Erickson often made distinctions between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. Then he might frame a problem as being in the conscious mind and the solution in the unconscious. Then he would assist the patient in eliciting an unconscious resource to help them solve the problem.

Example distinctions.

  • hears/understands
  • wonders/chooses
  • may or may not understand/responds
  • relaxes/feels
  • may or may not be aware of…/learns
  • thinks/experiences

Example: “The conscious mind hears and the unconscious mind understands.”