IX Coach

Coaching approaches

Ericksonian and hypnotic approaches (reference)

Ericksonian approaches draw on the clinical methods of Milton H. Erickson, which use indirect language, stories and imagery rather than direct instruction. Hypnosis is one of the tools used within them, and it is studied as a clinical treatment for pain and some digestive conditions. IX Coach can discuss the approach, but a trained clinician delivers it, and the research tests hypnosis in general rather than this indirect style on its own.

What it is

Erickson, a physician, is known for working with hypnosis and for speaking indirectly, through stories, metaphor and open-ended suggestion, so that a person can take up what fits. Ericksonian approaches are the family of methods that grew from that style, and Erickson-Klein and Short (2024) describe his contributions to modern clinical hypnosis.

Hypnosis is studied as a clinical tool, mostly for pain (Montgomery et al., 2000; Montgomery et al., 2002). Whether it is best described as an altered state of consciousness, or as shaped by expectation and imagination, is still debated (Kirsch & Lynn, 1995; Kirsch, 2005).

Where it comes from

Erickson's clinical methods are described in a 2024 handbook chapter (Erickson-Klein & Short, 2024), and in a book on his work with hypnosis and therapy (Haley, 1994).

The principles underneath

Indirect language

Stories, metaphor and open-ended suggestions let a person take up what fits and leave the rest. In clinical work this is a practitioner's choice, made with the person's consent.

Working with the person's own words

The practitioner uses the images, phrases and examples the person already brings, which is central to how the approach is taught.

A debated altered state

Whether hypnosis is an altered state or something shaped by expectation is still debated (Kirsch & Lynn, 1995). The debate is still discussed, and this page does not settle it.

How a session runs

  1. A trained practitioner begins by asking what the person wants to change and how they currently experience the problem.
  2. They listen for the person's own images, phrases and examples, and use them in the work that follows.
  3. Where hypnosis is used, the practitioner guides it, checks in on how it feels, and ends it deliberately.
  4. The practitioner tests progress against what the person said they wanted, and adjusts the approach or stops.
  5. Any work on memories or trauma is referred to a therapist trained in that work.

When it tends to fit

  • A doctor or clinician has mentioned hypnosis for pain or a digestive condition, and you want to know what the research covers.
  • You have heard the term Ericksonian and want to tell it apart from stage hypnosis.
  • You are reading about the research before deciding whether to see a trained practitioner.

What the research shows

Evidence: Some peer-reviewed studies

Hypnosis as a whole has a body of controlled research, though not on the Ericksonian indirect style specifically. A meta-analysis of 18 studies of hypnotically induced analgesia (Montgomery et al., 2000) reported a moderate to large effect on pain. A meta-analysis of 20 controlled studies of hypnosis with surgical patients (Montgomery et al., 2002) reported a significant overall benefit. A randomised trial in 53 children with functional abdominal pain or irritable bowel syndrome (Vlieger et al., 2007) compared gut-directed hypnotherapy with standard medical care and reported greater reductions in pain for the hypnotherapy group. Kirsch and Lynn (1995) reviewed the debate over whether hypnosis is an altered state, and Kirsch (2005) turned to empirical evidence on that question.

Where the evidence is thin: These studies test hypnosis in general or for specific conditions. None of the sources cited here isolates the Ericksonian indirect style, so the research does not show what that style adds on its own. Some of the trials are small, and the Vlieger trial had 53 children.

Sources

  1. Montgomery, G. H., DuHamel, K. N., & Redd, W. H. (2000). A meta-analysis of hypnotically induced analgesia: How effective is hypnosis? International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.
  2. Montgomery, G. H., David, D., Winkel, G., Silverstein, J. H., & Bovbjerg, D. H. (2002). The effectiveness of adjunctive hypnosis with surgical patients: A meta-analysis. Anesthesia & Analgesia.
  3. Vlieger, A. M., et al. (2007). Hypnotherapy for children with functional abdominal pain or irritable bowel syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Gastroenterology.
  4. Kirsch, I., & Lynn, S. J. (1995). The altered state of hypnosis: Changes in the theoretical landscape. American Psychologist.
  5. Kirsch, I. (2005). Empirical resolution of the altered state debate. Contemporary Hypnosis.
  6. Peter, B. (2024). Hypnosis in psychotherapy, psychosomatics and medicine. A brief overview. Frontiers in Psychology.
  7. Erickson-Klein, R., & Short, D. (2024). The contributions of Milton Erickson to modern clinical hypnosis. In The Routledge International Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis.
  8. Haley, J. (1994). Milton H. Erickson, MD: Explorer in hypnosis and therapy.

Where it stops

Hypnosis is not a substitute for medical or psychological care. Pain or digestive symptoms that are new, severe or changing need a doctor's assessment first.

Work on memories or trauma belongs with a therapist trained in that work, not in a coaching conversation or a self-led exercise.

Practices for this approach