Milton Hyland Erickson
College Picture
Milton H. Erickson:
Sketch of a Youth
by Jay Haley, M.S.
La Jolla, CA
Milton Erickson was always delighted to recount that he was one of the
few people who traveled East in a covered wagon. His love of doing
things differently was a theme in his life as well as in the way he
practiced psychotherapy. His unique approaches have impacted and
changed psychotherapy in a pivotal way.
Born in 1901, in Aurum, Nevada, a long vanished silver-mining town,
he was Albert and Clara Erickson's second child. When he was five, the
family moved to Lowell, Wisconsin, and began farming on 80 acres. The
family eventually grew to 7 girls and 2 boys, which was a distinct
disadvantage in the epoch of clear male and female work roles. The
family frequently "loaned out" a girl for kitchen duties in
exchange for an extra hand at crop time.
Even as a child, Milton was recognized as different. His
schoolmates called him "Pat" because he always had his
lessons "down pat." There was a paucity of printed material
in his farm community and he already had an insatiable appetite for
reading. He amused himself by reading the dictionary. While still a
teenager, he began his prolific publishing career, writing an article
about the problems of youths on farms for a national magazine. He
enjoyed writing for newspapers as a student and continued to
contribute to newspapers for many years. His submissions ranged from
serious editorials to humorous anecdotes.
He admired the wise country doctor, as a youngster, and planned
that career for himself. Then at 17, he was stricken by poliomyelitis.
He spent a great deal of time analyzing the intricacies and hidden
messages of the conversations in rooms adjacent to his bedroom as he
lay paralyzed. His examination of minute details of the relationships
between thinking and healing and the effects of the mind on the body
proved to be key elements in his recovery.
As a transition back to physical well-being, Milton planned a
camping trip by canoe from the Wisconsin River in Milwaukee down the
Mississippi to St. Louis. A friend who was going with him canceled at
the last minute. As Milton's parents were already uncomfortable with
this trip, he decided not to tell them it would be a solitary venture.
He began his trip with $5.00 in his pocket and being carried to the
river because he couldn't walk far. There would be many portages with
his canoe, but he decided he could depend on his wits until he could
develop the muscles he needed. He was confident that even alone he
would manage.
He paddled home after six weeks. He still had his $5.00, was tanned
and had developed enormous shoulder muscle strength. He had learned to
walk again, supported only by a cane. The trip impacted him and his
thinking for the rest of his life. Many nights, he had
"earned" his supper by telling stories to fishermen along
the river and he recognized the power of stories the rest of his life.
He became even more appreciative of the power of nature to soothe and
teach. Erickson always relished learning and on this trip, he was able
to see other ways of living. He talked to and learned from the company
of people whose life styles were totally outside his experiences.
In Erickson's youth was marked with times of isolation and solitude
as well as intervals of physical hardship. His life philosophy was
shaped by the resulting appreciation of the values of observation,
patience, perseverance, and hard work. All surroundings provide
solutions, whether the circumstances are sparse, filled with
adversities or teeming with yet-to-be discovered possibilities for the
navigation of life. This life philosophy, this different view of the
resources available within each person and the environment shaped his
professional views and created a broader spectrum for psychotherapy.
Copyright © 2001 The
Milton H. Erickson Foundation
