Something more meaningful than memory retrieval
Hypnosis is very controversial. On the one hand, many abductees believe it can prove that space aliens kidnapped them. On the other hand, many scientists demonstrate it is an unreliable means of memory retrieval. The abductees and abduction researchers aren't uneducated and value science, so why do so many people assert that it is meaningful?
DSETI suggests that hypnosis is misidentified shamanic dreamwork. One thing that science has shown is that hypnosis can reliably produce fantastic narratives that seem like dreams and respond to instructions. However, mainstream science doesn't acknowledge the reality of dreams, so they think that only memories can be real or meaningful.
All shamanic dreaming cultures acknowledge that dreams are real and require interpretation. Some dreams are simple dreams about our day or wishes. Other dreams involve prophecies or communications with real entities. Interpretation helps us make sense of the dreams.
Even though science says hypnosis is not memory retrieval, we may find meaning in the hypnotic testimony used to support alien abduction because we can interpret it like a dream. Dreams lead to insight, meaning, healing, and transformation, which may apply to hypnosis and be the reason why so many smart people advocate for its use.
DSETI advocates for the shamanic dreaming hypothesis of missing time, which is expressed in the scholarly book Missing Time Found by Daniel Rekshan and supported by his academic research papers.