In the spirit of inspiration, I enjoy learning about people who have made an impact in the world in their chosen fields, live in general, or historically, especially those who have overcome an obstacle of some sort in life.
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| Milton H. Erickson Photo From Wikipedia Commons |
Today, I want to share my version of the story of Milton Hyland Erickson, a psychotherapist, who left a legacy of fascinating cures and research in his life about overcoming obstacles and the power of the mind. Milton Erickson showcases the true meaning of "strength of mind."
At the age of seventeen, Milton was diagnosed with Polio. After ten months of suffering with the disease, he overheard the doctor tell his parents that he “would be dead in the morning.”
He heard his mom crying which angered him (Why would the doctors be so cruel?), but when she came to visit him she was serene and calm. So Milton asked her to move the dresser to a different angle. She didn’t understand why, but she did it without question knowing that she had little time left with her son and that she wanted him to be happy during his final moments, even if he was delirious.
But he wasn’t delirious, by moving the dresser to the exact angle he wanted, his mother allowed Milton to look at the mirror and see reflection of the sunset from the window in the other room. He was angry, but he refused to give up. At the very least, he wanted to sketch the last sunset he might ever see. And he thought if he could just stay alive one more night his mother would be so happy.
He spent the night sketching furiously trying to capture the magnificent sunset. He was so focused on sketching, that he didn’t immediately notice the new dawn stretching across the sky. But when the bright light of the sun overhead glanced off the mirror, he knew he had made it through the night.
Excitedly, he shouted to his mom, “I’m still alive!” The entire household was so delighted, that he resolved to always resist death each night, so that they could have one more day together and postpone his parents suffering.
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| Sunset From My House |
Eventually, he began to recover from the polio, but it took him a long time do so. While lying in bed unable to walk or move, he focused on the people and environment around him. From this, he gained the practical knowledge that would eventually help him develop a career as an unorthodox but highly effective psychotherapist and hypnotist with “miracle cures” that actually worked.
One of my favorite stories about his ingenious psychotherapy method is as follows:
A young, depressed you woman goes to Erickson for help, because she is ashamed about being so ugly and unattractive. She had a small gap in her teeth that she felt was a horrific disfigurement and she thought this would prevent her from ever marrying and having children. As a result, she was planning to commit suicide but decided to give Erickson a chance first.
After listening carefully to the young woman’s story and watching her nonverbal cues, he came up with the following 4 step prescription:
- Go to a specific store and buy some new outfits
- Go to a certain salon for a new hairstyle and facial makeover
- Practice squirting water through the gap in her teeth until she was accurate for a distance of seven or eight feet
- Squirt water at the young man at the drinking fountain at work and run away
Well, of course, this seemed like an utterly ridiculous prescription, but Erickson eventually got her to agree to do it. Erickson simply told her that she had come in contemplating suicide without any good memories, so this way she would end up creating a good memory.
So she did it! To her amazement, the young man ran after her and kissed her. Ultimately, she came out of her depression, developed new relationships, and married.
All of this was possible, because Erickson prescribed the ridiculous. He did this because he had deduced from talking to the young woman that the onslaught of negative thoughts had started due to the young man at work admiring her.
In the end, Milton Erickson not only survived polio against the odds, but he also left behind a legacy, including a series of books, that focuses on the incredible capacity people have to overcome their own limitations. He died in 1990 at the age of 75.
I find him to be a fascinating and inspiring individual, so I wanted to share my version of a small part of his amazing life.
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