us, "...audi-ence heard that 'I don't know,' that's very good, that's the growing edge of herconsciousness, just where we want to be, wonderful...", when the volunteerearnestly says, "I don't know...".

What could have easily been a frustrating, scattershot or purely intellectualexperience for the volunteer, instead became a deeply rewarding therapeuticendeavor. Then, even with only five minutes left, and after telling her five min-utes were left, Rossi went on to 'future focus' the gains, doing yet another intensebit of work to defuse potential interference from the past.

A question asked by a conference attendee at the end was, "So you proba-bly wouldn't do this with somebody on their first session, you would wait untilyou've been working with them for a while to see...?" The kind and firmresponse was, "Oh, no, right from the very first. Every session is a complete ses-sion. If we do not meet again, we have gone right to the creative edge." The les-son that we do not have to know the client to know how to begin workingcreatively and constructively is invigorating. In not wanting to give away a goodending, just know that Rossi informs us how to elicit something special from aclient at the very beginning that establishes the momentum of the creativedynamics of gene expression.

Rossi has made other remarkable demonstration tapes; however, "Facilitatingthe Creative Dynamics of Gene Expression and Brain Growth," on the heels ofhis book offers a wealth of learning opportunity and clarification of a rich growthprocess. Take whatever opportunity you can to experience Rossi at work andthen see what is possible to stimulate within yourself and your clients.

Reviewed by:Deborah Beckman, M.S., LPCMilton H. Erickson Institute of Dallas

V I D E O R E V I E W


A U D I O TA P E R E V I E WBuilding a Better

LullabyBy Deborah Beckman, M.S., LPC



Available from The Milton H. EricksonFoundation, Inc.

Tape # BT02-SC16, $11


Imagine a magnificent spreadingoak tree with strong branches, lushfoliage and deep roots. Setting thetone for the presentation, DeborahBeckman demonstrates thatmetaphors can be used to tell an

effective story in more ways than one.She teaches the audience by using anexample that can be adapted to aclient therapy session.

This audiocassette is a live pre-sentation from the Brief TherapyCongress in Florida in 2002, and wasone of the best selling audio-presenta-tions at that Congress. I chose thisaudiotape for review both because thetopic was interesting, and alsobecause it was recommended as hav-ing clear pronunciation and presenta-tion. These elements of style areimportant to me because English isnot my native tongue.

Building a Better Lullaby presentsmaterial to work with people withsleep disorders. During the presenta-tion, Beckman provides theoreticalinformation, and basic principles ofworking with individuals. Her styleof returning to metaphors as a teach-ing technique is both interesting andeffective.

Listening to the audiocassette onenotices Beckman's has a soft, nicevoice and excellent skill at control-ling her inflection and tone. Her skillis especially noteworthy in listeningto the examples of the trance induc-tion, and in her review of cases inwhich she seems to be rememberingtrance inductions.

She recommends beginning withrelaxation and self-hypnosis. Therelaxation helps the client to sleepbetter and "when one has better sleep,they look better and they do better."She describes the "near waking state"and the "just falling asleep state" asbeing natural states of sleep that areclose to self-hypnosis. She empha-sizes how amazing the brain is in itsability to paralyze the body in order topromote a good night's sleep. Shesays that this understanding is partic-ularly useful for some patients, espe-cially anxious ones.

Another technique that she talksabout is "challenging the 'I can't'"which becomes an unhappy lullaby ofits own. She reframes the problem

for the patient. She also uses regres-sion to a period when the clientpatient could sleep well. My ownexperience in therapeutic settings letsme know that her ways of solvingproblems also would be useful insolving other problems, for example,fear.

Beckman refers to the handout afew times in the tape, which is awk-ward, but not a huge problem.Overall, I found the presentation to bewell organized, in a very informalway. She gives the impression thatthis is a topic with which she is famil-iar and comfortable. The explanationof material is sprinkled with humour.

She describes a variety of waysthat the client's creative potential canbe used to stimulate the patient to finda more satisfactory night's rest. WhatI found most useful was the way thatthe presentation could be listened torepeatedly. Her voice is so gently andher stories so filled with ideas that Ican learn without fully examiningeach word. Beckman is modelling alullaby that clearly adds to her suc-cess with sleepless clients.

