you express that intense regret that he's going to fail ten percent of the time and you regret it. But what you're really telling him is that he's going to succeed ninety percent of the time.
(Erickson, 1962a)

Erickson would sometimes end a trance by stating, "All good things must come to an end." This is one of the most profound dilemmas encountered by living creatures. Our reality is bound to a frail body that will eventually expire. As a person who had been crippled by polio, Erickson not only understood but also was a model of acceptance of human frailty. His response to this human condition is reminiscent of the biblical saying, "Your body is a temple." Erickson's therapy was one that always pointed to the goodness and importance of the body. As Erickson recognized early in his career, "One need only call to mind a small boy proudly displaying his muscles to realize how important a sense of pride, trust and confidence in one's own body is for a normal healthy outlook upon life" (Erickson, 1941/2001a, p. 4). In this way, he defined the individual as the unit of change in psychotherapy and a positive clinical outcome as, "the opportunity of directing every intensity of the personality into making use of the body. This serves the purpose of helping you bring about therapeutic results" (Erickson, 1957). The implicit element of this philosophy is the social context in which the change occurs.

Although the individual may be the unit of change, it is often the helping relationship that ignites the transformation process, resulting in greater hope and increased resiliency. Such help may come from one person, such as a parent, therapist, or good friend. Or there may be a group of individuals invested in helping one another, such as in group therapy, family therapy, or community support groups. Each of these has its own unique benefits.

While explaining the transformation of the man with arthritis, Erickson simply commented that he knew the man could move his