Milton H Erickson
From an issue of Anchorpoint magazine.
Yvonne Dolan identifies a similar pattern in the work of Milton Erickson (Dolan, 1985, pp. 58-61). One case involved a man who had only spoken six sensible words in the five years he was in hospital. Otherwise he spoke in “word salad”—a long jumble of sounds, words and syllables in no apparent order. Psychiatrists, nurses, and others made numerous unsuccessful attempts to talk to him, or even find out his full name (his six words included “My name is George”). To begin, Erickson had his secretary record, in shorthand, a sample of the man’s “speech.” Erickson then studied this sample until he could improvise a word salad similar in form. Now he was ready. He sat down next to George and introduced himself. George spat out an angry stream of word salad. Erickson replied with an equally long stream of the same type of noise. George appeared puzzled and added more word salad, and Erickson responded in kind.
A few days later Erickson returned and again George spoke in word salad, this time for four hours. Erickson, aware that George was watching a clock on the wall facing them, replied in kind for another four hours, missing his lunch. George listened carefully, and they then traded another two hours. The next day George gave only two sentences of word salad. After Erickson returned his own two sentences, George did an extraordinary thing. In plain English, he said “Talk sense Doctor!”
“Certainly, I'll be glad to. What is your last name?” Erickson asked.
“O’Donavan, and it’s about time somebody who knows how to talk asked. Over five years in this lousy joint…” and he lapsed back into word salad. But this was the breakthrough. A few months later, George O’Donavan left the hospital and found himself a job. Erickson followed his progress for some years and he was not readmitted.