ABSTRACT
Although much has been written about the variety of applications of Milton Erickson's treatment techniques and style, one of the most seminal aspects of his work is his curiosity about his own life and the lives of his patients. Erickson's demonstration of curiosity has been viewed as a given in the literature but has not received attention as a topic in itself. Curiosity is of compelling importance as an agent of change in Ericksonian therapy. The expression of such curiosity and the engenderment of curiosity in a patient immediately allow the patient and the therapist to join in common cause, to engage together in creative problem solving. Specifically, in the treatment of incest and sexual abuse survivors, such curiosity allows a patient to be interested in the environment rather than afraid of it, to be able to experience pleasure in current life more strongly than the pain of memories, and to be able to lay the foundation for future learnings rather than hiding from life's diversity in rigidly defined repetitions. This paper explains the purpose served by curiosity in therapy and provides two treatment vignettes by way of illustration.
