after holding forth about Sherlock Holmes, let's go back to Milton Erickson and hypnosis. Erickson liked owls and carved some of them out of wood himself. For some reason there's this cliche that that hypnotist have a pocket watch and use it to wave it in front of their subject's eyes. Well, on the internet I found both: a pocket watch in the shape of an owl. The special thing about this watch is that the wings hide the watch. You have to push the ears together. This way the wings move to the sides and reveal the watch. If you want one yourself, eBay and amazon have them for a cheap price and different colours. Just such for "owl pocket watch".
Several years ago, I found a video with Harlan Kilstein, in which he told an Erickson owl story. In his later years, Erickson was physically very sick. But he had a reputation of being a sharp observer and he still gave lessons in a small room on the grounds where he lived. Once a group of students wanted to test Erickson's ability to observe. In the room where he used to teach, there were many small figures. The plan was to take one of them, lay it down on its side and see, if Erickson noticed and how he'd react. They decided on an owl figure and then waited for Erickson's wife to bring him in in his wheelchair. The figure was positioned in a way that Erickson wouldn't be able to see it from where he was teaching. Erickson came into the room. No reaction. He gave his usual lessons and then let his wife take him back. As she was at the door, he cried, "Stop!" Everybody froze. Erickson said, "That thing that you were wondering, whether I'd notice... well, I don't give a hoot about it." The last part of course is an ambiguity of "I don't care" and a "hoot" being the shout of an owl. Erickson knew very well not only what they had done, but also why, that it has been a test and what kind of test and his comment on it is short, but right to the point and beautiful ambiguity.
Until next blog,
sarah
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