Origins & Early Life

Milton Hyland Erickson (5 December 1901 – 25 March 1980) was an American psychiatrist and psychologist specializing in medical hypnosis and family therapy. He was the founding president of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis. He is noted for his approach to the unconscious mind as creative and solution-generating. He is also noted for influencing brief therapy, strategic family therapy, family systems therapy, solution focused brief therapy, and neuro-linguistic programming.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Biographical sketches have been presented in a number of resources, the earliest being by Jay Haley in Advanced Techniques of Hypnosis and Therapy which was written in 1968 and in collaboration with Erickson himself. Though they never met Erickson, the authors of The Worlds Greatest Hypnotists wrote a biography. The following information about his life is documented in that source. Milton Hyland Erickson was the second child of nine of Albert and Clara Erickson. He was born in a mining camp in Aurum, Nevada where his father mined silver.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The family moved to the farming community of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin when he was quite young and settled on a modest farm. The children (two...

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• 1901 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1901
• December 5 (12-05) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on December 5
• 1980 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1980
• March 25 (03-25) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on March 25