can psychology bring back lost memories?

Gooberlx2

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May 4, 2001
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I'm convinced that hypnosis can and does work on some people. I saw on TruTV (forensic files I think) it's been used in murder investigations, to try and extract enough detailed memory from a witness to make a composite sketch, which turned out to be pretty accurate.
 

Zim Hosein

Super Moderator | Elite Member
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Nov 27, 1999
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Define "lost memories" fire400, there are different causes for memory loss.
 

fire400

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Nov 21, 2005
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Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
Define "lost memories" fire400, there are different causes for memory loss.

In general, simply somethin' you just don't remember from the top of your head.

Like there's this women who toured Japan in her early years. She's too old and never kept a journal. She wants to write a memoir on that chunk of her life and much more. We're talking more hard details than just blurs of the past.
 

Eli

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Oct 9, 1999
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Think about this for a moment.

If a memory is truly gone, it is gone. There is no way to get it back. The memory isn't there to access.

Can hypnosis help to remember memories that are hard to access?

That's a good question. My answer is yes, however it is also easy to create new memories in that state....

I dunno.
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: pcslookout
No but it sure can create new false ones.

bingo, much trouble was made by psychologists basically guiding people into false memories. leading to false accusations and a whole lot of fubar
 

ConstipatedVigilante

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Feb 22, 2006
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Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
I'm convinced that hypnosis can and does work on some people. I saw on TruTV (forensic files I think) it's been used in murder investigations, to try and extract enough detailed memory from a witness to make a composite sketch, which turned out to be pretty accurate.

The problem with hypnosis is that memories aren't really accurate. People tend to remember their own version of what happened, and hypnosis doesn't change that.