Ericksonian Hypnotherapy Resemblances in Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Abstract

Solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) facilitates movement of problems toward solutions, requiring a delicate process of attentive observational skills and use of language; qualities that may be similar to Ericksonian hypnotherapy. In this deep examination, we utilized discourse analysis (Gee in How to do discourse analysis toolkit, Routledge, New York, 2011) to explore the influences of Ericksonian hypnotherapy in two commercially available videos of SFBT sessions facilitated by Insoo Kim Berg. We noted both SFBT features and Ericksonian features in these sessions, commonalities between the approaches were identified, and Ericksonian resemblances in SFBT were distinguished. Our deep examination suggests that Berg worked in recursive clusters with a figured world that attends to strength and resilience; Berg was fully attentive and observational throughout, intentional in her use of language, utilized bridging and building, and attended to exceptions. These features are common in Ericksonian hypnotherapy and appear significant in a relational style of training beginning therapists to effectively utilize the SFBT approach.