Using Hypnosis for Repressed Memory

Using Hypnosis for Repressed Memory

Red L. Yandall

November 14, 2005

Abnormal Psychology

Repressed Memory 1

In today’s studies of using various techniques to trigger repressed memories, too many stand out to be more fraudulent than the technique of hypnosis. There have been many cases done over the past years that deal with the art of using hypnosis for repressed memories. In various cases, it was evident that while under hypnosis, ideans and thoughts were said to be fabricated and morphed into incidents beyond the real situation.

Many researches believe that memory repression is extremely rare and that recovered memories from childhood should not be given credibility unless they are corroborated by any for of other evidence. (Lynn & McConkey). With numerous studies done over the past years on repressed memories, even if it is possible to stir up the repressed memories of childhood, the results of these studies is that researchers believe that most repressed memories are not related the events in question. (Loftus)

According to the American Heritage Colleges Dictionary 4th Edition, hypnosis is defined as an artificially induced altered state of consciousness, marked by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction. But in psychological ideology, hypnosis has no single definition, but rather a phenomena that follows critical thinking, reduced reality testing, the tolerance of reality distortion, subjective changes in choice, alteration in perception, misrepresentation of cognitive processes and memory, detached phenomena, increased suggestibility and acceptance of fantasy as actual reality. Hypnotism in itself is considered to be a controversial issue alone and to combine both issues creates and unsteady ground and questions the validity of the source (Lynn & McConkey).

What people fail to believe in this type of therapy is a realization that when under hypnosis, the dynamics of the ordeal can cause stimulated imagination into false

Repressed Memory 2

memories (Loftus). Stimulated imagination and confabulation are known characteristics that result from hypnosis and tend to serve their own purpose when they tend to make the subconscious mind receptive. To actually use the process of hypnosis for memory suppression is legitimately controversial when the very nature of hypnosis is not effective (Loftus).

Many practitioners and therapists believe hypnosis is a means to recover exact truthful and complete memory accounts via the subconscious mind. Once such memory accounts are to regain including emotional and psychological