Perhaps you drove out to the site and interviewed several witnesses that saw a UFO land on their property. Well, there is such a technique, and it's called the cognitive interview. The cognitive interview was developed by researchers who wanted a non-hypnotic memory retrieval technique that would enhance the completeness and accuracy of eyewitness reports. The method is easy to learn and upon completion of reading this article you will be able to conduct a cognitive interview. Since the 1950's hypnosis has been used by law enforcement investigators in this country for the retrieval and enhancement of eyewitness memory.
Information is the most important element in a criminal investigation.
Often an eyewitness will tend to focus on the victim, or on a weapon, and important details will become lost and not remembered. Standard interviewing techniques have not always been found to be effective in obtaining reliable testimony. Because of this the techniques of investigative or forensic hypnosis are often employed. Hypnosis has been found to be a very useful tool for memory retrieval both in studies and in the courtroom. Forensic hypnosis, however, occasionally has legal problems due to the concept of tampering with the evidence, i.e. the witnesses or victim's mind.