Help find title/author of SF story

[zevel]

A long time ago I read a short SF story about a shape-shifting alien that had his memory erased and stranded on Earth, believing himself to be a normal man.
When noticing that he can shape-shift in stressful situations he goes to a hypnotist to try to discover who/what he really is. The hypnotist puts him under and makes him assume many different shapes in hope that one of them will trigger his memory. After many failures, the hypnotist eventually tells him to become a woman, which achieves the desired result.
I believe that the story was told from from the point-of-view of the hypnotist.

Unfortunately, I don;t remember neither the title nor the author of the story.
Please help.

 

[tinkerdan]

It might depend on how long ago long ago was.

Octavia Butler did an interesting tale with a shape-shifter but she did not lose her identity.

 

[zevel]

Long ago = something like 30 years

It wasn't Butler, but thank you anyway.

 

[tinkerdan]

This one will probably pose an added difficulty level what with all the romance fiction that includes shape-shifters.

Was it from a magazine or a collection of short stories.

Thirty years would be about mid 80s.

 

[zevel]

I believe that I read a translation of that story in a magazine that was published between 1978 and 1984.
There was no romance involved, except for some innuendo at the end.

If I remember correctly, the alien, regaining her memories, told the hypnotist that she was a princess (or something like that) on her planet and was either deposed in a coup or kidnapped by an opposing political faction, and brought to Earth as a blank slate, taking the form of the very first sentient that she saw - a man.
When he asked whether she intended to raise an army to reclaim her throne, she said that she has no intention of doing so because politics bored her, and she would rather take advantage of what this planet offered.