Passing through the "always open" garden gate one finds oneself at the entrance of the Madrid Milton Erickson Institute -- also wide open. This is a metaphor for patients and students alike as they are received into the homey atmosphere of the Institute. "The Institute is 'home" for a large and growing family," says Teresa Garcia. MA, Lic. Psychotherapist.Director of the Institute, adding it is "the only perma­nently located center in Spain for the study of hypnosis, at this time."

In the same manner that Milton Erickson opened his home to patients and students, and encouraged each to become comfortable for inner learn­ing, this Institute has also opened its doors and its resources in a way that is rarely seen in today's world. The ambiance embraces learning and nur­tures inner growth. Students are encouraged to borrow from the rich library of books and audio/visual materials. Last count included 103 books and more than 247 DVD's and videos, both in English and Spanish. The kitchen is also always open for snacks, breaks or just respite.

Teresa Garcia followed her own dream of establishing this Institute. In her volunteer work with cancer patients and their families, she found that the use of hypnosis without for­mal trance was an effective and effi­cient tool that eliminated many of the barriers present in a hospital environ­ment. Her discovery of Ericksonian Hypnosis as a good lit for her own therapeutic style — sparked the idea of bringing education to other profes­sionals in Spain. Her attendance and conversations with Jeff Zeig at the 1999 Ericksonian Congress in Phoenix formalized her dream.

The Institute was established with three co-directors. Garcia was joined by Peter Hawkins PhD., and Jose Cava Lic. Psych. Their initial efforts were outreach, and exploring method­ology for rapid, effective problem resolution. By October of 2000 the application for an Institute accepted
by both The Erickson Foundation and the Mayor of Pouelo, the suburb ofi Madrid where the Institute is situated.

The "Ericksonian Spanish Family" was rounded out with the May of 2002 with the creation of the Asociacion Espanola de Hypnosis Ericksoniana (AEHE). This 60 member body has a mailing list of 600 created to facilitate com­munication about clinical offerings among professionals. The dedication and generous support of the talented team who have supported both the Institute and the Association is wide­ly recognized and deeply appreciated.

The Institute Board is proud of the volunteer collaborators who have brought with them an expansion of techniques and abilities. Some of the recent programs have included Jose" Antonio Luna MSC whose approach­es involve speed reading and mental mapping: Daniel Chumiilas Lic. Psych, a specialist in bi-aural and bi-hemispheric techniques and Angel Gonzalez M D., professor at the University of Medicine. In addition to his therapeutic background, Board of Directors member, Jose Cava, has a MSC in Telecommunication Engineering and has offered work­shops on the topics of stress manage­ment, life and professional coaching, motivation strategies and Leadership. Other workshops have been offered by Spanish professionals who teach specific applications of hypnosis. These individuals include Antonio Capafons. Ph.D.; Xavier Pellicer. Ph.D.: Dr. J.Sala. M.D.; Cesar Garcia. M.D.

It is anticipated that next year, a Masters Degree will be offered thru the Madrid Institute, with work under the direction of manager by Fabiola Garcia. Lic. Psych.
Training psychotherapy and Ericksonian approaches began with The 2001-2002 courses. At that time, more than 100 hours of hypnosis training on a series of weekends fol­lowed by a two-week intensive were offered. The following year, there were another series of weekend offer­ings, and the scope of subjects was broadened. By 2003-2004. a biannu­al 200 hour training was offered, tak­ing place over 16 weekends. The participating groups became larger and larger: The sixth graduating class includes approximately 30 people. A total of 132 students have attended teaching sessions. and many of them continue to return for new learnings.

Training gleaned from the Erickson Foundation provided an ini­tial framework of instruction. The Institute is proud to have sponsored Jeff Zeig's workshop on four occa­sions, as well as workshops by Michael Yapko. Ernest Rossi, and Phil & Norma Barretta. Now Institute training has gone beyond the initial focus, which included exami­nation and analysis of Hrickson videos. NLP and classical hypnosis. Training includes a broad range of live demonstrations, exercises, group inductions and investigation of diverse methodologies. Recent class­es have included more classical hyp­nosis, awake hypnosis (a specialty of Capafons). and binaural and balanced hemispheric techniques. In this way, the pupils are provided with multiple resources allowing them to create their own style of therapy and be able to adapt it to any patient or case.

In an effort to make Ericksonian hypnosis more prominent in Spain, the Institute activities reach well beyond the front door. They maintain a web-page, offer presentations al hospitals and universities, and have established active relations with psy­chological and medical professional associations. This has been accom­plished through articles in standard and professional journals, radio inter­views and through the AEHE. In so doing they extend the work of the Institute to inform both profes­sionals and the public of the important work being done at the Institute.

Outside Spain, in the European Community. Garcia is the Spanish representative of hypnosis and psychotherapy to the European Association of Psychotherapy (EAP) Board Committee. The Institute is recognized as a "Training Institute of the European Association of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy." And in the next years it will be able to grant students of the E.C.P. (European Certificate of Psychotherapy and Hypnosis). Garcia`s international presentations, which she began last year, include hypnosis courses as well as some very experiential workshops on metaphors, fear reduction and goal achievement.
It is apparent that the Madrid Erickson Institute was on target with the goals outlined on their initial brochure: "The goal of the Millon Erickson Institute of Madrid is to dis­seminate Ericksonian hypnosis appli­cations:

- to make the therapy shorter;
- to be able to incorporate Ericksonian communication to any other therapy school:
- to teach that hypnosis is not some thing about power, but a very humanistic relationship;
- to trust the unconscious mind and the resources of the patient;
- to improve the quality of life of the patient with chronic illness.

The concrete and substantial advancement The Madrid Institute has made towards these worthy goals is uplifting to Ericksonians all around the world. Congratulations lo Teresa Garcia and to the Madrid Erickson Institute. May you continue with the admirable enjoy growth of your Ericksonian family!
Editors Note: For a more person­al look al the Madrid Institute, see "Facets and Reflections"