ABSTRACT
The belief that hypnosis has a special power to retrieve lost memories is as pervasive today as it was when it was endorsed by luminaries such as Janet, Breuer, and Freud. Indeed, many contemporary psychotherapists and individuals in the general population believe that hypnosis can enhance recall far beyond what can be obtained by ordinary means (see Lynn, Myers, & Malinoski, 1997, for surveys). Recently, the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) has sought to advance hypnosis in clinical and forensic contexts by issuing practice guidelines that legitimize the use of hypnosis for memory improvement or recovery (Hammond et al., 1995). Contrary to these optimistic assessments of the value of hypnosis in memory recovery, many academic psychologists have argued against the use of hypnosis for this purpose, instead highlighting the potential of hypnosis to create false memories in psychotherapeutic and forensic contexts.
