My new book may be of particular interest to Ericksonians!

Greetings all,

Since this is an Erickson-oriented group, I thought that you might be particularly interested to hear that I just published a controversial and (I'm told) truly groundbreaking book on the subject of hypnotism that was designed to both dispel two centuries of myths and, for the first time ever, reveal the reasons why this phenomenon, which has so much potential to benefit mankind, has instead always had such a terrible image among both the general public as well as (most) health-care professionals.
What's more, it would also be an excellent resource for anyone wishing to know about, or undertaking a serious study of the subject- especially Erickson's "Utilization" approach; because although Part I is a historical overview of the "Authoritarian" approach up to the mid-20th century, Part II is devoted to debunking the folly of the "Standardized" or "Traditionalist" approach (in a scholarly-though-highly-irreverent manner); and Part III deals with the "Ericksonian" model in a manner which will make it a highly complementary precursor to the brilliant works of Zeig, Lankton, Rossi, Gilligan, Yapko, Haley, etc.

You can even read a number of selected chapters from Parts I & II which I've made available for free on my website:

www.historyofhypnotism.com

Although it's a scholarly work, I nevertheless took great pains to write it in a breezy, "reader-friendly" style (replete with dark, sarcastic humor whenever applicable) so that it would be enjoyable to read, and would appeal to college students as well as professionals.

I'm delighted to report that Prof. Rubin Battino's review of my (rather controversial) book "A CRITICAL History of Hypnotism: the UNauthorized story" has been accepted for publication in the Spring, 2009 issue of the Erickson Foundation Newsletter. You can download the Newsletter for free online if you can read PDF format files; but for those who can't, I'm pasting a (slightly excerpted) version of it here, as well as another review which I received a while back.
A number of other reviews and testimonials can be seen on my book's website:


Reviewer:
Rubin Battino. M.S., Ph.D. (author of "Ericksonian Approaches: a comprehensive manual", 2005)
Source:
Now appearing in the April, 2009 issue of: "Erickson Foundation Newsletter".
Review Excerpt:

"This book was many years in the making and writing, and is a scholarly and critical history of hypnotism. The author’s bibliography is exceptional: going back in time before Mesmer, and providing citations and quotations from books and other sources published in many languages. It is perhaps “unauthorized” in the sense that the author does not have an advanced degree in one of the helping professions. Yet, the level of scholarship is undeniable.
The late Dr. Kay Thompson endorsed this book in a letter to the author dated March 22, 1994 that accompanied her return to him of the (preliminary) manuscript.

I REALLY like it!! ... I think you have done such an exhaustive historical and relevant analysis of hypnosis that people cannot not be impressed.
It is an incredible achievement—comprehensive, thorough and objective in the historical perspective. The fun part of your interjection of the tongue-in-cheek humor is what makes it so different from the usual “tome,” and piques the interest of the reader. ... You keep things in perspective, and give the reader a scholarly view and an objective one at the same time. I cannot help but be impressed at the encyclopedic volume of reading/research it represents!

The author’s mission is to provide an historical perspective to the way that hypnosis is generally thought of by the public, and many professionals. He writes, “Despite more than two centuries of having tacitly recognized its enormous potential utility, the phenomenon of hypnosis has always been commonly regarded with outright Fear and Loathing. How is it possible that something as beneficial to humanity as hypnosis ever came to be viewed in such a horrible manner?” He succeeds admirably in this endeavour with almost endless citations to things like the uselessness of hypnotizability scales and exotic (also erotic!) methods of induction...Although we would like to believe that modern hypnotists are not capable of the excesses of the past, this is not completely so...As an aside, I can comment that the historical illustrations are almost worth the price of the book...I heartily recommend this book to anyone who uses hypnosis, and anyone who is interested in an “unauthorized critical” history of hypnotism."




Published Work:
A CRITICAL History of Hypnotism: the UNauthorized story
Review Excerpt:

Posted December 12, 2008, 3:01 PM EST:

"This book is a pleasure. Not only does it offer an in-depth history of the misuses and misunderstandings that have tainted the practice of hypnotism, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable read. The author has a rare gift for combining superlative scholarship with a humorous writing style that both enlightens and engages the reader at the same time. He has whetted my appetite to learn more about the potential that hypnosis holds if practiced with the sensitivity and the understanding that this book conveys."

Lynn Leibowitz, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral supervisor at the
N.Y.U. Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy


Please don't hesitate to email me with any questions, and be sure to check out my book's website to read a number of FREE chapters (www.historyofhypnotism.com).

Saul