Now then, where was I?

Some people have great recall, tiny details come back to them in the blink of an eye. We don't give ourselves enough credit for forgetting things, though.

A woman once called me to ask to help retrieve some lost jewellery, so I took her back in time and, in a trance state, retraced her steps. When the mind is deeply relaxed, it filters out the analytical brain that says 'it can't be there' and 'surely I wouldn't have'. She left unable to find the missing piece in her home but was convinced that she hadn't lost it there at all. She'd last worn it on holiday and must have left it there. We didn't get her ring back but she could stop blaming the vacuum cleaner.

When a relationship breaks down, it can take a long time to untangle yourself from the ex-partners life. It's the details that dog our steps, the nuances of personality that seem to lurk around every corner. We pray for forgetfulness.

Some people are concerned that hypnosis will dredge up terrible memories. This almost never happens. If you can't remember something then it probably didn't happen. If it did, it's probably been dealt with and filed. Either way, it's best left where it is. Our unconscious is there to protect us, after all.