Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D

Milton Erickson is legendary for his work in hypnosis. This book is a great introduction to his ways of using language to induce trance states. It is a good intro into NLP (neurolinguistic psycotherapy). i think it is more useful as a reference book for those interested in neuropsychology but it reads well in straight reading format as well.

The guy that gave only 1 star to this book has no clue what he's talking about. Erickson was a genius and it was not in his content, but in the form he used.

This book and the other part of it are an explanation and demonstration of Erickson's true skill - reshaping a person's thought patterns. Bandler and Grinder have modeled Erickson in this work and in other non published NLP related works, and this is where you see actual "magic" in Erickson's style of therapy.

It's not the stories, it's not the miraculous improvement of his patients - it's the artful manipulation that Erickson was a master of.

I highly recommend this book and anything else related to Erickson's life and work. By merely reading Erickson, you get better in communicating effectively with others.

Enjoy!
Shlomo Vaknin, editor
NLPWeekly magazine & community

This book will introduce some of the foundations needed to fully understand NLP. It acts as a great goto reference as you continue to learn beyond the scope of this book.

If you ever wanted to learn NLP or hypnosis then this is the center of the vortex. Everything about modern persuasion goes back to the unassuming Milton Erickson. Everyone from Richard Bandler to Tony Robbins owes a great debt to him.

This and the second volume is the definitive guide to hypnosis. What out though it is not an ordinary book. It is for doctors as such. Meaning that if you haven't come across the topic of hypnosis then read up on it before getting this book. Very technical. Saying that, that means that this is where you learn the heart and soul of hypnosis. It is not step by step for getting people into hypnosis it is the understanding of hypnosis, which leads to a better hypnotist.