Hypnosis is made possible by a trusting, collaborative relationship between the hypnotist and client. It is characterized by the client’s relaxed absorption and effortless responsiveness to offered suggestions. The client experiencing hypnosis is capable of non-volitional alterations in his or her perceptions, sensations, imagination, thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Although some family therapists directly employ hypnosis in their work with couples and families, it is primarily a modality of treatment for use with individuals. Nevertheless, hypnosis holds an important historical place in the development of the field, as the theoretical underpinnings and clinical techniques of the brief and strategic models of family therapy were significantly inspired and influenced by hypnosis, particularly as practiced by the leading medical hypnotist of the 20th century, Milton H. Erickson. This ...