Reviewed by: Eugene Don Dnepropetrovsk,Ukraine

Using NeuroAffective TherapyTo Help Couples

By Pat Love, Ed.D.

Couples Conference,San Francisco, June 2003


Tape # CC03-W11AB, 2 tapes, $22


Neuro Affective Therapy is a fas-cinating way of describing the physi-ological changes in the brain, whichmake psychotherapy effective, andthe psychotherapeutic experiencesused to elicit the neurologicalresponses that create those changes.

In this presentation, given at theCouples Conference in SanFrancisco, June 2003, Pat Love,Ed.D. describes the development ofneural pathways via experience in away which is systematic, well orga-nized, and understandable, even to

those of us with less neurologicalsavvy. Love explains what neuroaffective therapy is, offers ways it canbe used, and explains why it is called"neuro affective therapy."

There are 28 tenets regardingNAT, which describe how, "In orderfor change to last past the therapydoor, the brain of the client had toexperience what happened in therapyas relevant. The brain believes whatis relevant is affect, so affect formsnew neural pathways." A person mayhave cognition without affect. This isinformation that can be understood,and remembered, but will not neces-sarily elicit an emotional response.There has to be a physiological sensa-tion and experience affectively inorder for change to be permanent.

The complex physiologicalprocesses involved are broken downin a step-by-step manner that demon-strates how the experienced affectstimulates neurons to fire electric cur-rents, which trigger the neurotrans-mitters across the synapses leaving a

chemical trail, forming a neural path-way. With repetition, neural path-ways form the associations thatindividuals carry into each situation.

Love illustrates first how the asso-ciations begin formation in infancy,and are carried through each person'slife. Positive associations triggerneurotransmitters that lead to relax-ation. Negative associations triggerneurotransmitters that lead to alarm,and fight or flight responses. Lovealso explains how once an associationis formed by experience the inclina-tion will be to make the same associ-ation with new situations. This isoften the source of difficulty in rela-tionships, and why each person seesevents through the lens of their ownpast experiences.

The process of neuro affectivetherapy is to make implicit associa-tions explicit, and provide experi-ences, which will create newneuropathways, and therefore, secondorder change. Love presents severalexamples from her personal life, aswell as clinical cases. She also pro-

vides several exercises that one cando individually, or in work with cou-ples.

As the science of physiologicalchanges created in psychotherapy isevolving, explanations like Dr. Love'swill continue to increase in theirimportance. Dr. Love is an outstand-ing presenter, who gives listeners theexperience she is describing. Sheconveys an enormous amount ofinformation in a way that is relevant,often humorous, and poignant. Sheoffers experiential exercises to theparticipants, which are easily prac-ticed by the listener. If one has nothad the privilege of hearing her speakin person, this tape makes a goodintroduction. If one has had the expe-rience, this tape offers a great oppor-tunity to reinforce what is challengingto absorb in one afternoon.

Reviewed by:Sharon McLaughlin, MFTLakeport, Calif.

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

She emphasizes how amazing the brain is in its ability to paralyze the body in order to

promote a good night's sleep.

She conveys an enormous amount of information in away that is relevant, often humorous, and poignant.


A U D I O TA P E R E V I E WThe Ripple Effect:Six Changes to a

New Way of Life fora Lasting Solution

By Albina Tamalonis, Psy.D.




Tape # BT02-SC29, $11


"The Ripple Effect: Six Changesto a New Way of Life for a LastingSolution" is an audiotape from theBrief Therapy Conference, December2002 by Dr. Albina Tamalonis. TheRipple Effect refers to a counselingtechnique that can be used for anyvicious cycle, "the self-punitive, self-perpetuating behavior at the heart ofall neurosis," including gambling,drinking, drug addiction, even peo-ple-pleasing. In this tape, Tamalonisdescribes herself as a New York Citygirl who learned much from the col-lege of hard knocks. Theories shelearned in school did not work withpatients. Four years of psychoanalysistaught her only "the vocabulary."After reading Uncommon Therapy,she "saw the big picture and learneddifferent understandings," which sheuses to treat patients. Early in her talk,she puts the class into trance, rein-forced learning, and then, out oftrance, explains her techniques.

