Customer Reviews
It's all in the mind - By: L. Power, 14 Sep 2008 
I read about Erickson as the pioneer of NLP, & his work in hypnosis & psychotherapy & was intrigued. This book is a great introduction to Erickson. His style of communication which involves the use of skilfully vague language patterns, rapport skills, & conversational hypnosis techniques, forms the basis of the Milton Model in NLP.
These stories are case studies, people with alll sorts of problems, & very interesting solutions, & great stories.
This guy is a genius. From bedwetting to alcoholism, to repression, I was particularly inspired by a very short story about the Turmahara Indians, & how knowing & thinking about their special abilities can increase your energy levels. If it works for me, it might work for you.
There was one story about how he treated one woman who was sexuallly unresponsive, & through using his storytelling method caused her to have an orgasm in his office without touching her! Before reading this book I had not realised how easily influenced we can be by indirect suggestion, & how powerful his techniques are.
Essentiallly this is a book of anecdotes, with the author who is himself a psychiatrist giving an explanation of the methods & techniques being used by Erickson.
Apart from the therapeutic benefits, if you read this book you can reallly improve your communication & storytelling skills if you follow the principles used here, so I would recommend this book to aspiring story tellers.
Think of Erickson as someone who was a master of effecting life altering personal change by being able to communicate on a deeper level. Applied to yourself you can most likely imagine the effect you can have on yourself & others & how you can win friends & influence people by learning this skill.
For more case studies, check out Conversations with Milton H. Erickson Vol 1 by Jay Haley. You might find situations in there that relate to issues in your own life. In fact, use the look inside feature & check out the index. I found the chapter on public speaking & performance anxiety quite helpful. Also, check out the Patterns of... Erickson book by Richard Bandler, which gives a a complete analysis of Erickson's induction methods.
I hope you find this review helpful, and, if you do please click yes.
So much to discover - By: Dan Jones, 14 Sep 2008 An easy read; well written; an excellent resource for training therapists & health professionals & those that have been in the business for sometime.
This book is full of gems. Every story can be viewed on so many levels. You can discover skills & techniques & ideas from the stories while absorbing & enhancing your natural ability to share the right story with the right person at the right time in the right way to make a difference to so many people's lives.
A thought provoking book on the power of language! - By: Image Creater, 07 Aug 2008 I discovered this book after reading a book on how the 'Milton Model' can be used in NLP. Although perhaps primarily aimed at therapists, I found the stories very readable & along with the commentaries, perfect examples of the power of language. It seems to me that Milton Erikson had a phenomenal insight into human behaviour & much can be learned from these, 'teaching tales.'
Perfect 10 - By: J. Alan, 12 Jun 2008 Undoubtedly one of the best books I've read on Milton Erickson.
All the short stories are well written, vivid & always make a point. Aesop would have been proud.
It is not a technical manual, more like an analogy or an alllegory.
I'd read it alll over again easily.
His voice will stay with you. - By: H. Hurmson, 01 Jun 2008 Don't often leave reviews but this book is well worth every penny. As a hypnotherapy student there are mountains of (great) theory & scripts, but to have actual condensed case studies from the master is both inspirational & essential for understanding everything else written about him. Brilliantly presented in a way that can be read as a recreational text, & as you would expect each case seems to instantly commit itself to memory.
