TRUTH IN MEMORY - RAMIFICATIONS FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY AND HYPNOTHERAPY

In this article we address a number of issues relevant to the practice of psychotherapy and hypnotherapy: How reliable is memory? How are th erapists' and clients' beliefs and expectancies related to pseudomemor y formation? Are certain clients particularly vulnerable to pseudomemo ry creation? Does hypnosis pose special hazards for pseudomemory repor ts? What are the variables or factors that mediate hypnotic pseudomemo ries? In addition to reviewing the literature on these topics, we inte nd to sensitize the clinician to the potential pitfalls of critical re liance on the patient's memories, as well as uncritically accepted cli nical beliefs and practices.