FMSF 1998 False Memory Syndrom

changed its direction by asking questions about the Royal agamst therapists in California. College of Psychiatrists' recommendations. Thank you to The beginning of 1998 finds families on a wide continall, professionals and families, who have taken the time to uum of experience with the FMS problem.

The confusion perhaps stems from the inflation of the Another can that day came from a state contact who wanted to know if we had any resources that would help term "recovered memories" beyond the narrowly defined ed to make a project out of this. We discussed some of the FMSF. It may be helpful, th

memory "leaks" and causes the child to have symptoms. Yet Scientific Advisory Board. Letters and infonnation: Our it appears that neither the child nor those around the child has knowledge of the symptoms or else the symptoms don't

it appears that neither the child nor those around the child has knowledge of the symptoms or else the symptoms don't ----------=cc:-------------------------~

Moira Johnson, author of Spectral Evidence, said that we are experiencing the "golden age of memory

Moira Johnson, author of Spectral Evidence, said that we are experiencing the "golden age of memory

involved betrayal but she did not deal with the methodological problems of "This study establishes once and

amnesia for the abuse and underreported it. The fact that all subjects showed childhood evidence of the disorder is interesting because it contrasts with the cases brought to the attention of

The World Conference of Christian Counselors represents one of the most important gatherings for Christian professional counselors.

-··New ."X~I:~ .l.wrote .!Q ~Y. senator regarding New York State's ''recovered memory'' Bill S.4477. I enclosed infonna~

March 1998 Vol. 7 No.2

APPLICABLE TO CLINICAL WORK~ A number of clinicians have written that scientific studies showing that memories for events can be implanted are not relevant to clinical settings. We recently read, for example, that Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D. "is a reputable researcher in the field of memory; she admits

A number of clinicians have written that scientific studies showing that memories for events can be implanted are not relevant to clinical settings. We recently read, for example, that Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D. "is a reputable researcher in the field of memory; she admits that she has never actually w

mess with them because it's out of our consciousness. When they firsl come up, I think they're amazingly accurate, oftentimes very incomplete, but it's quite, quite impressive." p 187-188. ~-HAVE YOU MADE YOUR PLEDGE?

The confusion, ambiguity and muddled thinking that has increased the difficulty of keeping focused on the primary issues of the recovered memory controversy have been exacerbated

abuse. Examples include: Oksana (1994), Whitfield (1995), Cohen (1991) Survivors and Victims Empowered (1996), Many Voices (1996) and The Wounded Healer

ments about the report should be

pared an English translation. Contact by email: amak@rogerswave.ca

known to have undergone within the past year (7). In another, approximately 30% of subjects did not disclose a known car accident (without head injury or loss of consciousness) which was documented to have occurred 9 to

--------------------~-- sexual abuse in 45 studies examining

Given the weak state of knowledge, it is unconscionable medical intervention." (p. 449) She has argued "that the initial and ultimate "client" of feminist therapy is the culture, that the American Psychiatric Association and the American with the first responsibility always to be the project of endP

and members of the FMSF Scientific Advisory Board. Letters and information: Our Readers. HAVE YOU MADE YOUR PLEDGE? Have you made your contribution to the Foundation's annual fundraising drive? If not, please take a few minutes to think

HAVE YOU MADE YOUR PLEDGE? Have you made your contribution to the Foundation's annual fundraising drive? If not, please take a few minutes to think how professionals now recognize what false memory syndrome is and how it devastates families. If you are one of those families, try to imagine what it w

hv )V!iclld<;; G1o.::gg. MS \V Inside Scars: Incest recovery as told by a survivor and her therapist Sheila Sisk and Charlotte Foster Hoffman,

Skeleto~ Witbo.ut Bones: Dragg!l!g R<!=overed M~ori$ of

classical literature, Shakespeare, or any literature before the romantic writings of the nineteenth century. Only then, in the novels of James Fenimore Cooper, in Charles Dickens's Dr.

repression does not spare investigators the burden of providing a rigorous, methodologically convincing demonAlien Feld, MSW

repression does not spare investigators the burden of providing a rigorous, methodologically convincing demonAlien Feld, MSW stration of its existence. Until such a

Foundation and Florida Atlantic memories of child sexual abuse: recommendations University. This research is probably for good practice and implications for training, conamong the most significant to date on tinuing professional development and re>earch.

