Have you ever entered a room and forgotten why you went in? Or remembered a name hours later when you are not even thinking about it?
Memory’s weird like that.
You’re hopeless, sometimes you think you remember some detail differently but then someone else presents a different perspective and you immediately start to doubt it. What if the same thing took place during a crime investigation? The witness claims to have seen something but his memory is unclear.
What if the same thing took place during a crime investigation? The witness claims to have seen something but his memory is unclear. What if there was a technique to assist people to remember what is buried in the mind?
That’s the idea behind forensic hypnotherapy – utilizing hypnosis to retrieve lost memories!
Memory’s weird like that.
Sounds useful, right? But does it actually work? Or is it just another way our brains trick us?
Wait… Hypnosis? Like, “You Are Getting Very Sleepy” Hypnosis?
Nope. Forget the Hollywood version.
No one’s waving a pocket watch or snapping their fingers and making people spill their darkest secrets. That’s not how it works.
Forensic hypnotherapy is just a way to help people focus deeply—so deeply that their brain might dig up details they didn’t even realize they noticed.
Ever had a song stuck on the tip of your tongue? You can hear it but you can’t remember the name of it. And then suddenly, bang! You are in the shower when it suddenly comes into your mind.
That’s how memory works.
Hypnosis? It’s just a way to bring those buried details to the surface faster.
How Does It Actually Work?
Here’s how a forensic hypnosis session usually goes:
Step 1: Checking If the Person’s Even a Good Fit
Not everyone can (or should) do hypnosis.
Some people? Too suggestible. That’s a problem because suggestion can create false memories.
Before anything starts, the hypnotherapist asks:
Is this person easily influenced?
Are they mentally stable enough for this?
Do they even believe in hypnosis? (Because skepticism can block it from working.)
If they’re not a good fit? Session’s over before it starts.
Step 2: Getting Into the Right Mental State
This isn’t some mystical trance. It’s more like super deep concentration—kind of like when you’re so into a movie that you don’t notice someone talking to you.
They might use:
Slow breathing (in through the nose, out through the mouth).
Guided visualization (“Imagine you’re back at the scene…”)
Progressive relaxation (loosening muscles, clearing the mind).
The goal? Turn off distractions so the brain can focus better.
Step 3: Pulling Up the Memory
This is the tricky part—because how the question is asked changes everything.
BAD: “Did you see a guy with a beard?”
That’s leading. Might plant a false memory.
GOOD: “Tell me what you remember about the suspect.”
Open-ended. No hints, no leading.
Sometimes, tiny details come back—stuff the person didn’t even realize they saw.
Step 4: Cross-Checking If the Memory Is Real
This is where science takes over.
A hypnotized person might believe their memory is 100% accurate—but it still has to be verified against:
Surveillance footage
Other witness statements
Physical evidence
If someone “remembers” a green car, but footage shows no green car was there, then that memory isn’t reliable.
Step 5: Waking Up & Checking What Stuck
Once the session’s over, the person gradually comes back to full awareness, and the session gets documented.
Nothing they said is treated as fact until it’s backed up by real evidence.
Has This Actually Worked in Real Cases?
It’s not perfect, but forensic hypnosis has helped solve real crimes.
- Helping Witnesses Fill in the Blanks
People have remembered:
License plates they didn’t realize they saw.
Background noises that helped pinpoint a location.
Facial features of suspects.
- Helping Trauma Victims Remember
The brain sometimes locks away painful memories as a defense mechanism. Hypnosis has helped:
Kidnapping survivors recall crucial details.
Assault victims remember faces and voices.
War veterans retrieve lost memories.
- Crime Scene Reconstruction
Even small details—like a neon sign, a smell, or a sound—have helped investigators piece things together.
- Accident Investigations
Car crash victims often can’t remember the moment of impact due to shock. Hypnosis has helped:
Identify what color the other car was.
Determine if there was honking or braking.
Confirm what direction the other driver came from.
The Problem? Memory Is NOT a Perfect Recording.
Here’s where forensic hypnosis gets messy.
- Your Brain Fills in Blanks Without You Realizing
People assume memories work like a video camera. They don’t. Every time you remember something, your brain reconstructs the event—and sometimes, it fills in missing details on its own. - The Risk of False Memories
A bad hypnotherapist can accidentally implant a fake memory just by asking a question the wrong way.
Example:
A witness remembers a black jacket on the suspect under hypnosis. But security footage shows no one was wearing black.Where did that memory come from? Their brain made it up. - Not Every Court Accepts It
Forensic hypnosis is a legal gray area. Some courts accept it cautiously, others won’t allow it at all.Judges want to know:
Who performed the hypnosis?
Were leading questions avoided?
Is there actual evidence backing it up?If those answers aren’t solid? The testimony is useless.
Final Verdict: Is This Reliable or Not?Short answer? It depends.
When done right? It’s helped solve real cases.
When done poorly? It’s led to false memories and wrongful convictions.
Forensic hypnosis isn’t a magic truth serum. It’s just a tool. And like any tool? It’s only as good as the person using it.
Maybe one day, science will give us a better way to retrieve lost details. But for now? Hypnosis remains one of the most controversial—and fascinating—techniques in criminal investigations.
Sonia Jha