Characteristics of Change in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy: A Cognitive-Psychological Perspective
Abstract
Milton H. Erickson's approach to hypnosis and psychotherapy has established itself as a therapeutic paradigm in recent years. As its popularity grows, however, myths and misconceptions about his approach have also emerged. Some of them claim falsely that Erickson's therapy consists of nothing more than a set of quick, symptom-management formulae. To understand Erickson's hypnotic psychotherapy in a proper context, a systematic review is warranted. In this article I have examined, from a cognitive-psychological perspective, four of the major characteristics of therapeutic change underlying Erickson's work: (a) self-efficacy, (b) spontaneous compliance, (c) cognitive/experiential reorganization, and (d) global distribution of information. Drawing on Erickson's original writing, this paper integrates his published cases into an existing theoretical and empirical framework. Clinical implications are also discussed.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The VR therapeutic process is based on Erickson's psychotherapy, relies mainly on metaphorical communication, and uses specific symbolism for hypnosis.
“The therapeutic process used in the VR group, based on the assumptions of Erickson’s psychotherapy, relies mainly on metaphorical communication, and uses specific symbolism for this purpose hypnosis.30–32”
From Effects of Immersive Virtual Therapy as a Method Supporting Recovery of Depressive Symptoms in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: Randomized Controlled Trial (2022) · cites this paper as [31]
Cites
Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency
Bandura, A. (1982) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.37.2.122 · Cited by 15,975 · see citing works
Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change
Bandura, A. (1978) · Advances in Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0146-6402(78)90002-4 · Cited by 10,586 · see citing works
(1988) · Cited by 3,656 · see citing works
Cognitive processes mediating behavioral change.
Bandura, A., Adams, N. E., & Beyer, J. (1977) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.35.3.125 · Cited by 1,392 · see citing works
Analysis of self-efficacy theory of behavioral change
Bandura, A., & Adams, N. E. (1977) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/bf01663995 · Cited by 1,338 · see citing works
Haley, J. (1963) · Grune & Stratton eBooks · doi:10.1037/14324-000 · Cited by 1,148 · see citing works
Uncommon Therapy: The Psychiatric Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D.
(1973) · Family Process · doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1973.467_1.x · Cited by 562 · see citing works
Hypnotherapy: An Exploratory Casebook
Rossi, E. L., & Erickson, M. H. (1979) · Cited by 245 · see citing works
Consciousness and Self-Regulation
Davidson, R. J., SCHWARTZ, G. E. R., & Shapiro, D. L. (1983) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-9317-1 · Cited by 231 · see citing works
Greenberg, L. S., & Safran, J. D. (1989) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.44.1.19 · Cited by 219 · see citing works
Hypnotherapy—An exploratory casebook
Gibson, H. B. (1980) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(80)90061-3 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Hypnotic Realities: The Induction of Clinical Hypnosis and Forms of Indirect Suggestion
Zinn, S. B. (1977) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/00006842-197711000-00010 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
Conscious Contents Provide the Nervous System with Coherent, Global Information
Baars, B. J. (1983) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-9317-1_2 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Hypnotic Realities: The Induction of Clinical Hypnosis and Forms of Indirect Suggestion
Erickson, M. H., Rossi, E. L., & Rossi, S. I. (1976) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Kline, P. (1989) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/0022-3999(89)90094-9 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
Integrating affect and cognition: A perspective on the process of therapeutic change
Greenberg, L. S., & Safran, J. D. (1984) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/bf01173254 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Greenberg, L. S., Safran, J. D., & Dryden, W. (1988) · Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1891/0889-8391.2.1.68a · Cited by 125 · see citing works
A Perceptual-Motor Processing Model of Emotion
Leventhal, H. (1979) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-3548-1_1 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
The collected papers of Milton H. Erickson on hypnosis
Erickson, M., & Rossi, E. (1979) · Scandinavian Journal of Behaviour Therapy · doi:10.1080/16506078209455643 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
My Voice Will Go with You : The Teaching Tales of Milton H. Erickson
Erickson, M. H., & Rosen, S. (1982) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 110 · see citing works
New Directions in Cognitive Science
Toglia, M. P., & Schlechter, T. M. (1985) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 101 · see citing works
My Voice Will Go With You: The Teaching Tales of Milton H. Erickson
