NIRVANA OR AUTOHYPNOSIS AS A DISSOCIATION FROM ALL SENSE MODALITIESOn one occasion Erickson was doing some experimental work with K on stopped vision(Erickson, 1967), wherein she experienced being in “the middle of nowhere.” Ericksonrecalled the following:E: I was in the backyard a year ago in the summertime. I was, wondering whatfar-out experiences I’d like to have. As I puzzled over that, I noticed that I wassitting out in the middle of nowhere. I was an object in space.K: There you have it: the middle of nowhere.E: I was just an object in space. Of all the buildings I couldn’t see an outline. Icouldn’t see the chair in which I was sitting; in fact, I couldn’t feel it.R: You spontaneously experienced that vision?E: It was the most far-out thing I could do!R: That was the most far-out thing you could do?E: You can’t get more far-out than that!R: It just happened to you as you were wondering about what you could do?E: Yes.R: An unconscious responding?E: And that was my unconscious’ full response.R: I see; you can’t get more far-out than that.E: What more far-out could happen?K: You were just floating or just a nothingness?E: I was just an object and all alone with me was an empty void. No buildings,earth, stars, sun.K: What emotions did you experience? Did you——curiosity or fear orapprehension?E: It was one of the most pleasing experiences. What is this? Tremendouscomfort. I knew that I was doing something far-out. And I was really doing it!And what greater joy is there than doing what you want to do? Inside the stars, theplanets, the beaches. I couldn’t feel the weight. I couldn’t feel the earth. No matterhow much I pushed down my feet, I couldn’t feel anything.R: That sounds like a spontaneous experience of nirvana or samadhi whereinIndian yogis say they experience “the void.” You feel that is so?E: Yes. The far-out experience of negating all reality-related stimuli. R: That’swhat the yogis train themselves to do.E: Yes, just negating the stimuli from the reality objects.K: You found that pleasurable?E: I always find when I can do something, it’s pleasurable.
Autohypnotic Experiences of Milton H. EricksonMilton H. Erickson and Ernest L. RossiReprinted with permission from The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, July. 1977,20, 36-54AUTOHYPNOSIS IN LIFE CRISISUTILIZING REAL SENSE MEMORIES RATHER THAN IMAGINATIONEARLY TRAINING IN DREAM AND SOMNAMBULISTIC ACTIVITYAUTOHYPNOSIS IN IDENTITY CRISISAUTOHYPNOSIS DURING EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICALTRANCE WORKTHE CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS IN AUTOHYPNOSISAUTOHYPNOSIS FOR PAIN RELIEF: THE SEGMENTALIZEDTRANCEDISTRACTION, DISPLACEMENT, AND REINTERPRETATION OFPAINUTILIZING EARLY MEMORIES TO REPLACE CURRENT PAINTHE WOUNDED PHYSICIANTHE PROBLEM OF FEAR IN AUTOHYPNOSIS: THENATURALISTIC APPROACH TO AUTOHYPNOSISBEHAVIORAL ENRICHMENT IN AUTOHYPNOSISELF-NALYSIS AND MEMORIES IN AUTOHYPNOSIS: THEIMPORTANCE OF FORGETTING AND NOT KNOWINGNIRVANA OR AUTOHYPNOSIS AS A DISSOCIATION FROM ALLSENSE MODALITIESDISCUSSION