True/False Memories

Over the past few years several books, magazine articles and television programs have claimed the existence of an epidemic of so-called false memories of sexual abuse, usually remembered (or "recovered") after decades of amnesia. Therapists have even been accused of "implanting" such memories in their clients in order to keep them embroiled in expensive therapy programs or specialized psychiatric units.

During the 1990s hundreds of lawsuits with such claims were filed against clinicians, and federal criminal indictments for conspiracy and mail fraud (stemming from the mailing of insurance claims carrying the supposedly false diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, now known as dissociative identity disorder) were issued against a group of Texas clinicians and the administrator of a hospital at which they worked. (The federal criminal charges were eventually dismissed in March 1999 after a mistrial was declared five months into the proceedings. The prosecution had still been presenting its case, but a straw poll of the jury indicted they would have voted to acquit.) The lawsuits and indictments had been cheered by the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, a Philadelphia, PA-based organization founded by and for parents accused of childhood sexual abuse by their adult daughters. The parents and the FMSF scientific and professional advisory board members claim their children's accusations are false, and that those and other false memories of childhood abuse have resulted from suggestive or outright coercive therapy.

But the so-called "False Memory Syndrome" is not an officially recognized diagnosis, and itself is controversial. One therapist in the audience at a 1999 professional seminar on forensic issues regarding DID reported that she was once called upon by a judge to comment on the "diagnosis" of False Memory Syndrome. Her reply: "False Memory Syndrome isn't a diagnosis, it's a fight. I say I remember something, and you say I don't. That's not a diagnosis, it's a fight."

The fight over true/false memories of abuse has had repercussions not only for clinicians who've been sued or indicted for allegedly implanting false memories of abuse or beliefs in multiple personalities in their clients, but for the mental health field as a whole. Some therapists have stopped or severely curtailed their work with alleged abuse survivors for fear of lawsuits or other attacks. Specialists in trauma and dissociation (including DID) report that misconceptions and disbelief about the consequences or even existence of severe childhood abuse and DID make it difficult for many patients to find appropriate help, even though the majority of such individuals have always remembered some aspect of their childhood trauma. (The oft-cited false memory syndrome scenario of someone having no memory or even suspicion of childhood trauma before entering psychotherapy, only to recall horrific abuse for which they had been completely unaware, is actually rare. Even those who are diagnosed with DID tend to have always remembered some aspect of their childhood trauma, although many aspects of such painful experiences may have been long dissociated from their awareness.)

There often seems to be a double standard in operation when memories of childhood trauma are discussed. Some clinicians (and accused parents) urge therapists to doubt such memories unless proof is available. Yet the same clinicians seem to unquestioningly accept accused perpetrators' protestations of innocence even when more than one child has accused them of abuse.

What's the bottom line for people confused about whether their own or friends' or relatives' memories might be true or false? Both recovered and continuous (always-recalled) memories of abuse are equally subject to distortion, as well as equally likely to be true.

While some people may misinterpret murky memories, unconsciously incorporate abuse scenarios into their life stories in an attempt to explain lifelong distress, or outright lie about such experiences in order to seek attention or other rewards, other people do dissociate or repress traumatic memories, only to recall them years later. An individual may be more likely to dissociate painful experiences from his or her awareness when they occurred in early childhood and the perpetrator was a close relative (such as a parent) upon whom the child was dependent.

While many present-day problems have their roots in past experiences such as childhood abuse, neglect, or other trauma, any forays into the psyche should be conducted with minds open to all possibilities rather than assuming problems must have been caused by childhood sexual abuse.