First, she gives her patients home-work, in the form of four questions:

1.) Who are you?2.) What are your needs and

wants?3.) Where are you going?4.) What do you want from life?

As she states, "The essence of mytreatment is learning. In every singledimension, I teach." She instructspatients to get in touch with theiremotions, which can be activating orde-activating. We have options. Wecan become paralyzed with fear. Wecan analyze the feelings, which "justcement you into the pathology." Or,we can change our feelings, changethe environment that caused them, or

do something about them.

Patients caught in a vicious cyclehave learned improper responses totheir emotions, including "all or noth-ing thinking," denial, and dissociationfrom the body. An obese patient maynot recognize that she is hungry orfull. Tamalonis teaches patients to re-associate to their body. She puts theminto trance and performs age regres-sion to childhood. Then she teachesawareness of signals, such as hungeror thirst, and how they wereaddressed, such as eating or drinking.

The keys to her therapy are:1.) Be in touch with emotions2.) Be in touch with the body3.) Use flexibility in the

response4.) Most importantly,

DO SOMETHING.

Learning means to try and tryagain to see the whole picture whileworking on one piece. To improve ona skill, take small discrete steps.

In a vicious cycle, the socialworld narrows. Initially, the alcoholicseeks out other heavy drinkers.Eventually, the victim drinks alone. Aflexible response must expand thatsocial world. How?

In a humorous finale, sheexplains, "My number one rule is that90% of the world are jerks." (She usesa more graphic term). She teachespatients to be clear about their bound-aries and to develop criteria for whothey allow into their lives. "It's notabout changing the world. The worldis a mess. Your job is to change you."

Tamalonis uses many ofErickson's techniques in "The RippleEffect: Six Changes to a New Way ofLife for a Lasting Solution", includ-ing hypnosis, age regression, utiliza-tion, flexibility, bodily awareness,self-protection, and action. Her com-ments are thoughtful and humorous.The quality of the audiotape is good.Her presentation is well worth hear-ing.

Reviewer:Michael Grusenmeyer, M.D.Rocky River, Ohio

The Art of StrategicTherapyBy Jay Haley and

Madeleine Richeport-Haley

Copyright 2003, published by Brunner-Routledge, 196 pages

www.brunner-routledge.co.uk

If you have ever wished to broad-en your perspective on the interfacebetween clinical problem solving,culture, and human development; ifyou have wished you could listen inon a training session by one of the

founding geniuses of family therapy,or if you have ever wished to knowthe thoughts of a master clinicianwith decades of experience to drawfrom, then The Art of StrategicTherapy is a book you will want toinvestigate. Regardless of whetherthe reader considers him or herself tobe a "Strategic Therapist," the contentis likely to be of interest. This text isfull of insight and fascinating clinicalcases that should expand the knowl-edge of anyone engaged in the task ofhuman problem solving.

As the originator of StrategicTherapy, Jay Haley is the person mostqualified to explain the history anddevelopment of this systemic therapy.Also, as someone who has neverretired from active involvement inteaching and therapy, Jay Haley isable to describe modern develop-ments in the field and current bestpractices. The clinical insight that hepresents derives extra depth as it isjuxtaposed against an anthologicalbackground thereby providing abroader understanding of humanbehavior (these contributionsundoubtedly reflect the insights ofMadeleine Richeport-Haley who is an accomplished anthropologist).Together these two authors have cre-ated a book that is concise and evoca-tive.

One aspect of the book that I mostenjoyed is its succinct style. Early inthe book there is a section that out-lines eight important ethical issues.As one would expect, they are givenas directives. For example: The ther-

B O O K R E V I E Wapist will do no harm. Only thosetherapy procedures will be used thatthe therapist is willing to experienceor have his wife and children experi-ence (p. 13). There is a brief sectionon how to give directives (which isdirect and to the point). There is aten-step outline on the stages of para-doxical therapy. And there are chap-ters full of rich information onethnicity issues in therapy, therapywith couples, instances of violence orcompulsory therapy, working withmultiple identities, and therapy with apsychotic couple. All these are illus-trated with case examples, dialogue

that takes place behind the one-waymirror, and brief notations that helpconstruct the conceptual framework.