Pattern, J. (1983) · Family Process · doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1983.401_4.x · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Experiencing Hypnosis: Therapeutic Approaches to Altered States
Erickson, M. H., & Rossi, E. L. (1981) · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Ericksonian approaches to hypnosis and psychotherapy
Zeig, J. K. (1982) · Brunner/Mazel eBooks · Cited by 80 · see citing works
The Interspersal Hypnotic Technique for Symptom Correction and Pain Control
Erickson, M. H. (1966) · American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis · doi:10.1080/00029157.1966.10402492 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Teaching Seminar With Milton H. Erickson
Zeig, J. K. (2013) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203776117 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Cognition, Language, and Consciousness: Integrative Levels
Greenberg, G., & Tobach, E. (1987) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Teaching seminar with Milton H. Erickson, M.D
Erickson, M. H., & Zeig, J. K. (1980) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Experiencing Erickson : an introduction to the man and his work
Zeig, J. K., & Erickson, M. H. (1985) · Brunner/Mazel eBooks · Cited by 36 · see citing works
The Use of Symptoms as an Integral Part of Hypnotherapy
Erickson, M. H. (1965) · American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis · doi:10.1080/00029157.1965.10402461 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Hot cognition ? emotion coming in from the cold: A reply to Rachman and Mahoney
Greenberg, L. S., & Safran, J. D. (1984) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/bf01173257 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
The February Man: Evolving Consciousness and Identity in Hypnotherapy
Erickson, M. H., & Rossi, E. L. (1989) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 27 · see citing works
The February Man: Evolving Consciousness and Identity in Hypnotherapy
Schorer, C. E. (1990) · American Journal of Psychotherapy · doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1990.44.1.142 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Conversations with Milton H. Erickson, M.D.
Erickson, M. H., & Haley, J. (1985) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Myths about Erickson and Ericksonian Hypnosis
Hammond, D. C. (1984) · American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis · doi:10.1080/00029157.1984.10402571 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Hypnotically Oriented Psychotherapy in Organic Brain Damage
Erickson, M. H. (1963) · American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis · doi:10.1080/00029157.1963.10402329 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
2 of the 38 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Kiper, P., Przysiężna, E., Cieślik, B., Broniec-Siekaniec, K., Kucińska, A., Szczygieł, J., Turek, K., Gajda, R., & Szczepańska-Gieracha, J. (2022) · Clinical Interventions in Aging · doi:10.2147/cia.s375754 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Larkin, D. M. (2007) · Nursing Science Quarterly · doi:10.1177/0894318407306539 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Hypnotherapy as a medical treatment: Evidence-based or pseudoscience?
van Tilburg, M. A. L., Monis, E. L., Braumann, R. E., Fleishman, K., & Lamm, K. (2024) · Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2024.101841 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Potential Adjunctive Applications of Hypnosis in the Management of Periodontal Diseases
Wood, G. J., & Zadeh, H. H. (1999) · American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis · doi:10.1080/00029157.1999.10404213 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
An Ericksonian approach to crack cocaine addiction: a single‐session intervention
Marcus, J. D. (1999) · Contemporary Hypnosis · doi:10.1002/ch.157 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Strategic Eclecticism in Hypnotherapy: Effectiveness Research Considerations
Amundson, J. K., & Nuttgens, S. (2008) · American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis · doi:10.1080/00029157.2008.10401626 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Contextual Roles in Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy: Theory and Applications
Otani, A. (1991) · American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis · doi:10.1080/00029157.1991.10402970 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citation(2011) · American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis · doi:10.1080/00029157.2011.10401760 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Rational self-directed hypnotherapy : a therapeutic intervention for major depression
McBride, M. L. (2009) · cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · doi:10.14288/1.0054044
- Authors
- Otani, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Corresponding author
- Otani, Akira
- Venue
- American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 1990-07
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 29-39
- ISSN
- 0002-9157 (ISSN-L)
- 2160-0562
- OpenAlex
- W2171638933
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 0.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics
- Keywords
- Ericksonian hypnotherapy, Milton H. Erickson, therapeutic change, self-efficacy, cognitive restructuring
- MeSH terms
- Combined Modality Therapy, Humans, Hypnosis, Psychotherapy, Self Concept, Suggestion
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
