The Repressed Memory Epidemic

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the concept of repressed memories. It provides a history and context that documents key events that have had an effect on the way that modern psychology and psychotherapy have developed. Chapters provide an overview of how human memory functions and works and examine facets of the misguided theories behind repressed memory. The book also examines the science of the brain, the reconstructive nature of human memory, and studies of suggestibility. It traces the present-day resurgence of a belief in repressed memories in the general public as well as among many clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, “body workers,” and others who offer counseling. It concludes with legal and professional recommendations and advice for individuals who deal with or have dealt with the psychotherapeutic practice of repressed memory therapy. Topics featured in this text include: The modern diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (once called MPD) The “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s and its relation to repressed memory therapy. The McMartin Preschool Case and the “Day Care Sex Panic.” A historical overview from the Great Witch Craze to Sigmund Freud’s theories, spanning the 16th to 19th centuries. An exploration of the cultural context that produced the repressed memory epidemic of the 1990s. The repressed memory movement as a religious sect or cult. The Repressed Memory Epidemic will be of interest to researchers and clinicians as well as undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of psychology, sociology, cultural studies, religion, and anthropology.

In the 1990s, a faddish pseudoscience, repressed memory theory, destroyed millions of American families by creating false memories of childhood sexual abuse. At the time, Mark Pendergrast published his widely acclaimed book Victims of Memory, exposing the false nature of the science and counseling techniques that were alienating teenagers and grown children from their families. In Memory Warp, Pendergrast revisits that subject, updating his research and describing where it stands now, in 2017. All notable scientific researchers in the field of memory now agree that repressed-memory theory is misguided and harmful--that the "memories" produced are false, and that those accused--mostly parents and other family members and caregivers--have suffered greatly from false allegations of horrible crimes against their own children. But does that mean that the scourge is now behind us? Unfortunately, no. The disproven theories of repressed memory continue to resurface throughout Amercan cultural life and, although usually more subtly, in the work of therapists. In this new book, Pendergrast provides a lively social history of our recent past, documenting how this incredible juggernaut of pseudoscience, which caused so much harm, came to be. But more importantly, the book also shows how these misguided theories continue to fester. And how, if we fail to learn from the lurid history of this movement, we may face another outbreak. Many authoritative books have have appeared on this subject over the years, including those of memory researchers who have confirmed Pendergrast's conclusions. But Memory Warp is the first to describe the threat that continues to exist today.

Maintains that there is no controlled scientific evidence that memories of trauma may be "recovered" years later.

Originally published by Viking Penguin, 2014.

In Memory Warp, Mark Pendergrast sounds a clarion call to stop the ongoing pseudoscience of “repressed memory therapy,” which has destroyed millions of families and continues to do so. In the 1990s, Pendergrast’s book Victims of Memory helped to debunk the repressed memory craze. Now, more than two decades later, he revisits the subject and proves that this form of “therapy” is still widespread, still destroying family relationships and causing false allegations of terrible crimes against innocent parents and caregivers. With meticulous research and captivating writing, Pendergrast brings coverage of this issue up to date.

Come to terms with your past while moving powerfully into the future The Courage to Heal is an inspiring, comprehensive guide that offers hope and a map of the healing journey to every woman who was sexually abused as a child—and to those who care about her. Although the effects of child sexual abuse are long-term and severe, healing is possible. Weaving together personal experience with professional knowledge, the authors provide clear explanations, practical suggestions, and support throughout the healing process. Readers will feel recognized and encouraged by hundreds of moving first-person stories drawn from interviews and the authors' extensive work with survivors, both nationally and internationally. This completely revised and updated 20th anniversary edition continues to provide the compassionate wisdom the book has been famous for, as well as many new features: Contemporary research on trauma and the brain An overview of powerful new healing tools such as imagery, meditation, and body-centered practices Additional stories that reflect an even greater diversity of survivor experiences The reassuring accounts of survivors who have been healing for more than twenty years The most comprehensive, up-to-date resource guide in the field Insights from the authors' decades of experience Cherished by survivors, and recommended by therapists and institutions everywhere, The Courage to Heal has often been called the bible of healing from child sexual abuse. This new edition will continue to serve as the healing beacon it has always been.

Decipher the complex interplay of neurology, psychology, trauma, and memory! In the midst of the controversies over how repressed, false, and recovered memories should be interpreted, Trauma and Cognitive Science presents reliable original research instead of rhetoric. This landmark volume examines the way different traumas influence memory, information processing, and suggestibility. The research provides testable theories on why people forget some kinds of childhood abuse and other traumas. It bridges the cognitive science and clinical approaches to traumatic stress studies. Written by the foremost researchers in the field, including Bessel van der Kolk and Jennifer Freyd, these scientific evaluations of the way traumatic memories are processed offer powerful new perspectives on the interplay of biology and psychology. Trauma and Cognitive Science discusses a range of traumas, including combat, child abuse, and sexual assault across the lifespan. Fascinating perceptual experiments shed light on the cognitive uses of dissociation, the encoding and recall of memory, and the effects of early trauma on subsequent information processing. Trauma and Cognitive Science offers solid information on the most challenging questions in this field: How is memory encoded, stored, and retrieved? How is it forgotten? How does trauma influence these processes? What kinds of memories can be created by suggestion? What physical changes take place in the brain under traumatic stress? How is consciousness disturbed during and after trauma? What are the ethical, clinical, and societal implications of traumatic stress studies? How can people suffering from traumatic memories be healed? Trauma and Cognitive Science also offers an astonishing array of true case studies, including the story of an adult woman who was raped, went to court, and saw her rapist convicted--and then forgot the whole traumatic episode. The independently corroborated accounts of recovered memories and the carefully designed research studies on multiple modes and levels of memory may offer the key to understanding how we remember and why we forget. The results of these controlled scientific studies have wide-ranging implications for abuse survivors, combat veterans, rape victims, and people who have survived traumatic events from earthquakes to car accidents. Written in clear, accessible prose, Trauma and Cognitive Science belongs on the bookshelf of all mental health professionals, researchers in the areas of traumatic stress and child abuse, attorneys, judges, and survivors of abuse and trauma.

Examining the validity of recovered memories of past events which are of sexual abuse and other traumatic experiences, this study asks are these "memories" real? Examples from current literature as well as report from the American and British Psychological Associations are included.