Psychotherapy Based on Hamer & Erickson: New Opportunities for Understanding and Intervention

I am sharing slides from a presentation I gave on Monday, February 3, 2025 at the Milton H. Erickson Institute of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, co-led by Dr. Dan Short and Dr. Roxanna Erickson-Klein. The conference was held via Zoom as part of this institution's monthly Group Consultation Meeting and lasted 1.5 hours. In this presentation I shared the work I have been doing to build a model of psychotherapy based on the epistemological integration of the analytical findings of Dr. Ryke Geerd Hamer (1935-2017) used as a diagnostic model, and the operational findings of Dr. Milton Hyland Erickson (1901-1980) used as an intervention model. I (Francesc Joan Serra Gornals -Franju Serra-) decided to call this model Naturalistic Strategic Psychotherapy. In these slides I shared about:- Mark Pfister, Simona Cella, and Dr. Luis Felipe Espinosa del Valle precede me in the use of Ericksonian resources in the context of psychotherapeutic consultations guided by Dr. Hamer's discoveries.- My track record of teaching 3 120-hour online diplomas (360 hours in total) on this psychotherapy model, conducted in 2021-2023, with students in Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Costa Rica.- The accumulated experience of 3 years, together with Psychologist Fabiola Margarita Reyes Rodríguez (Faby Reyes), of using Dr. Short's (2019) publication "Principles and Basic Competencies of Ericksonian Therapy" theoretically and practically with our students.- The potential of the work of Dr. Hamer and Dr. Erickson, both separately and together, in the emerging field of psychotherapy integration.- The epistemological strength of Dr. Hamer's legacy and the high specificity of his model, guided by a phylogenetic and biological understanding of diseases, allows us to understand both human and animal cases.- Three cases from the animal kingdom are presented: a urinary tract infection in a kitten (presented by Dr. Andi Locke Mears in an interview conducted by Alicia Ninou), motor seizures of a wild impala in the wild, and my experience of encountering the trauma experienced by a domestic dolphin that had adenoid nodules on its tongue.- Three human cases were presented where interventions based on Hamer and Erickson were performed. The first case is from Dr. Luis Felipe Espinosa del Valle and is of pediatric chronic bronchitis, the second case is from psychologist Fabiola Margarita Reyes Rodríguez and is of a jejunal tumor, and the third case is mine -Francesc Joan Serra Gornals (Franju Serra), of melanocytic hyperpigmentation in the skin of an adolescent.- Hamer and Erickson have a common naturalistic epistemology. - The advantages that Ericksonian psychotherapists have if they study Hamer and the advantages that Hamerian psychotherapists have if they study Erickson were presented.- The current limitations of Dr. Hamer's model were shared.- It was mentioned that there is an excellent area of opportunity as a future perspective: documenting SCED (Single Case Experimental Design) based on Hamer and Erickson.- The pages of Caroline Markolin and Ingmar Marquardt were recommended to consult free information about Dr. Hamer's model, and to consult cases, between both pages they currently have more than 400 documented cases of Dr. Hamer's model.- Final conclusion of the presentation: If an Ericksonian psychotherapist studies Hamer he can be even more naturalistic, if a Hamerian psychotherapist studies Erickson he can be even more strategic. Conclusion If an Ericksonian psychotherapist studies Hamer, they can become even more naturalistic; if a Hamerian psychotherapist studies Erickson, they can become even more strategic.