From William James to Milton Erickson: The Care of Human Consciousness

From the Author\nIn a recent interview, I was asked about a quote in the book, "When we shine the powerful intellect of William James upon the clinical work of Milton Erickson; it casts a different shadow than students of Erickson are accustomed to seeing." The interviewer asked me to clarify what this different shadow is? I thought that was a great question. I explained that my comment was an open-ended suggestion. I imagine that every reader has different individualized understandings of Erickson (with "understanding" being a synthesis of thought and emotion). Thus, we end up with as many different shadows as there are points of light. With this in mind, I will tell you how this project reshaped my understanding.\nIn my first book about Erickson, Hope & Resiliency, I attempted to summarize the essence of Ericksonian therapy using a single philosophical concept. I created the term "meta-teleological" to describe the importance of goal-oriented functioning for psychological health. In other words, I felt that Erickson's main goal in therapy was to help his patients establish and then meaningfully pursue some goal, any goal, of subjective value—with hope and resiliency.\nMany years later, I learned that William James' philosophical work on pragmatism was a much more expansive and elegant answer to my question. Pragmatism argues that the world of ideas should be constrained by concrete outcomes (for all human endeavors we must look to the end that is produced). After two years of reading everything I could find written by James, I came to the conclusion that pragmatism holds the secret for the care of human consciousness—once you combine it with the concept of utilization!\nThe most important statement in my book is made at the end of the introductory chapter: "...the combined contributions of James and Erickson overlap in the realization of human potential, such that natural gifts, weaknesses, and biological instincts are garnered for practical application. James's philosophy of pragmatism establishes the foundation for these dynamics, which Erickson develops further in his philosophy of utilization. As we will soon see, the secret to the care of human consciousness is the utilization of who we are toward some practical end." The celebrated neurologist Michael Merzenich puts it another way, "The human brain is essentially a problem-solving machine." Modern studies in neuroplasticity suggest that for our neurological machinery to operate correctly, we must always have a set of emotionally compelling, and concretely achievable goals (practical outcomes) towards which we strive.\nThis is a book about how William James and Milton Erickson have helped shape the modern conceptualization of human consciousness and its care. With both men cast from the archetypal mold of a wounded healer and a coming-of-age odyssey, it should not surprise us that James and Erickson converge on the central idea that "...the secret to the care of human consciousness is the utilization of who we are toward some practical end." It does not matter if you are a serious student of James and Erickson or someone who is freshly introduced to their work; this book offers clarity and a deeper understanding of what Jamesean psychology looks like when masterfully applied to clinical care. While numerous books have been written about Erickson, they often revolve around spectacular success stories-making Erickson somewhat of a myth and therefore inaccessible. By learning more about the stories and principles that informed young Erickson, we are better able to appreciate and learn from the common sense nature of his work.