ABSTRACT
The occurrence of amnesia in the hypnotic setting is one of the more intriguing phenomena that characterize the domain of hypnosis. Historically speaking, hypnotic amnesia has provided the impetus for substantial empirical investigation and theoretical speculation about hypnosis; it is also a phenomenon that has direct implications for other areas of psychological inquiry. For instance, observations made about the nature of amnesia in the hypnotic context are generally considered to have the potential for bridging a variety of important topics in contemporary psychology. The processes of posthypnotic amnesia, for example, can be associated with the study of both normal and pathological functioning of memory and psychopathology in general (Kihlstrom, 1977; Kihlstrom & Evans, 1979; Sarbin & Coe, 1979).
