We all begin to die from the moment we are born. Some do it faster than others. All we can do is enjoy our lives. - Milton H. Erickson
Erickson was born December 5, 1901, in Aurum, Nevada, which was a ghost town back then. Together with his parents and siblings, they moved to Wisconsin, where Erickson worked on the farm and went to school. He had dyslexia, color blindness, and tone deafness from a young age. He knew that he wanted to be a doctor to help people after growing up.
At the age of 17, he was paralyzed from infantile paralysis. During this time he couldn't move any part of his body besides his eyes. He would sit in bed and observe his 2-year-old sister learning to walk. Through this observation, he retrained his body at the age of 18. Using sensory memory.
A year later he went on a 1,200-mile canoe ride with $4 in his pocket.
At around the age of 24, he was inspired to learn hypnosis after meeting a traveling entertainer who was passing through the area.
He went on to receive an M.A. in Psychology and an M.D. from the University of Wisconsin. He started writing articles on the effects of hypnosis. In his papers, he criticized a lot of the experimental methods and the detrimental effects they could have on people.
After working at the College of Medicine in Detroit, MI till 1948 he joined the induction board for military selectees during WW2.
He then went on to introduce new approaches to medicine, dentistry, and psychology. Conducting seminars across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Throughout his time he was conducting workshops and working. Spending decades in understanding his craft of hypnosis. Spending his time documenting everything he learned and researched. Traveling to various countries, speaking at conferences, and teaching hypnosis.