Ericksonian Family Therapy

Milton Erickson was born in Arum, Nevada, on December 5, 1901. He was raised in Wisconsin on a farm with six sisters and one brother. Erickson struggled with a number of physical and health ailments including color blindness, dyslexia, tone deafness, and polio. He came to see these issues as strengths and opportunities that fortified him with the abilities that enabled him to succeed as a psychotherapist. Of particular note, he felt that his paralysis as a result of polio gave him the opportunity to study human behavior in depth and learn about the inclinations, motivations, verbal and nonverbal messages, and nuances of the [Page 558]people around him. Erickson earned his master’s degree in psychology, graduated from medical school, and specifically trained as a psychiatrist. ...