Five Principles of Interpersonal Alchemy for Enhancing Rapport and Eliciting Responsiveness

Milton Erickson, a highly intuitive therapist, is renowned for his unique approach to therapy, which lacked a theoretical framework and relied on his intuition. He emphasized speaking the client’s experiential language and balancing the therapist’s and client’s worlds. Decades after his death, Scott Miller and colleagues from the ICCE challenged the psychotherapy community by asserting that therapy outcomes are largely due to “non-specific factors” rather than specific theories or techniques. These factors include elements of the therapeutic relationship tailored to each client’s individuality, such as warmth or self-disclosure, which may vary in effectiveness. Effective therapists, or “supershrinks,” are adept at attuning to their clients’ needs and regulating emotional connections. This attunement fosters emotional safety and synchrony, essential for a secure therapeutic alliance where clients can explore and respond adaptively. 

This essay published in Mark Jensen’s Handbook of Hypnotic Techniques, Vol. 2 outline five principles which I have found useful for establishing, maintaining and enhancing rapport and then presents a case study in which the principles are oriented to during a hypnosis session with a client.