Have you ever resorted to hypnotism for the purpose of memory recall?

I would be very interested in this, if someone has previous experience. I don’t believe in a lot of magic mumbo jumbo, but hypnosis for memory recall sounds totally plausible. My memory is awful, and full periods of my (arguably short) life are missing, as recently as a few years ago.

I had one session of hypnosis as a form of therapy. It wasn’t so much to recall memories, but a journey to find myself (and possibly to forget certain other memories).

I was skeptical as well, even during the hypnosis. I worked in the short term and I would call it money well spent. But I do wish I had stuck with it. I am considering starting up again and making it a routine.

I did it with a therapist. It was somewhat helpful.

So past memories you had forgotten became fresh again?

@Garebo In the beginning. I was working around a trauma, and I got retruamatized when the therapist shifted in his chair (which made it squeak) at a really bad time.

It felt like he was lunging toward me. I could not let myself trust him again after that.

I’ve been hypnotized in therapy, too. It was only one time, and I didn’t remember anything new, but I did have a major breakthrough in my life. It was totally worth it.

A little more trivial, but interesting:
A friend left something of great value in a taxi cab. He used hypnosis to recall the cab’s medallion number and the cabbie’s name. (he couldn’t even remember that he looked at it before)
He was able to contact the cab company and was re-united with his property.

@Marina
The damn therapist should of known better!
No, it sounds like a horrible anchor or experience.

@breedmitch, that is exactly the sort of purpose I have in mind: not for therapy or to recover some suppressed evil experience (and certainly nothing that could be suggested) but to recall some details of a pivotal period of my youth. I was wondering if that could really work. Sounds like it did for your friend. Thanks!

@Jeruba, I would like to do the same, except I think that the hypnotist would implant some sub-conscious joke on me, like any time I saw someone with a red tie I would start behaving like a baboon.
I really do wonder if past repressed memories were to bubble up top to the surface; how it would change your personality, if at all. If it would for the better, I am all for trying it. I am sure it isn’t that simple, and probably end up costing a boatload!