Milton H. Erickson: The Father of Modern Hypnotherapy

Milton H. Erickson (1902-1980) is considered by many to be the most influential hypnotherapist in history. His psychiatric and hypnotherapy practice was based in Phoenix, Arizona. Erickson was stricken by polio at the age of nineteen. He set about curing himself by watching and imitating the small babies in his family and the way they began to learn to move their hands and legs. In the process, his sensory perception and non-verbal communication skills were honed. Later, he used these skills to develop non-conventional "Ericksonian Hypnosis."