Dr. Milton Erickson was a master of communication and hypnotic techniques . At times, he could be very direct with his suggestions when he felt they would be the most beneficial.  At other times, he would approach his subject with much more subtlety, using stories, tone of voice, body language and confusion to gently work around the person’s resistance. For example, he might ask someone who is stuck in thinking that there was only one way to solve a problem, how many ways there were to go in and out of a room. After a common response that one could go in and out of the door by walking towards it or backing out of it, Dr. Erickson would suggest that one could skip, run, hop out of the door, take a car to the airport, go to France, come back and reenter the room. This was his way of using hypnosis to expand a person’s imagination and possibilities.

As an Ericksonian hypnotherapist, I incorporate many of the techniques that Milton Erickson developed and promoted. I  believe that resistance is not something to be confronted but something to be respected because it is a person’s way of protecting him or herself. It is up to the hypnotherapist to find away to work with a person’s resistance and find a gentle way around it.  The use of metaphors, stories, indirect suggestions and conversational trance are powerful and less confrontational ways of working with a client to promote personal growth and reduce the affects of trauma.

Brigitte E. Lifschitz, LCSW
January, 2015

Coping with the effects of Covid-19

To say that this is a stressful time for almost everyone, would be a total understatement. Not only have we had to cope with the fear of a disease we cannot see in the air, with forced isolation from family, friends, and all the activities that make us feel whole and connected, but the end is not in sight as of this writing. How we approach this moment, will make a difference in the way we can get through it.

This could be a time which offers an opportunity to develop a creative skill that has remained dormant for many years. It could be a moment to pursue an interest you have not had the time for. There are all kinds of things that one can do when having to remain indoors. It is a good time to start painting, writing, woodwork, redecorating, knitting/crocheting or any other creative endeavor. There are many offerings on line such as yoga, Qigong, aerobics, meditation and hypnosis for example. It is important to make the best of this stressful time and discover a part of yourself that has not yet had the opportunity to develop and thrive. As has been said: you can make lemonade out of lemons!

October 31, 2020