Evidence is presented which suggests that hypnotic phenomena may be usefully viewed in terms of more familiar psychological concepts such as obedience, conformity, relaxation and imagination, and that this conceptualisation has implications for the development of techniques for improving witness recall. It is proposed that progress will be maximized by concentrating on features of the hypnotic situation such as reminiscence, relaxation and the use of cognitive strategies for recall rather than assuming that hypnotic induction per se is a prerequisite of recall improvement. (Publisher abstract)