Hypnosis attempted but unsuccessful....

[Unregistered]

I was in a bad car accident in May and cannot remember all of the details leading up to the impact. I was charged with following to closely - however, based on information I've received, I may not have been at fault. I went to a hypnotherapist for help last week and she was wonderful but unfortunately, the session was unsuccessful. Does anyone have any suggestions to help me succeed next time. I really need to know if this accident was truly my fault or if it was the other driver who was at fault.

[Simple Guy]

Hi,

It is advisable to check with your attorney to determine whether such
attempts at memory recovery are legally advisable for you at this time,
should charges or other legal proceedings be pending.

[skip]

Dear guest,

If you are hoping to be able to prove legally that you werent at fault by providing 'hypnotic' evidence, this is most likely to be un successful. I doubt that the court would admit such evidence.

If you just want personal satisfaction ...

If the other car was in your lane and you hit it, for any reason, you were too close. The law states that it is your obligation to stay far enough back, to stop without hitting the other car, no matter how suddenly it stops. Suggested car lengths are immaterial, the law is you MUST be back sufficently far to stop no matter what. Most of us follow too closely, and would be hard pressed to react in time if the driver ahead made a sudden stop.

If you are wondering, if maybe the other vehicle pulled out, and got itsself oriented, as if going your way, before you hit it, and you just dont remember... or changed lanes, or some such, then hypnosis could help you remember, but again it would not be of assistance legally unless you were able to find outside corraboration.

skip

[Don]

The advice you were given has all been great. I would just like to add one thing.

As I'm sure you know, you wouldn't go to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist to treat you for an ingrown toenail. It's simply not that person's specialty. The ENT specialist may have studied what to do in the case of an ingrown toenail and *might* do a good job, but it makes far more sense to go to a podiatrist.

Similarly, there are many fields of specialty within hypnosis. The field you're interested in is commonly known as "forensic hypnosis," the rediscovery of past memory.

A professional forensic hypnotist should know the laws in your area concerning the use of hypnosis for recovery of memory in legal matters. I'm sorry to tell you that by going to a hypnotist you may have invalidated any claim you might have had.

A professional forensic hypnotist should know the law and work with your lawyer. He or she will in some way record the session so as not to "lead" you and know how to prevent you from accidental "confabulation," the creation of false thoughts believed to "memories" in order to validate a view (that you didn't do anything wrong) or to please the hypnotist.

Although it wouldn't happen in your situation, ill-trained people who were not professional, certified, hypnotists and who had a personal agenda, have used hypnosis and what I call "induced confabulation" to create very real-seeming memories of events that never took place. The end result is what is now commonly called "False Memory Syndrome." This well-meaning but untrained people have ruined thousands of lives, broken up families, shattered the innocence of children, and cost governments and individuals hundreds of millions of dollars. See the book "Return of the Furies" for more information on FMS.

As I said, an induced confabulation is unlikely to occur in your situation to such a level that it could harm your life, but it could bother you for years. Therefore, get a specialist in this field. How do you know if a person is specially trained and experienced in this specialty?

Just ask.
:-)