ABSTRACT
One of the most interesting things that could be said about Milton Erickson is that he did not practice Ericksonian psychotherapy. He rejected theory, frameworks, and set techniques. His writings usually emphasized a few generative principles, then concentrated on describing specific cases where these principles were creatively applied. The effectiveness of his work inspired many, though few of us seemed to take his atheoretical claims at face value. Instead, we proceeded on the assumption that of course there was a theory or a framework, it was just hidden or unstated. This assumption conveniently allowed many of his students, myself included, to "helpfully" explain what Erickson was "really" doing. A whole new field of Ericksonian psychotherapy was born, as the intricacies of Erickson's patterns were written about and promulgated at a dizzying rate. Twelve years
80 Ericksonian Methods: The Essence of the Story
after Erickson's death, this "field" is gathered here in Phoenix, ostensibly around the theme of addressing "the essence of the story."
