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Questions About Childhood Memories
There is a
controversy in the mental health field about the accuracy of
people's memories of childhood. The following information may help
you to understand these issues and their relevance to your own
situation. Please read carefully, and bring up any questions that
occur to you.
Memory Recovery. From time to time, it's not
unusual for adults to remember new information about childhood
events. This process can occur while someone is in therapy, as well
as at other times. When the newly recalled information seems
unfamiliar, psychologists sometimes call the information recovered
memory. Recovered memories may be either pleasant or unpleasant.
The controversy concerns the accuracy of recovered memories
of child abuse. It is generally agreed that abuse occurring after
very early childhood is generally remembered, but that some people
forget the abuse and remember it later. Researchers disagree about
how the mind may not be able to recollect things at one point yet
can do so later, but there is general agreement that this can
happen. Research shows that people's memories of childhood (both
good and bad) are not always accurate; this is also true for
recovered memories. Recovered memories of child abuse, like other
memories, may be 100% factual, 100% fantasized, or anywhere in
between.
"Do You Believe Me?" A therapist cannot tell
whether someone's memories are true or false (unless the remembered
event is clearly impossible). I was not present during your
childhood, and I can't tell you what happened. Therefore, I don't
have an opinion on whether your memories are true or not. Some
people insist that I should state I believe their memories, but
there is no evidence that this kind of statement helps patients get
better.
Confirmation of Memories. Some people find it
helpful to seek confirmation for their memories. They have sought
confirmation by interviewing their parents or other family members,
looking at old medical records or hospital charts, examining school
records, etc. People have at times confirmed their recovered
memories, disconfirmed them, or have been unable to find any
information. I would be glad to discuss and examine the results of
your research with you, but I will not take the role of detective.
Sometimes people will not be able to reach a decision about
the accuracy of their memories. Treatment can go forward in spite of
the uncertainty, since the problem brought to therapy is not the
accuracy of memories, but the wish to resolve emotional distress and
problems in living.
Hypnosis. Some people have used (or
asked for) hypnosis to recover memories of childhood. Also, some
people tend to go into self-hypnosis on their own, both in therapy
and in other places, and recover memories of childhood. Hypnosis is
not a truth serum. People recover inaccurate as well as accurate
memories in hypnosis. Because hypnosis can make both real and
fantasized situations feel very real, sometimes people feel more
confident about hypnotically recovered memories than they should be.
If you plan to file a lawsuit, you should be aware that many
courts will not admit testimony that is based on "hypnotically
refreshed memory." Therefore, if you are using hypnosis in your
therapy, you may not be able to testify about what you have
remembered.
Confronting (Suspected) Perpetrators. Although
there is no evidence that people need to confront an abuser in order
to recover, some people wish to confront people who they believe
abused them. I urge you to discuss any such plans in therapy before
going forward with them, so that we can take the opportunity to help
you understand your motives, your expectations, and the consequences
of this kind of confrontation. Some therapists are willing to meet
with patients and their alleged abusers for this kind of
confrontation; I do not participate in this kind of meeting.
Some people decide to file lawsuits against their
perpetrators. I will not encourage people to do this, but if you are
considering this, I encourage you to consult a lawyer so you know
what your rights are.
"Implanted" Memories. Some people are
claiming that many therapists are implanting memories of an abusive
childhood in adults who were not abused. There is no evidence that
this is true, although it is possible that highly suggestive and
leading questions from a therapist can sometimes affect what people
recall. For this reason, I try to avoid suggestive and leading
questions, and I do not "pressure" people to recover memories as a
way to solve their problems.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
(Multiple Personality Disorder). Some people are claiming that
therapists create DID. There is no evidence that this is true; there
is no documented case in which a therapist has created this disorder
in someone who was proven not to have it before therapy. DID is a
real condition which is not rare, and has been underdiagnosed in the
past. There are also people who have been mistakenly diagnosed with
DID.
If you have any questions about any of the above
material, please bring up those questions with me at any time. I can
also provide you with some references so that you may read more
about the issues on your own.
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