Stephen Gilligan, Ph.D.
Welcome to the website of Dr. Stephen Gilligan, the developer of Generative Change. We invite you to look around and discover something about the magic and possibilities of this work!
What is Generative Change?
Generative change means creating something beyond what has ever existed, whether in personal or professional life.
At the heart of this process is attention to a person’s (or group’s) state as the core difference that makes a difference; that is, the creative outcomes are only as good as the underlying state.







Stephen's Books:

Dr. Gilligan's workshops:
A 15 Day IAGC Certification Program with Stephen Gilligan and Robert Dilts
This course teaches competencies in applying Generative Coaching in their professional areas. The core focus in Generative Coaching is creativity: How do you create a successful and meaningful work life? How do you create great personal relationships? How do you develop a great relationship with yourself—your body, your past, your future, your wounds, and your gifts? These are the basic challenges in leading an extraordinary life, and Generative Coaching offers a way to succeed at them.
Coaching is the process of helping another person to perform at the peak of his or her abilities.
It involves drawing out that person’s strengths, helping the person to overcome internal resistances and interferences, and facilitating him or her to function as a part of a team.
Historically, coaching has been typically focused toward achieving incremental improvement with respect to a specific behavioral performance. Generative coaching, however, involves helping people evolve at an identity level and achieve outcomes that are completely new.
An IAGC certified 12 day Intensive in Generative Trance Work
Generative Trance is an experiential workshop for those interested in exploring trance and its relevance to creativity and change. Colloquially known for years as ‘Trance Camp’ this is a fantastic opportunity to work with people from a variety of backgrounds and professions; coaches, therapists, business leaders and people using the tools for personal growth and Transformation
Third Generation Approaches to Hypnosis and Transformation
Generative Trance work is a third generation of trance work that seeks to move beyond the limitations of the old hypnosis models. Trance is seen as a naturally occurring creative process independent from hypnosis, and the focus is on how to respectfully utilize trance for transformational change
This new training in Systemic Trance Work (STW) synthesizes generative trance, especially integrating mindfulness and somatic-based consciousness, with systemic work involving multi-level identity systems.
Generative Trance is seen as a fluid and powerful mind-body state where self-identity is created and transformed. STW sees these identity systems as holons—identities that are whole at one level, but just a part of a larger whole at the next higher level. This dual-level sensitivity requires skills of aesthetic intelligence—that is, harmonizing all the parts of an identity field to create an extraordinary performance.
The supervision groups are an amazing opportunity to explore Stephen’s work in an intimate setting.
Durning the event Stephen runs 3-4 sessions of ‘core’ work in the middle of the group each day, with each working team consisting of a client, two therapists/coaches, and Stephen as the supervisor/participant. In addition, Stephen offers mini-lectures and group trance processes
These 4-day personal development courses are held in Dr. Gilligan’s office in Encinitas California. Limited to 9 people, they are intimate, transformational events.
Each person has an opportunity to do a 2-3 hour piece of core work directly with Dr. Gilligan in the middle of the group. In addition, Dr. Gilligan offers mini-talks and group trance and hypnotic experiences.
How to create a happy and successful life
This special 2-day workshop focuses on how to use the hypnosis techniques of the legendary Milton Erickson to create positive success and happiness in all areas of life—your work, your personal relationships, and your relationship with your self.
Coaching Personal Connection In Self And Others
Living a creative and fulfilling life requires the capacity to be fully present and connected with one’s self and others. This skill is central to success in intimacy relationships, family life, professional communication, business relationships, and various aspects of social life.
How to remain connected and creative in times of crisis and change.
One of the most important set of skills required in a changing world are the skills of leadership. Leadership can be defined as the capability to: “express a vision, influence people to achieve results, encourage team cooperation, and be an example.” Leadership is often about “going first,” and influencing others as much by one’s actions as by one’s words. This requires choosing a direction to go and having the courage and energy to move quickly.
The Hero’s Journey & The Generative Self: The Realization of an Extraordinary Life
Being in this program, you can expect both to develop many experiential shifts, and to acquire models of how such transformational change can be developed in other areas. Come prepared to enter a training community that is both safe and passionate.
Growing as a team and in team performance through only cognitive interventions is like swimming without water: it gets very dry …!
High Team Performance in terms of generating new results, human excellence and following the ecologies of mind, body and soul demands mindful perception and action on multiple levels. Somatics is based on the understanding that the spirit, mind, body, self and rationality are inextricably linked; to grow one, you must cultivate the others. Creatively performing from all these sources as individual AND as a team is the purpose of this newly created experiential workshop. Through cutting edge methodology, integrating Generative Change Work, Somatics and Generative Group Dynamics, you go on an experiential learning journey on the interface of individual and collective self.
Working With Negative Experiences In Self-Relations Therapy
A Special 2-Day Workshop with Stephen Gilligan, Ph.D.
For the past 30 years, Dr. Gilligan has been teaching and practicing innovative approaches in both Ericksonian and Self-Relations psychotherapy. This workshop presents his most recent model of Generative Self, and how it can be used in healing traumas and transforming negative experiences.