DR MICHAEL YAPKO
Clinical Psychologist, Author &
Facilitator in over 30 countries

This Masterclass is based on Dr. Yapko’s latest book Process-Oriented Hypnosis.

Milton Erickson was often credited with being a “mind-reader,” but he simply said he was more observant than most. Realistically, there are many common denominators of human experience that can make one seem a mind reader to a client when touching on them in the course of therapy. Likewise, there are many common denominators of the problems therapists are frequently asked to address, especially anxiety and depression, but many others as well. Developing a process-oriented approach encourages identifying and then addressing these common denominators, using hypnosis as an especially powerful amplifier of relevant therapeutic messages. Simply put, hypnosis can be especially well used to address generalities that can have very specific effects.

Based on Dr. Yapko’s most recent book, Process-Oriented Hypnosis: Focusing on the Forest, Not the Trees, the advantages of a macro-view of people’s problems will be described as a complement to the more typical micro-views clinicians focus upon. The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis gave this book its esteemed Arthur Shapiro Award for being the “best book on hypnosis in 2021.” Milton Erickson’s daughter, Dr. Roxanna Erickson-Klein, said this of the book in her published review: “In this work, Yapko explores tailoring…(he) takes this basic concept and turns the whole picture upside down and inside out. And in so doing, he may have arrived at the most Ericksonian of all approaches…I find Process-Oriented Hypnosis to be among the most significant contributions of the last half century.”In this 9-hour webinar, we’ll explore this gentle style of process-oriented hypnotic intervention. The emphasis will be on targeting the structural components of problems rather than their content. This means striving to better understand how the client generates their symptomatic experience rather than attempting to explain why.

Dr Michael Yapko

Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist residing in Southern California.  He is internationally recognized for his work in advancing clinical hypnosis and outcome-focused psychotherapy, routinely teaching to professional audiences all over the world.  To date, he has been invited to present his ideas and methods to colleagues in more than 30 countries across six continents, and all over the United States. He is especially well-known in Australia, having taught all over the country 75 times since first coming to Melbourne in 1986. His presentations are well known for being practical as well as enjoyable.

Dr. Yapko has had a special interest for more than four decades in the intricacies of brief therapy, and the clinical applications of hypnosis and directive methods. He is the author of 16 books and editor of three others, as well as dozens of book chapters and articles on the subjects of hypnosis and the use of strategic psychotherapies.

His newest book, Process-Oriented Hypnosis: Focusing on the Forest, Not the Trees (W.W. Norton, 2021), is the subject of this presentation. His other books include his recent 5th edition of his widely used hypnosis text, Trancework: An Introduction to the Practice of Clinical Hypnosis as well as Taking Hypnosis to the Next Level, The Discriminating Therapist, and Mindfulness and Hypnosis: The Power of Suggestion to Transform Experience. His works have been translated into ten languages. More information about Dr. Yapko’s teaching schedule and publications can be found on his website.

Dr. Yapko is the recipient of numerous major awards for his innovative contributions in advancing the fields of hypnosis and brief therapy, including lifetime achievement awards from The American Psychological Association’s Division 30 (Society of Psychological Hypnosis), the International Society of Hypnosis (the Pierre Janet Award), and The Milton H. Erickson Foundation.