I sometimes have enquiries along these lines. ‘Can hypnosis make me forget my ex/trauma/whatever?’, and I’m sure my therapist readers do as well. So, as an ethical practitioner, how do you deal with those calls?
Hypnotherapy, Myths and Memory
People who ask this question have often seen stage hypnotists who sometimes ask people to forget specific pieces of information. This can be the number three, their name, or something that has happened on the stage. This seems to be successful, so, it is possible to create a kind of forgetting.
This type of forgetting is referred to as PHA or post-hypnotic amnesia. However, these recreational suggestions are not intended to last long (just the length of the show). The memories come back when the person is cued to recall them, meaning they haven’t completely gone. They are arguably not so much forgotten as temporarily hidden from awareness.
The problem is that memory is like a chain. Each event is linked to many others, and you can’t remove one link without collapsing the rest of the chain. Let’s look at an example. If you forget your ex, what else would you have to forget? The holidays you went on with them? The nights out where other friends went along? Where you lived together? The kids?
As you can see, permanently removing that particular chain, even if it was attempted, could be very confusing and unhelpful.
Research in Hypnotherapy and Memory
There are huge practical and ethical issues with testing whether hypnosis can achieve permanent and complete memory removal. First, the research would be prohibitively expensive. Participants would have to be tracked life long to ensure the memory didn’t return. And secondly, the long term effects of memory removal could be unpredictable or even catastrophic, depending on what was forgotten. And if they were completely removed rather than temporarily hidden, they could not be put back.
Having said that, studies on temporary hypnotic suggestions around amnesia give us some insight as to how it works. They indicate that post hypnotic amnesia is most likely to occur when specifically suggested to someone categorised as ‘highly hypnotisable’. (In other words, they respond well to hypnotisability tests.)
Squire (2004, cited in Prera, 2020) said that we have two types of long-term memory. These are implicit and explicit, and their interaction is largely responsible for PHA.
What is Implicit Memory?
Implicit memory is also sometimes called unconscious memory. We apply it automatically, without specifically having to recall it, for example, riding a bike. Once you have learned, you don’t have to recall each step in balancing and pedalling. You just get on the bike and ride it.
Implicit memory includes emotional learning, especially where that is connected with autobiographical experiences. This means it has a role in trauma-induced phobias.
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What is Explicit Memory?
Explicit or declarative memory includes certain types of personal experience as well. But it’s the kind of memory that requires deliberate effort to learn and to recall. An example would be memorising a list of the capital cities of Europe.
Implicit memory remains in our minds whether or not we use it, (making it true that you never forget how to ride a bike). Explicit memories tend to fade if we don’t recall and practice them regularly.
Working with Memory in Hypnotherapy Practice
People with PHA typically show the effect in explicit memory, but there is also what Barnier et al (2008) call:
‘a dissociation between implicit and explicit memory, so that even though they can’t recall the forgotten information it continues to influence their behaviour, thoughts and actions.’
This ties in quite well with how we understand hypnotic regression. We are searching there for memories that are subject to this type of dissociation. The causative event (ISE) has been forgotten, but the client’s emotional responses are still being affected.
Using Hypnosis to Forget
Mendelsohn et al (2008) asked people to watch a film. Experimenters had already established that half the participants were responsive to PHA suggestions, and the other half were not.
A week later, they were hypnotised to forget having seen it. Then their memories of the movie were tested by being asked questions about the film. Then the amnesia suggestion was cancelled and they were asked the questions again.
Those who experienced post hypnotic amnesia did badly in the first test. They performed just as well as the other group in the second one. This indicated that they had forgotten much of what they had seen whilst they were under the influence of PHA. However, this only applied to the content of the movie. They still clearly recalled the context of seeing it. In terms of the metaphor we used earlier in this article, they forgot only one link of this particular ‘chain of memory’. The surrounding ones were still firmly in place.
(As an aside, Mendelsohn also showed that hypnotic suggestion had a distinct physical effect upon the brain. When answering the questions, those who were experiencing PHA showed markedly different brain functioning than those who were not.)
Can hypnotherapy make you forget?
Going back to our original question, it seems that, even if it was ethical to try to make a client completely forget an ex or a trauma, it wouldn’t be very helpful in solving their problems.
Barnier (2008) shows that the emotions associated with a memory linger, even when the memory itself is inaccessible. Mendelsohn (2008) demonstrates that we remember the context of a piece of missing information even if not the information itself. Autobiographical memories are simply too interlaced with other experiences and memories. It’s not possible to completely remove just one small part.
Helping Clients with Unwanted Memories
What we can do is to help the client live comfortably with their memories:
- Metaphors help to release unwanted feelings, whilst leaving the learning. This protects the client from getting into the same situation again in the future.
- Cognitive restructuring or reframing techniques help clients to view a situation differently.
- Desensitisation techniques (such as collapsing anchors) help clients remember the event or person without the emotional response.
So, when you get that question from potential clients you can maybe adapt this quote. It comes from the truly amazing film Flash Gordon (1980). The baddie of the piece, Ming the Merciless, plans to ‘have his evil way’ with heroine Dale Arden, and she is offered a drink that she’s told will help.
Dale Arden: Will it make me forget?
Hedonia: No, but it will make you not mind remembering.
References
- Barnier, A J, Cox, R E, Cox, Savage, G (2008). Hypnosis, Memory and the Brain. [online] Scientific American. Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hypnosis-memory-brain [Accessed 12 April 2026]
- imdb.com. (n.d.). Flash Gordon (1980) – IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080745/characters/nm0000758 [Accessed 12 April 2026].
- Mendelsohn, A., Chalamish, Y., Solomonovich, A. and Dudai, Y. (2008). Mesmerizing Memories: Brain Substrates of Episodic Memory Suppression in Posthypnotic Amnesia. Neuron, 57(1), pp.159–170. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627307009828 [Accessed 12 April 2026]
- Prera, A (2020). Implicit and explicit memory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/implicit-versus-explicit-memory.html [Accessed 12 April 2026]
About Debbie Waller
Blog Author Debbie Waller is a hypnotherapist, supervisor, and trainer with more than twenty years of experience. As well as having a busy client practice, she runs Yorkshire Hypnotherapy Training and writes books and articles for therapists who want to deepen their knowledge and develop effective practice.
Disclaimer
The information and ideas shared on this blog are based on the author’s professional experience, research, and training. They are intended for educational purposes and to support reflection and professional development. Therapists should always apply their own professional judgment and consider the needs of individual clients when using any techniques or suggestions discussed here.
While every effort is made to ensure the information is accurate and helpful, no responsibility can be accepted for any loss, damage, or difficulties arising from the use or misuse of material contained in these articles.
