‘Twas the night before Christmas and look what I find, all these empowering resources in my unconscious mind .

My beliefs and values were aligned with great care,  in hopes that Erickson could work with what’s there.

The fears of my past were all put to bed, while visions of trance Joyfully danced in my head.

I took a deep breath and adjusted my cap,  then settled my brain for a long trance-like nap.

When into my head there arose such a clatter,  I sat up in bed to see what was the matter.

Deep into my mind I flew like a flash,  and shut out the world by pulling the sash.

My tender new beliefs shown white as the snow and gave the luster of permanence to the convictions below.

When, what to my minds eye should curiously appear?  But the kind Milton Erickson drawing me near.

With hypnotic language seductively slick, I knew in a moment he put me in trance quick.

As he reached down in my memories the resources they came, with a deep and slow voice he called them by name.

Now Courage, now Compassion, Now Love, and Conviction, On Power, On Laughter, On Faith with no restriction!

To the top of my mind, deep inside I knew how, now integrate! Integrate! Integrate Now!

And then in a twinkling dissolving any grief, empowering new ideas integrated into beliefs.

As I lounged in my head and was turning around, deeper into my unconscious Erickson came with a bound.

He was dressed all in purple from his head to his boots, with his hypnotic skills resisting was moot.

He was kindly and wise, and quite assured of himself, and I went deeper into trance in spite of myself.

He spoke many strange words and went straight to work, creating new possibilities then turned with a jerk, clutching onto an idea.

To a dream he gave a whistle and flew out of my mind,  like a heat seeking missile.

But I heard him exclaim As he flew out of site….” Happy NLPing to all and to all a good night!”

-Ed Redard M.D. ©2003