Memories of Sexual Betrayal: Truth, Fantasy, Repression, and Dissociation

The heated debate about false memory syndrome has ramifications that extend well beyond direct clinical work with victims of sexual abuse. The issues raised on both sides of this increasingly polarized controversy cut to the heart of psychotherapeutic practice. The possibility of falsely implanted memories raises disturbing questions about the very nature of truth as it is discovered in the therapeutic setting. In this comprehensive volume, the repressed memory controversy is explored by leading clinicians in discourse free of the accusatory tone that has often dominated the literature to date. The perspectives presented include an overview of neurological research on the encoding of memory, a feminist critique of the hysteria surrounding the current debate, and an exploration of the social taboos that still hamper objective discussion of child abuse.