EP90 Panel 06 - The Language of Human Facilitation - William Glasser, MD; James Hillman, PhD; Ernest Rossi, PhD; Paul Watzlawick, PhD
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- Not yet rated
- Topic Areas:
- Topical Panels | Psychotherapy | Therapist Development | Ericksonian Hypnosis and Therapy Techniques | Mind-Body | Reframing | Resistance | Strategic Therapy | Systems Theory
- Categories:
- Evolution of Psychotherapy | Evolution of Psychotherapy 1990 | Pioneers in Couples and Family Therapy
- Faculty:
- William Glasser, MD | James Hillman, PhD | Ernest Rossi, PhD | Paul Watzlawick, PhD
- Duration:
- 59 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio Only
- Original Program Date:
- Dec 13, 1990
- License:
- Never Expires.
Description
Description:
Educational Objectives:
- To compare and contrast clinical and philosophical perspectives of experts.
*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*
Outline:
Evolution of Psychotherapy and Language of Human Facilitation
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Betty Alice Erickson introduces the panel on the language of human facilitation with James Hillman, Robert Glasser, Ernie Rossi, and Paul Watzlawick
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Dr. Watzlawick highlights Milton Erickson's emphasis on using the patient's language rather than traditional psychotherapeutic language
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Use of patient-centered hypnotherapy techniques shown to accelerate therapeutic outcomes
Inspiration from Erickson and the Language of Human Facilitation
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Dr. Rossi discusses inspiration from Erickson and the broader application of language in therapy
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Suggests molecular biology (e.g., messenger molecules, signaling substances) as a new frontier for therapeutic understanding
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References Viktor Frankl’s diagram and wave consciousness, emphasizing information as a therapeutic axis
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Advocates for using facilitative language to align with molecular patterns of communication
Control Theory and Language in Therapy
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Dr. Glasser introduces control theory: all behavior is chosen, best described through verbs
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Reframes “I am depressed” as “I am choosing to depress” to promote agency and responsibility
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Explains total behavior concept—actions and thoughts can shift feelings
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Therapy should guide patients from passive suffering to active decision-making
Language and Therapeutic Communication
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Dr. Hillman critiques traditional therapy language as ideologically loaded
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Encourages use of imagistic, metaphorical, poetic, and embodied language instead
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Warns against overused terms like “healing,” “empowerment,” and “centeredness”
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Advocates for language that breaks free from conceptual constraints to enhance connection
Interactional Therapy and Communication
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Dr. Rossi emphasizes Gregory Bateson's distinction between report and command aspects of communication
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States that all behavior communicates—“one cannot not communicate”
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Recalls an experiment by Luft proving communication is inescapable
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Stresses that understanding relational messages is essential to effective therapy
Role of the Unconscious in Therapy
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Dr. Hillman criticizes excessive rationalism and reasserts the relevance of the unconscious
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Asserts therapy must include non-rational, unconscious processes
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Dr. Rossi references Bateson's map/territory metaphor to explain unconscious as a useful construct
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Dr. Glasser holds that therapy should still focus on choice and responsibility regardless
Language and Social Interaction
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Dr. Rossi discusses language as a constructor of social reality
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Systemic approach emphasizes present function of problems over historical causes
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Understanding present behavioral function helps guide intervention
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Resolving interpersonal conflicts begins with grasping the opposing viewpoint
Case Example: Depression and Choices
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Dr. Glasser presents a case where the patient is “choosing to depress” herself
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Therapeutic aim is to help her recognize and change that choice
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Dr. Hillman proposes exploring the memory of abuse to uncover its message or intention
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Glasser maintains focus on present choices as the key therapeutic goal
Language and Therapeutic Goals
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Dr. Rossi reiterates importance of focusing on behavioral function rather than origin
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Systemic approach centers on resolving present issues by decoding functional dynamics
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Functional focus offers new insights and paves the way for better decision-making
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Supports goal-oriented, context-aware therapeutic strategies
Audience Questions and Discussion
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Audience member proposes a role-play exercise to model language in therapy
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Rossi references Anatol Rapoport’s idea of presenting the opposing viewpoint to resolve conflict
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Hillman again underscores the role of the unconscious and criticizes pure rationalism
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Glasser reaffirms that helping patients choose better behaviors remains central
Credits
Faculty
William Glasser, MD Related Seminars and Products
William Glasser, MD, who received his MD degress in 1953 from Case Western Reserve University was an American psychiatrist. William was awarded an honorary doctorate in human letters by the University of San Francisco. Founder and Director of the Institute for Reality Therapy, he was authoer and editor of ten books on the topics of reality therapy and education. He was also the developer of Choice Theory. His ideas, which focus on personal choice, personal responsibility and personal transformation, are considered controversial by mainstream psychiatrists, who focus instead on classifying psychiatric syndromes as "illnesses", and who often prescribe psychotropic medications to treat mental disorders.
James Hillman, PhD Related Seminars and Products
James Hillman, PhD, who received his Ph.D. degree from the Univeristy of Zurich, has served as honorary secretary of the International Association for Analytical Psychology and for 10 years was Director of Studies at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. He has written 12 books and was nomiated for a Pulitzer prize.
Ernest Rossi, PhD Related Seminars and Products
Ernest L. Rossi, PhD, is an internationally renowned therapist, teacher and pioneer in the psychobiology of mind-body healing. The author of more than 24 professional books, Dr. Rossi worked with Milton Erickson for eight years and co-authored three classic volumes on therapeutic hypnosis with him. Rossi has also edited four volumes of Erickson's Collected Papers and four volumes of Erickson's Seminars, Workshops and Lectures. He has been conducting research in the psychosocial genomics of ultradian rhythms and their relation to mind-body healing and psychotherapy for over three decades.
Paul Watzlawick, PhD Related Seminars and Products
Paul Watzlawick, received his Ph.D. from the University of Venice in 1949. He has an Analyst's Diploma from the C.G. Jung Institute for Analytic Psychology in Zurich. Watzlawick has practiced psychotherapy for more than 30 years. He was research associate and principal investigator at the Mental Research Institute. He was Clinical Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center. Watzlawick is a noted family therapist; he is recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Family Therapy Association. Also, he is author, co-author or editor of eight books on the topics of interactional psychotherapy, human communication and constructivist philosophy.
He formulated five axioms. They are:
- It is not possible to not communicate. Every behavior is some kind of non-verbal communication.
- Every communication has a content. In addition, there is 'metainformation', which says how the communicator wants to be understood.
- All partners involved in a communication process also interpret their own behaviour during communication.
- Human communication involves both verbal and non-verbal communication. In addition to the spoken words, there are is also a non-spoken part (gestures, behavior, intonation..) which is part of the communication.
- Communication between humans is either symmetric or complementary. This is based on whether the relationship of those communicating is based on differences or parity.