Some have wondered why therapist notes made when Christine Blasey Ford purportedly disclosed memories of Brett Kavanaugh allegedly assaulting her when both were teens were not released.
After all, she told Congress and the nation her story last Thursday in apparently convincing fashion, followed by Kavanaugh’s passionate rebuttal.
But there may be a reason for withholding the notes, reported the Gateway Pundit blog.
The therapy sessions may have used hypnosis, which would make any information derived from them inadmissible in court.
Her familiarity with the technique was confirmed in a 2008 research article on self-hypnosis in which she is listed as one of several authors. The article explains how it is used to “retrieve important memories” or “create artificial situations.”
Margot Cleveland, a lawyer and an adjunct professor at Notre Dame, drew attention to the paper in a tweet.
BREAKING: This is HUGE (waiting for permission to h/t): One of Christine Ford Blasey’s research articles in 2008 included a study in which participants were TAUGHT SELF-HYPNOSIS & noted hypnosis is used to retrieve important memories “AND CREATE ARTIFICAL SITUATIONS.” pic.twitter.com/11n1JVnArM
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) October 1, 2018
Cleveland defended herself from critics who argued the point of the research was to address depression and “processing difficult emotions.”
“She suffers from anxiety & PTSD-and using an ‘artificial situation’ to process increases risks of false memories as does hypnosis,” Cleveland explained.
The article talks about creating artificial situations “that would permit the client to express ego-dystonic emotions in a safe manner.”
It also explains hypnosis can be used to let patients focus on certain aspects of an “experience or memory.”
Democrats have persuaded Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., to force a delay in the Senate vote on Kavanaugh while the FBI investigates Ford’s claims.
GOP Senate leaders say they plan to hold a vote later this week, but Democrats have stated plainly they intend to continue stalling and delaying as long as they can.
