Product reviews for Hope and Resiliency (paperback edition)

“Hope and Resiliency. Understanding the Psychotherapeutic Strategies of Milton H. Erickson, M.D.” is a wonderful book. I had the sense while reading it that I was in Erickson's office and just listening to him talk. This is a consequence of an informal narrative style wherein the book contains many case studies, comments by Erickson, and comments by his daughters and Short. I have not seen some of these studies and commentaries before, and they shed a new and continuingly interesting light on this remarkable man and his works. There are gems like, “Let patients know that they are going to be cured and that it will take place within them.” And “Often in psychotherapy a change of reference is all that is needed.” and “Erickson's philosophy of healing was characterized by his attention to the goodness of the patient's mind and body.

The heart of the book centers around organizing Erickson's contributions under the categories of: distraction, partitioning, progression, suggestion, reorientation, and utilization. Although it is next to impossible to characterize or systematize Erickson's work in simple packets, this organization does lend itself to an useful set of guidelines to the man and his work.



This book is highly recommended as it provides the reader with some unique perspectives on Erickson's work, his way of working, and many practical ideas.