Handbook of Investigative Hypnosis

Book excerpt: This volume explains the phenomenon of hypnosis and the methodology of its application as an investigative technique in the criminal justice system to improve the memories of victims and witnesses. It is intended for the use and training of law enforcement officers, and for lawyers or judges who may need to utilize investigative hypnosis in their work. Hypnosis is of great value in releasing important information that had been repressed and in relieving the anxieties produced by stressful dream sequences. Police officers trained for criminal investigation are better qualified to use hypnosis than are psychologists and physicians who understand hypnotic behavior but are untrained investigators. A discussion of the human nervous system and the fundamentals of human behavior is presented. The semantics of the field, the suggestion processes, and the phenomenon of hypnosis are then explained. Values and limitations of hypnosis are examined in ethical terms, emphasizing that investigative hypnosis is to be used for memory improvement only and not as a tool for extracting the truth from criminals or for coercing witnesses into fabricating information. To integrate hypnosis into investigative work, it is also necessary to understand the legal aspects and status of hypnosis, office procedures and coordination of a hypnosis program, and procedures for a hypnosis session. A transcript of a hypnosis session, sample forms, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index are provided.