Here is what AI says about this quote:
 

It turns out that this quote isn’t clearly tied to a specific date, location, or event that Milton H. Erickson gave or published—it’s not documented in his major books or collections (such as The Wisdom of Milton H. Erickson or Uncommon Therapy), nor does it appear in reliably sourced transcripts of his seminars or lectures.

Many online quote compilations attribute the phrasing—“comfortable self‑awareness”—to Erickson, but without citation of a particular talk, workshop, or publication. No scholarly source or archival transcript confirms when or where he coined it. It appears to be part of the broader spirit of his teachings—that hypnosis or relaxation could be used as a gentle way to foster in‑ward, comfortable self-awareness in clients—but the precise origin remains undocumented in the literary record thenarratologist.com+14azquotes.com+14upjourney.com+14.

So while it resonates with Erickson’s overall therapeutic philosophy, there’s no verifiable reference to the exact context in which he made that statement.
 

• Closest direct quote: “I believe in a different level of awareness.” (Erickson) Studocu
  This appears in dialogue explaining the idea that unconscious perception functions at a different level than conscious awareness.
   

• Additional supporting definition: Hypnosis is functioning at a level of awareness other than ordinary conscious awareness—unconscious or subconscious. hypnozoom.ie+15ngh.net+15FlipHTML5+15
   

If you encountered the specific wording “a level of perception not necessarily conscious” attributed to Erickson, it may be a paraphrase or a fusion of his ideas rather than an exact sentence he wrote or spoke. Let me know if you’d like help tracing that paraphrase further or identifying related sources!