Dr. Milton H. Erickson, a pioneer in strategic psychotherapy, would often
\neducate his patients powerfully but indirectly by creating a kind of mirror
\neffect. Constructing an analogy to make patients see the truth on their own,
\nhe would bypass their resistance to change. When Dr. Erickson treated
\nmarried couples complaining of sexual problems, for instance, he often
\nfound that psychotherapy\u2019s tradition of direct confrontation and problemairing only heightened the spouses\u2019 resistance and sharpened their differences. Instead, he would draw a husband and wife out on other topics,
\noften banal ones, trying to find an analogy for the sexual conflict.
\nIn one couple\u2019s first session, the pair were discussing their eating
\nhabits, especially at dinner. The wife preferred the leisurely approach\u2014\u2014a
\ndrink before the meal, some appetizers, and then a small main course, all at
\na slow, civilized pace. This frustrated the husband-\u2014he wanted to get dinner over quickly and to dig right into the main course, the bigger the better.
\nAs the conversation continued, the couple began to catch glimpses of an
\nanalogy to their problems in bed. The moment they made this connection,
\nhowever, Dr. Erickson would change the subject, carefully avoiding a discussion of the real problem.
\nThe couple thought Erickson was just getting to know them and would
\ndeal with the problem directly the next time he saw them. But at the end of
\nthis first session, Dr. Erickson directed them to arrange a dinner a few
\nnights away that would combine each person\u2019s desire: The wife would get
\nthe slow meal, including time spent bonding, and the husband would get
\nthe big dishes he wanted to eat. Without realizing they were acting under
\nthe doctor\u2019s gentle guidance, the couple would walk into a mirror of their
\nproblem, and in the mirror they would solve their problems themselves,
\nending the evening just as the doctor had h0ped\u2014by mirroring the improved dinner dynamics in bed.
\nIn dealing with more severe problems, such as the schizophrenids
\nmirror fantasy world of his or her own construction, Dr. Erickson would always try to enter the mirror and work within it, He once treated a hospital
\ninmate who believed he was Jesus Christ-\u2014draping sheets around his
\nbody, talking in vague parables, and bombarding staff and patients with
\nendless Christian proselytizing. No therapy or drugs seemed to work, until
\none day Dr. Erickson went up to the young man and said, \u201cI understand
\nyou have had experience as a carpenter.\u201d Being Christ, the patient had to
\nsay that he had had such experience, and Erickson immediately put him to
\nwork building bookcases and other useful items, allowing him to wear his
\nJesus garb. Over the next weeks, as the patient worked on these projects<\/p>\n
his mind became less occupied with Jesus fantasies and more focused on
\nhis labor. As the carpentry work took precedence, a psychic shift took effect: The religious fantasies remained, but faded comfortably into the background, allowing the man to fimction in society.<\/p>\n
Interpretation<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n THE 48 LAWS OF POWER<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n ROBERT GREENE<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dr. Milton H. Erickson, a pioneer in strategic psychotherapy, would often educate his patients powerfully but indirectly by creating a kind of mirror effect. Constructing an analogy to make patients see the truth on their own, he would bypass their resistance to change. 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Erickson, a pioneer in strategic psychotherapy, would often educate his patients powerfully but indirectly by creating a kind of mirror effect. Constructing an analogy to make patients see the truth on their own, he would bypass their resistance to change. When Dr....","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42445,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42444\/revisions\/42445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nA metaphor is a kind of mirror to the concrete and real,
\nwhich it often expresses more clearly and deeply than a literal description
\ndoes. When you are dealing with the intractable willpower of other people,
\ndirect communication often only heightens their resistance.<\/p>\n