Another interesting feature of thisbook is that most all of the clinicalexamples also are available in theform of supplemental video materials.In the appendix there is a list ofvideos by Haley and Richeport-Haleythat correspond with various chaptersin the book. There are at least 15 dif-ferent tapes that can be ordered sepa-rately. Having seen some of these, Ican say that the material in the tapesis supplemented by additional infor-mation contained in this book, andvisa versa. For those who are inter-ested, it is a unique treat to actuallysee the therapy that is being describedin the book.

In summary, I would say that thisis a book I highly recommend.Although not everyone may agreewith the interpretations and strategicapproach of Haley, practically no onequestions the significance of hisinfluence or relevancy of culture,family, and developmental stages.These two authors are uniquely qual-ified to address these topics and do soin an artful manner. The collabora-tion between Haley and Richeport-Haley has produced a rich andcomprehensive text that is certain tofind its way into training programsacross the country.

Reviewed by:Dan Short, Ph.D. Phoenix, Ariz.

This text is full of insight and fascinating clinical cases that should expand the knowledge of anyone

engaged in the task of human problem solving.



TAPE ORDER

in San Francisco, in June, 2003 inthis issue.) I have appreciated Love'sclinical and professional skills andthe wonderful way she captivatedaudiences throughout the years. Forthis interview, I was interested inknowing more about Pat Love as aperson. This interview is an excerptfrom a conversation we had while wewere taking a break at the Couple'sConference in San Francisco inJune, 2003.

"Listening in on a conversationbetween Pat Love and Rick Landis."

Landis: What you presented atyour "Using Neuro-AffectiveTherapy To Help Couples" pre-sentation here at the CouplesConference was quite a different

shift in focus from when you firstbecame a motive force in the worldof couples therapy. Your ideasseem to be constantly evolving.What do you think accounts forthis evolution?

Love: The lack of answers in theexisting research and literature led meto look elsewhere. I've always been askeptic, a person who wants to know:Why does that work? How does thatwork? Literally, when you say, 'beintimate,' what do you mean? What isgoing on? If we took a video, I'd wantto measure it.

It's my intent to understand at adeeper level what was going on andwhy, in certain techniques, there wasstill this blank area. All these tech-niques, all this knowledge, all thistheory, and still there are issues thatdon't get addressed with individuals

and couples.

Landis: So rather than provid-ing definitive answers for you, yourtraining and experiences helpedyou develop clearer questions.

Love: That's it exactly. When Itaught in graduate school, there was agraduate course curriculum for clini-cal hypnosis. Since I view hypnosisas being physiological, it was a natur-al fit for me, coming from physiolo-gy. It's as though I've come full circle,not just from my medical beginning,but also from my original mindset ofslowing everything down, looking atthe teeny-tiny, micro level of what'sgoing on between people. And I thinkthat's why I took to the use of hypno-sis like a duck to water. It made logi-cal sense to me physiologically andexperientially. And I've never lostthat perspective.

Landis: It is an exciting thingwhen someone who has your depth

of understanding about the interac-tions of couples, overlays that per-spective with physiologicalinformation. That is a powerfulcombination.

Love: I have found that one wayto cause a paradigm shift in workingwith couples is to give highly scien-tific, physiological information thatmakes sense of their experiences.This information allows them tounderstand that their actions and reac-tions are not an indication that theyare mad, bad, or there's a problemwith who they are, but that there's aphysical process influencing thoseinteractions, and there is somethingthey can do about it.

Landis: How would youdescribe this through a Neuro-Affective Therapy lens?