"recovered memories" and FMS: "A recovered memory, in the context of this paper, is the emergence of an apparent recollection of childhood sexual abuse of which the individual had no previous knowledge. An individual who had always had a memory of sexual abuse, but

''The very inability to recaJJ abuse is taken as a sign that abuse has occured but is being 'denied' through the process "Not a!J. cases of false memory arise from therapeutic prac~

''The growth in the USA of 'recovered memory therapy' for past sexual abuse has caused great public and profession~ al concern. It became apparent that the polarisation of views and fierce controversy within the American psychiatric community was in danger of bringing psychotherapy into disrepute an

Foundation Involved in Continuing Education for The Litigation and Criminal Law

"Before a new drug is approved for use by the public, it must undergo rigorous scientific trials that include testing against control groups and specific tracking to see whether the drug works as advertised.[ I 1

June 1993, March 1994, October 1994, March 1995,

defense arguments. The Wisconsin Appellate Court emphasized that the serious hann a false accusation of sexual abuse inflictsnl cannot be easily dismissed: "We cannot conclude that public policy requires such injured plaintiffs to go without a remedy simply because they are the parents of the accuse

Ome, M.D., Ph.D., and Harold I. Lief, M.D. who were instrumental in the founding of the FMSF. Their wisdom and guidance in setting the standards of the Scientific Advisory Board contributed to FMSF's credibility. The Advisory Board is no monolith of opinion about psychiatric

by C. Brooks Brenneis I find it impossible to be even-handed. The conclusions drawn by the clinicians may be even weaker than assessed by the

Smiling through Tears Pamela Freyd and Eleanor Goldstein

by Harrison G. Pope, Jr., M.D. "to record how ordinary well-integratUpton Books (800-232-7477) ed families were blown apart by the re$12.95 birth of Freudian-type psychotherapy"

columns that have appeared in this 1997). In 1994, the authors attended the FMSF and John Hopkins Memory and Reality: Reconciliation conference

In March 1998, the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island dismissed three suits filed by men who allege they were sexually abused as teenagers by priests. All of the suits were filed more than 8 years after the alleged abuse occurred and

THE DISCOVERY RULE TO SEXUAL ABUSE CASES? The Arizona Supreme Court listed rulings from 16 states which, it said, showed that the majority of states do apply the discovery role to sexual abuse cases. Such a list is misleading because it does not con., sider recent decisions from state supreme courts

The Arizona Supreme Court listed rulings from 16 states which, it said, showed that the majority of states do apply the discovery role to sexual abuse cases. Such a list is misleading because it does not con., sider recent decisions from state supreme courts in Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsyl

6 S V, v. R.V., 933 S.W.2d I (Tex .. 1996) (The scientific community has not reached consensus on how to gauge the truth or falsity of "recovered" memories, therefore, statute of limitations not tolled unless the event and injury were, among other things, "objectively verifiable.") 7 Defendants stat

Both Dr. Keraga and Dr. Braun are still practicing psychiatry. If a profession cannot or does not curb the extreme "outHers," what confidence can the public have? What does it say to the public that nothing has yet been done, not one

just when, in the 1980s, false memories of"repressed" or "dissociated" incest trauma became a national epidemic. Abduction memories and memories of "forgotten" childhood sexual abuse are conjured in exactly the same way, i by applying an unsubstantiated psychodynamic theory to the images unearthed b

--------------------------- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

available electronically: of Sexual Allegations, i Inc. (COSA) is the organization in

confinn the reality of dissociative amnesia in sexually-abused individuals. "What Science Says ..." disputes Piper makes a careful analysis of

provide any documentation that abuse actually occurred. The other studies failed to corroborate histories of alleged maltreatment, or accepted an overly relaxed definition of "confinned" abuse.

Traumatic Stress; Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body and Society Van der Kolk, McParlane and Weisaeth (Editors), Guilford Press, 1996. FMS Foundation Newsletter July/August 1998 Vol. 7 No. 6

RECOGNIZING AND ANALY7JNG THE SYMPTOMS OF ClflLDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE Thl ADULT PATIENTS "The most careful and well..conducted psychoanalyses and psychotherapies often fail to uncover traumatic abuse that is

Spanuello and members of the FMSF Scientific Advisory Board. Letters and information: Our Readers. FMS Foundation Newsletter September 1998 Vol. 7 No. 7

Canadian Psychological Association Wants Federal Inquiry The Canadian Psychological Association has written that all criminal convictions based solely on "recovered memory"

The FMS Foundation is pleased to announce the formation of a special fund to help foundation members initiate educational meetings. A relative of a foundation family has donated $500 to be used for loans to encourage conferences to which professionals are invit~

•Speaker(s) who ha(s)ve tentatively agreed to participate •Professionals to be invited

•Speaker(s) who ha(s)ve tentatively agreed to participate •Professionals to be invited •Publicity and mailing plans

Failure to report may indicate a failure "[I]n any situation where- false alleto remember among other possibilities gations are allowed to proliferate, (non-reporting, etc.), but does not indi· those who have made well-founded

"[I]n any situation where- false alleto remember among other possibilities gations are allowed to proliferate, (non-reporting, etc.), but does not indi· those who have made well-founded cate dissociation or repression. There is

