Which of the following statements about the technique of hypnotic regression is not true?
Franz Mesmer’s theory of medicine was that illnesses, especially hysteria, were caused by which of the following?
Which of the following people came up with the term “hypnosis”?
What is the scientific objection to the effects of hypnosis?
Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Scientists who argue that hypnosis may be ineffective claim that there is no effective way to control for the placebo effect. When compared to no treatment, hypnosis seems to be effective in solving many medical issues, yet there is no way to tell if that is because hypnosis actually has some effect on people or if it because people think hypnosis works.
Describe the issues with hypnotic regression.
Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Hypnotic regression is a controversial technique because it can have many harmful effects on the subjects experiencing the regression. First, the memories recovered through the regression can be unreliable. Memory can be affected by suggestions or leading questions from the hypnotist or other witnesses. These “recovered” memories might be entirely fabricated, but the person who recovered them would believe in them completely. This is why memories recovered through regression are generally not admissible in court. Another issue is that the experience can be traumatic for the subject of the regression, especially if trying to uncover memories of trauma or abuse. The subject must essentially relive the pain that they experienced when recalling these memories, and that is why regression is usually a treatment of last resort.
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