The ability of hypnotherapy to help victims of traumatic crimes is being investigated by a new research project in Australia.

A study conducted at the University of Adelaide expects to demonstrate how hypnosis can help victims of crime  deal with fears which follow violent incidents.

"So it makes sense that we use this to treat them, to help them unlock these memories, reconsider them and then get on with their lives."

Ms Pfitzer pointed out how hypnotherapy had already been shown to be effective in helping with depression, anxiety and pain management but, she believed there had so far been no studies demonstrating it to be beneficial for long-term post-traumatic stress.

The university intention is to enlist people aged 18 to 70 who have been a victim or witness of crime at least three months ago.

Each will be randomly assigned either standard cognitive behavioural therapy alone or additional hypnosis to see if it has extra benefits. Ms Pfitzer believes these people require a "more imaginative" therapy because their traumatic thoughts, unlike other memories, are encoded in a specific, fragmented way.

"That's why people lock them away, but that doesn't work because it just comes back in a more intrusive way," she said.

With hypnotherapy, patients are induced into a "state of focused attention of an increased concentration".
"This is actually something we experience on a daily basis ... when you read a book or are intensely involved in work," Ms Pfitzer said.

"But we use this as a therapy, stabilising them and, in a safe careful way, work on recalling their traumatic memories."

She said their were many misconceptions about the treatment, especially the idea people may recall lost memories while in an altered state.

"That's something I would never dare to promote," Ms Pfitzer said.

"I would never claim that any memory mirrors true facts, that's not what this is about."