Ericksonian Hypnosis

Milton Erickson was a pioneer in hypnosis. In a way he changed our view about hypnosis. He “invented” what is now known as a conversational hypnosis. Rather than using “you are feeling sleepy” pattern of a therapeutic hypnosis he came up with the idea to influence people in the regular conversation. Just by talking to them. He came up with the use of hypnotic language pattern that allows the persuader to slip his suggestions into unconscious mind. There is an anecdote how Milton Erickson charmed the doctors who were about to strip him of the medical degree just by having a conversation with them on the plane to the conference.

Of course the art of persuasion and charm has been around long before Erickson. Casanova is one of the most famous examples. We all know people who are fabulous talkers and can persuade almost anyone to do anything willingly. Erickson turned this art into skill that anyone who is interested can learn and master.

Conversational hypnosis is a very useful skill as it allows you to interact with people effectively. The goal here is to make people like you and suggest thing that would help them. Yes, it is possible to use conversational hypnosis for ‘evil” purposes as well, but it’s rather like shooting a sparrow with cannon. You can achieve the same result much easier by persuading people to do what you want willingly. There are stories, for example, when people went to apply for jobs they were not qualified for and got them! Now isn’t that much better than steal money from a gas station? That just makes you a petty thief.