Love: Neuro-Affective Therapyis just a fancy name that means, in

INTERVIEWcontinued from page 1




order for change to last past the ther-apy door, the brain has to have expe-rienced something relevant in thetherapy room. And what is relevant tothe brain is affective response. Thebrain remembers affect more thananything else, good, bad or indiffer-ent. So what I'm trying to do is facili-tate and create an atmosphere inwhich the couples will then have thecourage to move into that very vul-nerable, yet transformational, state.Because once you move into that,then passion and connection flow. It'sthose peak moments that Maslowtalked about. Those are magicalmoments, and I get chills, I'm movedto tears, the rug comes three feet offthe floor, I mean, we're all in thistogether, and I just feel like a proudparent.

You know what it really is? I getthe sense that I'm sitting in a sacredplace when that happens. It's about atrue sacredness of the moment. Andwhat's interesting about this is, I havealways longed to be a believer, butI've never been a believer. However, Ihave a hunger, and this whole under-standing has made me feel like, some-how, I've garnered more faith from it.I don't know. Maybe it's an under-standing or a hope or a faith, a hope-fulness about the human race.

Landis: So, the Neuro-AffectiveTherapy perspectives are in the ser-vice of increasing affect regulationthat quiets the body. When youquiet the body, then we can truly"Be" in the present with anotherhuman being rather then being lim-ited to being who we were some-time in our past. And so you'retalking about an advantage ofunderstanding things from the per-spective of hormonal and neuro-transmitter effects, you can safelyexperience things that transformthe meaning of the relationship.

Love: Right. And I think that, forsome of us, because of the interactionof genetic pre-disposition and experi-ence, our bodies have altered in a waythat makes it so difficult to regulateour emotions long enough to be inti-mate with someone, to feel happy,even, when those moments happen. Imean, I've had to work so hard just tofeel happy, like this conversation, I'mjust blissful about our conversation. Ijust feel it, I could cry with it, it's soexciting to me. However, I've had towork really hard to get to this place,to feel that much emotion.

And it's because I've just left nostone unturned, that's what's led me tothis. I looked at my life and said, "Ihave a good life; why am I not happy?I have good people who adore me,love me. Why can't I feel that?" Andit's not intellectual. So, how do I thencreate a lifestyle that will enable meto feel this much joy and bliss in thesemoments of learning and synergythat, for me, are what life is about?Our conversation is another form, acollaboration.

So how do I then optimize theprobability that this will happen on adaily basis? Because that's what it is.These opportunities happen all thetime. It could be with a stranger, itcould be someone you know. So howdo I put myself into a place where I'mreceptive to these moments?

Landis: And that, from my per-spective, is the right question.Because an aspect of it being theright question is that the answer isinevitable. It will occur. If it's theright question, the answer jumpsup, because it keeps you looking. Sothe idea of saying, "What do I needto do in order to make this a dailyexperience, what do I need to know,what do I need to experience that?"- it's an unending quest. And, as faras I'm concerned, unending questsare the ideal ones.

Love: Especially for those of usthat curiosity "floats our boat."Discovery is what excites me themost.

Landis: So how do youapproach this actually workingwith clients?

Love: Well, it was a process. Istarted by doing a lot of therapy. Foryears, I did couples workshops, theselong workshops where I worked withcouples intensely, hour after hourafter hour after hour. And I think thatgot me over my fear of making a ter-rible mistake. I always thought thatcouples were somehow like an egg. Ifyou cracked it, you could never get itback together. Working intenselywith couples got me over my fear ofthat much intimacy and energy thatgoes on between couples. As Ilearned to be comfortable, then Icould observe more. Then I reallybegan to understand that I providedthe safety that allowed the energy tosafely flow between the two of them.My daughter, Kathleen, reminded methis morning of one couple who saidto me, "Could we just rent your officeas a room? When we're in here, weact so much better." And I realized

that I was more like the safety net forthem to experience this intimacy andintensity.

And those moments were just somoving and so sacred and so energiz-ing. I kept moving toward those, intu-itively. And then, as a therapist, Irealized that people pay us to have theexperience. I got paid to convincepeople that they can do what they canalready do. I haven't gone far fromthat definition. Clients don't come tous with complex problems that need arocket scientist. I really think theycome to us for support and permis-sion. "Let me know that I can dowhat I really need to do," whether it'sin a relationship or whatever.

