NCJ Number
84301
Date Published
1981
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Guidelines for inducing hypnosis in various personality types, specific uses of hypnosis in criminal justice work, and court views of hypnosis are discussed.
Abstract
Although all personality types can be hypnotized, it is important that the subject believe that what the hypnotist says is going to happen will indeed occur. Such trust in the hypnotist must be cultivated in initial interaction with the subject. This involves penetrating the subject's learned defense mechanisms. With the aggressive person, this means providing agreement, support, and acceptance without challenge, and with passive and fearful persons, this means providing reassurance that they will perform well as subjects. The induction of hypnosis includes the following techniques for obtaining unconscious or repressed material: (1) explaining away misconceptions, (2) obtaining relaxation response, (3) obtaining heaviness response, (4) deepening the hypnotic state, and (5) initiating visualization of the desired information. One of the uses of hypnosis in criminal justice work is to obtain unconscious and repressed material from witnesses and victims concerning a crime. Another use is to obtain confessions. Although most courts do not accept confessions made while a subject is under hypnosis, the subject may be convinced under hypnosis that it is in his/her best interests to confess while not in the hypnotic state. Hypnosis can also be used in helping alcoholics deal with the emotional stresses underlying their drinking patterns. Further, hypnosis has been used to help police officers better deal with stress-provoking occupational responsibilities. Although the use of hypnosis is helpful in obtaining additional information in a case, testimony or information obtained under hypnosis is more frequently than not considered inadmissible as evidence in court.