At one time an anomaly in the field of psychotherapy, the highly creative and perceptive work of Milton H. Erickson, M.D., has today made deep inroads into the practice of both emotional and physical healing. The influence of Ericksonian thought is now evident all over the world in nearly every school of psychotherapy, as attested to in Ericksonian Methods: The Essence of the Story. This volume encompasses the proceedings of the Fifth International Congress on Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy and addresses the essentials of Ericksonian principles and practice as applied to modern mental health sciences. This book includes the work of 36 highly regarded professionals who have incorporated Ericksonian perspectives into individual and family psychotherapy, child psychiatry, art therapy, brief therapy, the treatment of eating disorders and chemical dependency, and other specialties worldwide. These renowned professionals include Joseph Barber, Steve de Shazer, Stephen Gilligan, Jay Haley, Stephen and Carol Lankton, Cloe Madanes, Ernest Rossi, Michael Yapko, and many others. Ericksonian Methods: The Essence of the Story will allow those who were unable to attend the Ericksonian conference, described by attendees as "remarkably informative and exhilarating," to gain access to this brilliant forum for evolving Ericksonian thought.