ABSTRACT
I am a storyteller, and I recognize Erickson’s influence in my work; I am strengths based, use language sensitively and carefully, and metaphor, stories, art and play have turned out to be my most-used tools of the trade. Erickson’s work points to the impact of metaphor and stories in psychotherapy. He, and others who followed, stressed the importance of listening, curiosity, trance states (which are natural), utilization, stepping out of the box, seeing new possibility, creating “aha” moments and transformation. Stories move the listener to a vulnerable, receptive state of readiness; for children this is a readiness to play, and for adults it is a readiness to be open and shift one’s inner state of mind and emotion. Erickson pioneered an approach of “utilization” whereby a client’s presenting symptoms are accepted and incorporated into the treatment strategy by way of metaphor. He viewed symptoms as blocked resources; additionally, client symptoms reflect attempts to adapt and cope with difficult circumstances within the bounds of that person’s neurobiological development. When we use Erickson’s concepts, we mine for gold with our clients, and the gold is within them to be found.
