The Hypnotic Treatment of a Patient with Amnesia

The author has treated several patients with amnesias employing hypnosis. The effectiveness of hypnosis in clearing amnesic episodes has been substantiated in the past by other investigators. Aside from recall of forgotten memories the patient may be benefited additionally through investigation of psychogenetic factors to clarify the dynamisms involved and produce alterations in personality structure for the purpose of obtaining more than a symptomatic cure. If successful, such an approach might preclude the recurrence of similar or related symptoms. This case is reported to illustrate the techniques employed and to elucidate the dynamics.

A 31 year old man developed an amnesia one and a half years before I met him. The amnesia involved events of a two and a half month period from the time of his unauthorized departure from an Army hospital until he was returned there by legal authorities. The patient was married and had three children, and his Army record had been good except for an eight day absence without leave during which he assisted his family financially and returned to duty voluntarily. Subsequent to his return to the hospital by legal authorities he absented himself again without permission but no amnesia developed in relation to this departure.

The patient had been reared in poverty in a Southern community. He was the second of four male siblings. His parents separated when he was six and from childhood on he worked at odd jobs to assist his mother. Frequent truancy, during which he earned money for his mother however, retarded his education so that he never went beyond the third grade. He had, nevertheless, a keen interest in educating himself and when I met him his fund of knowledge and general intelligence were beyond what one might expect. His civilian record was clear and he was a reliable and responsible husband and father.

During the psychiatric interviews he was neat in appearance, friendly and cooperative, alert and attentive. He demonstr