Geez, lots of bad information in this thread. Such is the usual case when it comes to batteries here.
Trickle charging any nickel-based chemistry is not good for the cell. It's a good way to form dendrites that will eventually pierce the internal membranes and destroy it. They are meant to be charged at 1C which is 1 times the capacity of the cell, so therefore if you have a 3600 mAh battery it should be charged and discharged at 3.6 amps.
Discharging a NiMH occasionally is good practice as it helps break up dendrites and keeps the crystal structure small. It's not necessary every time you charge, as it unnecessarily cycles the cell and reduces its life (batteries aren't good forever). However unless you control the discharge properly and make sure the voltage doesn't drop below about 1V/cell, you can run into something called voltage reversal which will destroy your battery in short order.
Bottom line is, buy a good charger that will let you do all this in a controlled manner and your battery will last for years.
Recommended reading:
http://www.batteryuniversity.com