T. E. A. von Dedenroth, Part II
A High-Profile Case
His Role in the Clinical Hypnosis Society and an Autograph by Erickson
by Joyce Bavlinka, M. Ed., LISAC
Subsequent to the posting of “Say What? What’s in a Name?” we are following up with additional information about T. E. A., one of the more colorful people who studied with Erickson. T.E.A. was an internist who became a forensic psychiatrist after he studied with Erickson. He was Erickson’s personal physician and went on to testify in some high-profile cases as an expert witness.
T.E.A. TESTIFIES IN THE APPEAL OF AN INFAMOUS MAJOR CRIMES CASE
T.E.A. testifies as an expert witness for the state during the appeal hearing of “People v. Yanikian.” The case involves Gourgen Yanikian, an Armenian holocaust survivor who, out of revenge for the holocaust, shot and killed two Turkish Diplomats, the Los Angeles Consul General Mehmet Baydar and Assistant Consul Bahadir Demir, on January 27, 1973. After coming to the United States, Yanikian was involved in several businesses and real estate deals that failed. He won a claim for over $1,000,000 against the government of Iran for work he did there during World War II but was unable to collect.
He lured two Turkish diplomats to a suite he rented at the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara, promising them the return of a stolen painting and a bank note. During lunch he pulled out a pistol and emptied nine rounds into the diplomats and then took out another pistol and fired two rounds into the heads of the diplomats. He called the hotel desk and said he just killed two people. He entered a plea of not guilty and was subsequently found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to like in prison. He appealed his guilty verdict.
The following information comes from the written opinion from his appeal before the Second Circuit District Court of Appeal, decided May 22, 1974. His plot to kill was conceived in April 1972; he disposed of most of his personal goods, hollowed-out a book to conceal the pistol, and developed a press release to announce the homicides. At the trial, he denied killing two men and insisted that he destroyed “two evils’ “in order to have a symbol with which to focus world attention upon the Armenian massacres.” According to the defendant, the victims were not human and that the world benefit from their demise.
T.E.A. testified,
“…the defendant was fully capable of both pre-meditation and malice aforethought. The cross-examination of Dr. von Dedenroth developed the fact that he was of the opinion that the defendant acted on the basis of a “misconception, a mistaken idea that normally would be clear to anyone else, that ‘acts of homicide ‘would benefit mankind’ and that on this basis the witness agreed that defendant did not consider them ‘simply bad acts.”
The cross-examination further developed that the doctor considered this a ‘paranoid reaction’ but found no evidence of any dissociative reaction, since there was no indication of loss of understanding or of recall. Dr. von Denenroth stated further his opinion that the defendant was fully cognizant that he was killing ‘two fellow creatures’ and not merely destroying two symbols of evil.”
Von Denenroth testified that “the defendant had the capacity both to harbor malice aforethought and to premeditate the homicides.”
The opinion states there were some problems with instructions to the jury and with some of the testimony that was allowed and not allowed but that the verdict was sustained. The defendant had not used the insanity defense. Yanikian served 11 years in minimum security and was granted early parole because of his ailing health. Parole was granted over the objection of the Turkish government. He died 2 months later in a nursing home.
The assassinations were the first incident perpetrated in an effort by Armenians to hold the Turkish government accountable for the Armenian Genocide. Armenian militant groups have claimed responsibility for over 30 deaths of Turkish officials in retribution for the holocaust.
The full content of the judge’s decision Can be seen at: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1828021.html Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 3, California, People v. Gourgen Mkrtich Yanikian
T.E.A. AND THE AMERCICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL HYPNOSIS
While researching the original article on T.E.A., I came across a folder containing about 80+ pieces of correspondence between Erickson and M. Eric Wright, Ph.D., M.D. of the University of Kansas covering the period from 1964 to 1966. In 1965, Wright was the President of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and Erickson was editor of the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis.
The file correspondence covers the Society’s activities, Erickson’s trials as editor of the Journal and Erickson’s initiative to get Wright to complete a book review. The file was donated to the Foundation by David Wark, Ph. D. of Minneapolis in 2015. Erickson served as the president of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and Wright was the in-coming president. There were a series of letters mentioning T.E.A as a trainer and workshop leader.
On June 21, 1965, Eric Wright writes to Erickson:
“I was very much pleased to hear from you that Ted von Dedenroth showed himself to be an excellent teacher. I have a great deal of respect for his professional knowledge in medicine and also his highly developed critical sense. There is a kind of humor, sharp probing for the sensitive area in other people’s personalities, and a bluntness of approach which can and has proven disturbing in his relationships with other people….
Although I have never seen him in a teaching role, his ability to tell a story and his enthusiasm, vitality and deep interest in the field of hypnotherapy, I know were assets which could not help but make him an impactful teacher.”
In 1966, both Erickson and Eric Wright, President of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis recommended T.E.A. to chair the Program Committee for the conference in Las Vegas.
ERICKON’S RECOGNITION OF T. E. A.
In the acknowledgements for “Hypnotherapy: An Exploratory Casebook,” Erickson says the book should be seen as a community effort and recognized T.E.A. as one of the many teachers who “have provided a continual series of insights, illustrations, and comments that have found their way into this work.” Erickson also acknowledges, Roxanne and Christie Erickson, Marion Moore, Robert Pearson, Florence Sharp, Kay Thompson, David Cheek and M. Erik Wright.
AN ERICKSON AUTOGRAPH
A portion of T.E.A’s book collection was donated to the Erickson Foundation Library and several books were autographed by Erickson. Erickson autographed “Advanced Techniques of Hypnosis and Therapy: Selected Papers of Milton H. Erickson,” Jay Haley. Ed. as follows:
To: T. E. A. Von Dedenroth, M.D. :
Not only do I hope to live long
enough to express my personal
appreciation of you but I would
like to live long enough to
enjoy all of your contributions to
scientific medicine
March 1968 Milton H. Erickson, M.D.
Note: The format, language, spelling, and spacing is as it was written by Erickson. “Advanced Techniques” includes 115 of Erickson’s published papers and works from 1929 until 1967.
In February of 1985, Ernie Rossi autographed a copy of “Life Reframing in Hypnosis” by Erickson and edited by Rossi and Margaret O. Ryan, as follows:
“To my friend T E A von Deden.
Who knows MHE as no other.
Ernie Rossi”
What exactly did Rossi mean by that? If you, or anyone you know had contact with T.E.A. and would like to share your knowledge or experiences with him, please contact joyce@erickson-foundation.org.
We would like to find out more about T.E.A. as he journeyed from Tucson to California.
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