The Effects of the False Memory Syndrome on Australian Families Newsletter readers know only too

well the devastating effects of FMS in the United States. Sadly, this phenomenon has spread throughout most of the Western world, and Australian families, too, have experienced harm from the misuse of therapy to recover

ents reported sexual abuse perpetrated by some other person on their accusing

Multiple Personality Disorder by August Piper, Jr., M.D. Notthvale NJ: JasonAronson, 1997 Reviewed by Loren Pankratz, Ph.D.

by August Piper, Jr., M.D. Notthvale NJ: JasonAronson, 1997 Reviewed by Loren Pankratz, Ph.D. Paul McHugh's Foreward to Hoax and Reality eloquently explains the

American Psychiatric Association Steven Mirin, M.D., Executive Director

qwt I l I M.'>r St.1t'l' Court documents show that one argument continues to be raised: "repression" and multiple personality disorder must be real because

3. The DSM-IV notes that Dissociative amnesia cannot be distinguished from Malingering: (feigning symptoms for

by Stuart A Kirk and Herb Kutchins. Paul McHugh, M.D. Chief of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins Hospital Paper presented at Memory and Reality

FMS Foundaflon News/effer October 1998 Vol. 7 No. 8

1p.111 \J 11v1S1· St.1ll Professional Skepticism of Multiple Cormier, J.D. and Thelan, M.H.

PINNINC .IELL-0 'I 0 Till' \V.\1.1. !\wl 1 ly1ok1 <~mll'.micl;l l1cyd "Because exactly what is meant by the

!\wl 1 ly1ok1 <~mll'.micl;l l1cyd "Because exactly what is meant by the terms repression and dissociation is far from clear, their use has become idiosyncratic, metaphoric, and arbitrary." FMSF

Kristiansen, C., May, 1996, paper presented at "Beyond the Controversy" conference in Peterborough, Ontario.

Regained memory Orlando Sentinel Tribune, April 14, \991, B.

in Peterborough, Ontario. Traumatic memories - A term popularized by Charles Whitfield in Memory and Abuse, 1993.

Treatment procedures were taught at these seminars. Videotapes and audiotapes of these programs are still available. The recovered memory phenomenon did not take place in a vacuum. Where was the rest of the mental health profession? Where are they now?

Wenatchee-A Personal Tragedy Of all the casualties in the Wenatchee sex abuse investigations, none seems more tragic than the controversial case of Harold and Idella Everett. The couple spent nearly four

Spanuello and members of the FMSF Scientific Advisory Board. Letters and infonnation: Our Readers. BUT rl ·s IN THE IJ~·M

assigned to 1 of 5 categories ranging Memories for Emotional Childhood Memories of WWII Experiences from ordinary doubt to aggression.

try. Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, and Air Force Cross recipients

made allegations against no less than 365 care workers from a variety of care homes. Following these three original investigations, many more have been launched in different parts

Think of the FMS Foundation as being like your favorite pub-lic broadcasting st:~tion. First, like that station, we make our appeal once a year. If we are to continue, we must get financial MARCH 1997- FEBRUARY 1998

charges were filed. If convicted, Compton could have been sent to prison for more than 100 years. However, he was rel~ased from jail early in 1995 and the case was dropped. Th~s was after the Arizona Attorney General's Office, wh1ch defended DES in a lawsuit against it by three of the

alienated children. More retractors are contacting the Foundation. While newly accused families are devastated and in crisis, the "recovered repressed memory" phenome~ non as a whole seems to have passed the crisis stage. Most families tell us that they have moved beyond the need for

zations to forge ahead in that area? The time is long overdue for the professional community actively to help us reach our children and rebuild families. There is no shortage of important tasks to be done if the public is to be guaranteed mental health treatment that is

Kati.e Spanu.elJ.9 and· ijl~bers· of. ithe· _1FM~F' ·SCientific" · Advisory Board. Utters and information: Our Readers. Last month we printed a short notice about Fragments: Memories of a Wartime Childhood (1995). It is a holocaust memoir by Binjamin Wilkomirski that appears not to be true. A

Experiences Questioned," we misidentified one of the authors mentioned in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1998, Vol29, No 5. The correct names are Bertram P. Karon and Anmarie

ISSD refer to the same organization. The name changed in 1995 from "International Society for the Study of Multiple

ing statement that I believe is incorrect ''The members of the JSSMP&D honored Bennett Braun for the practices that are now questioned by the Dr. Braun, who was one of the founders of ISSD, did not receive an

confirms my memory of the event. The newsletter for February, 1994 has a picture of Dr. Braun receiving his plaque, and describes the award as follows: "A special award of

1994 has a picture of Dr. Braun receiving his plaque, and describes the award as follows: "A special award of recognition was presented to Bennett G. Braun, MD, for establishing and

Although the FMSF and other

we nor the PBS documentaries mentioned an "award" for Dr. Braun. The word was "honored." (This is how "Divided Memories" put it: "In November of 1994, Dr. Braun was honored at the annual conference of