Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D.
Director
The Milton H. Erickson Foundation
3606 N 24th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85016
USA
"Dr. McNeilly nicely demonstrates the skilled use of hypnosis with a girl presenting the problem of a dog phobia. He illustrates well the art of utilization, first eliciting then incorporating the interests and the language of his client. Dr. McNeilly employs a simple but skilled intervention involving metaphor and multiple level communication for the benefit of his patient. This is a good tape from which to learn important aspects of hypnotic approaches to treatment."
Dr. Michael D. Yapko, Author of Essentials of Hypnosis and
Trancework
"Rob McNeilly’s Solution -Oriented Hypnosis is one of the best examples of this innovative approach. The tape shows a genuine humanness, gentle humor and clinical art that is a pleasure to watch. If you want to learn this approach, I recommend you view the tape again and again and absorb the subtle artfulness of Dr. McNeilly’s work." Bill O’Hanlon MS, acclaimed author and international presenter of solution oriented work.
Watching the abundance of the material has always been a pleasure to me, due to the professional composition and also the joy that comes within each of the lessons. Congratulations to a teaching media that invites to learn more about solution oriented psychotherapy.
(Dipl.-Psych. Claudia Weinspach, Psychol. Psychotherapeutin, Germany)
This demonstration series exposes the mastery and elegance of Rob McNeilly’s unique contribution to the Solution Oriented approach. He introduces the series in a rare narrative relating the evolution of his work from its origins in his time spent with Milton Erickson through his working and teaching to the present day.
He draws a thumbnail sketch of the framework of his process and invites us to observe the session from within our experience, and to explore our own individual response and learning.
Each demonstration is introduced with specific reference to individualising the therapy to the client. The diagnosis is acknowledged and then set aside to allow the individual to emerge in his/her entirety, uncovering concerns, strengths, resources and often banal human dilemmas. He masterfully grows a session from this foundation manifesting the art of dealing with the client’s experience, without explaining it, or even understanding it, by grasping the coherences that allow him to deal with it, without explanation or understanding. At face value these are engaging, practical and deceptively simple sessions, but to the seasoned practitioner they provide a rare opportunity to explore the many layers and subtleties of the use of language, emotions and the body to generate learning which is sustainable and available for future experience as well as past reflection.
Presented in a gentle, respectful mood with Rob’s unique playfulness and humour, this series is recommended to any practitioner who values enduring experiential learning over information or technique.
Gabrielle
Peacock MBBS FRACGP
This is
therapy at its simple, beautiful best. McNeilly quickly
accesses client resources and utilises them empoweringly.
To view this video is to see the essence of effective
therapy.
George W Burns
Clinical Psychologist
Director MHEIWA
Author, Nature-Guided Therapy
This is
a masterful demonstration of Ericksonian therapy.
McNeilly’s therapeutic interventions flow so smoothly that
they may be seen by those unfamiliar with this approach as
no more than a pleasant conversation. In spite of that,
it’s difficult for me to imagine squeezing more elements of
the Ericksonian approach into a 25 minute session. I would
recommend this video to anyone interested in studying
Ericksonian hypnosis. In fact, I would recommend it to
anyone interested in learning to do effective therapy.
Gary
Schultheis, author “Brief Therapy Homework Planner”
Two
themes kept coming to mind as I watched this video of Rob
McNeilly at work on a young girl’s dog fears. I was again
impressed and inspired by the artistry and the elegance of
McNeilly’s masterful use of trance and metaphor. And I
again pondered over what I call the “accountability
questions” of the seemingly magical style of Ericksonian
interventions.
On the artistry
and
elegance
theme,
this tape shows the use of utilisation in the Ericksonian
style with a 8 year old girl. McNeilly’s matter of fact,
naturalistic, conversational induction style is classically
Ericksonian and truly irresistible. His ability to quickly
engage and involve his subject in the joint work of the
trance induction is exemplary. The small talk at the start
is deceptively simple and yet everything is utilised. From
his very first words McNeilly is laying the foundation for
his later interventions. No interaction is wasted.
The level of focus, concentration, and care for the client,
all demonstrate the exceptional quality of listening that
McNeilly brings to his work. A light irreverent mood begins
in the first few minutes and continues throughout the
induction. The little girl is quickly entranced by
McNeilly’s playful delivery. The skillful use of metaphor,
the way McNeilly links to existing skills and resources,
and his repeated indirect suggestions are a joy to watch.
Right from the start he is at work establishing new
associations- cats, kangaroos, wallabies are the lovely
furry things that can connect a safer feeling with the
feared stimulus. From “orienting to trance” to his
multilayered “post hypnotic suggestions” McNeilly is
masterful. The latter are particularly note worthy.
McNeilly does a kind of relapse prevention, and in this way
at least partially addresses the notorious generalisation
problem of moving from imaginal success to actual.
In
summary this tape is a beautiful illustration of the
collaborative nature of Ericksonian hypnosis, by one of
Australia’s foremost exponents of the approach.
Ivan Milton (Dec 1999)
Senior Psychologist
Maroondah Hospital
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