You can use the concept of energy with your patients.You can say a person is very much like an automobile.You wake up in the morning with a full tank of gaso-line, or a full tank of energy, and just running throughthe day uses up your energy. You go to sleep at night,and you fill up on energy for the next day. You cancarry only so much energy within certain limits. Thenhow are you going to utilize that energy? "You use itall in worrying," I pointed out to a patient who hada ritualistic, phobic, panicky reaction to his televisionbroadcast. Forced panting, breathing, and for 15 min-utes he would stand gasping, and gasping, and chok-ing, and his heart would pound, and then they wouldsay, "You're on," and he'd broadcast over TV with thegreatest of ease. But each day he became increasinglymore miserable. At first it started with a minute ortwo; by the time he came to see me it was built up to15 minutes. He was looking forward to 20 minutes,30 minutes, an hour; and it was beginning to interferewith his other work at the station. I gave him thatconcept of so much energy a day after I found outwhat his sleeping habits were. As you would expect,rather ritualistic. Always in bed at a certain hour. Al-ways up at a certain hour. After I got that conceptof energy pounded into his head, I pointed out tohim, why not use up that energy that he spent thatway? (Demonstrating panting.) How many deep squatswould it take each day?Conversations with Milton H. Erickson (Erickson, Haley)