I don't do therapy. I do consulting.It's mincing words, but it gave mepermission to do other than what Iwas originally taught to do. At first, Ijust thought I was lazy. I started byjust sitting back and saying, "Youknow, I don't know why, but this iswhat's coming to me." And I wouldjust free associate in the moment.What came back to me was from theclient: they made sense out of myreality. I didn't even know why I wassaying it. I might just say, "I'm justgetting a picture of this," or "I'm justhaving this feeling," or "What cameto my mind was this." I didn't knowwhy, but I quit having to know whyand trusted the "inner wisdom" of theclient. That happened enough towhere I got humbled, humiliated bymy prior experience of believingsomehow I knew more about this per-son than they did. I got confronted bythe humility of that, and I was justembarrassed that I had even pre-sumed to know. And that humilityliberated me. I just started realizing,it's more about how I show up and amattuned to the client. Really, my abil-ity to be present and really ready to beinfluenced by my client is what I wastrying to facilitate between the twopeople, but I hadn't applied it tomyself. I don't know how it came, butI hadn't thought that what's good forthem is also good for me.

Landis: This is very reminis-cent of how Graham Barnesdescribed Erickson as having anon-theory-centered psychothera-py.

Love: Yes, it is. People kept say-ing, "What's your model? What's yourthinking?" or "What are you?" Sofinally, I just decided to tell my ownideas. This was a novel idea for a per-

son with my background. Wheremuch of my life I just lied or tried togive The Answer, I just started tellingthe truth. It might sound simple, butfor me, it was very difficult, because Iwanted to give the acceptable answer,the scared answer. But once I startedtelling the truth, the people startedmaking sense out of it, like you. It'swonderful.

Landis: It is exciting. We arejust chock full of undocumentedfeatures. And however we came tobe, it's all inside there.

Love: Socrates was right. Youjust have to ask the right question. Forme, people can solve their own prob-lems. People are the only ones whocan solve their own problems, andthey always can, if they have accessto their innate talent and creativityand resources. We're designed wheretwo of our advantages as a species: abig brain, and we help each other. Ithink the assurance that there is some-one there quiets the system and givesaccess to the neocortex. And I believethat just my presence and just mybelief in you - and it's more than acognitive thing, it's more of an expe-riential, neuro-physiological thing. Ireally think that it's the way I sit withyou, it's the way I sit with my clients.I think that's why research has alwaysshown the bottom line in effectivepsychotherapy is the relationship.

Clients sue the therapists that theydon't think care for them. So I thinkthat, as many mistakes as I made as ayoung therapist, I think innately I hadthis belief in people, and I think that'sprobably why people gave me a wideberth. {Laughs} I think innately theyknew, "Hey, she may be stupid, butshe's got a good attitude! She hasgood will!"

And it's only when I tried to laysomething on the client, that began tofeel more and more dissonant for me.That somehow that didn't - I don'tknow, I never....

Landis: It moves us out of thetrance state.

Love: Yes.

Landis: It moves us out of theI/thou relationship, and it puts usinto the mindset of "I know it andyou're sick."

Love: Right! Exactly, exactly.And that gave me the courage to gointo this profession. At one time I hada huge, major couples' workshop



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where people came when they were inserious distress. And there were allthese people who were sitting therewith deer-in-the-headlights looks.And I had this flash and I thought,"Who do I think I am, that I can standup here and hold this energy?""You're nuts for thinking you're walk-ing into this on purpose." I just hadthis rare fear that these people are insuch pain and agony, and somehowI'm going to help them? It was like,"What are you doing? You're walkinginto the lion's den." However, some-how, I think change is in the simplic-ity of good information, explaining,reframing, becoming a holding placefor couples to air that sacred space,and not having to do anything wow-ing or techniquey. Somehow the moreI learn, the simpler it gets, and it justfrees me.

Landis: You've transformedyourself from doing therapy tobeing therapy.

Love: Yes, yes. That's a lovelyway of putting it.

Landis: I appreciate your tak-ing the time from the conferencefor us to talk.

Love: It has been my pleasure.I've really enjoyed it.

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