Integrating Milton H. Erickson's Hypnotherapeutic Techniques Into General Counseling and Psychotherapy

Milton H. Erickson's approach to clinical hypnosis has recently attracted the attention of many professional counselors. Although traditional hypnotherapy presumes the induction and utilization of trance, some of Erickson's hypnotherapeutic principles can be easily translated into the general framework of counseling. This article examines several basic techniques of Erickson that are applicable to four aspects of counseling: (a) rapport building, (b) problem assessment, (c) resistance management, and (d) behavior change. Clinical examples and discussion are provided for illustration.