Dr. Paul Simpson
A counselor, professionally trained, adapted "Recovered Memory Therapy". He took notice of the impact of his therapy and began to see the skewed statistics that indicated the therapy was destructive. He recognized what he had done he had done wrong. Only heroes can have the humility to accept truth. This man was a hero.
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An accurate, thoughtful account of false memory .
By A Amazon verified customer on November 12, 1998
Dr. Paul Simpson presents an honest, most accurate account of the the effects of Recovered Memory Therapy and its tragic aftermath. Falsely accused parents and client/victims of RMT will find answers to the many questions related to this phenomenon. As a "retractor" of false memories and a therapist intern, I appreciated Dr. Simpson's courage to come forward as a therapist who had once been involved with this most unethical treatment. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Simpson at a recent conference. There, he apologized to all parents and clients negatively effected by RMT. His apology, given in the name of all RMT therapists, touched my heart. This book is a "must read" for all therapists and those who have recovered memories of abuse. I encourage all to read this book with an open mind. Take the time to have Second Thoughts.
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Second Thoughts about the validity of recovered memory
By jehu@rocketmail.com on April 17, 1998
Dr. Paul Simpson is a christian psychologist who was very involved in the practice of helping his patients recover memories of abuse through the very popular therapy called RMT. Like so many other therapists today, Dr. Simpson at first believed he was doing God's work, helping to retrieve memories of real abuse so that his patients could be healed from broken lives which had stopped working due to emotions out-of-control and destructive personal behaviors.
Later he discovered he had been greatly in error as are his colleagues who continue to practice RMT today commonly resulting in false memories, and assigning the false identity of "abuse victim" to dependent patients desperate for answers to their problems in living.
The author says the Christian Church is in great error in its acceptance of the concept of recovered memory and needs to do more to aid the falsely accused parents of children giving false witness based upon therapy suggested "memories."
The expose of what is happening in today's therapy is all the more important because it comes from someone who was inside the clinical office and involved from start to finish. Also, it is important because Dr. Simpson has all the right credentials, a born-again Christian, alumni of Christ for the Nations, Rapha therapist, dedicated care-giver. Still, his practice of RMT hurt his christian patients and their families.
Simpson says in RMT, he saw 100% of his patients go into severe decompensation [nervous breakdown] due to the effects from recalling or imagining vile scenes of horrific abuse. This led them to become very dependent upon him in an unhealthy way. Some of them could not even open their own mail. One assumes this is the point where such a patient will accept the label of MPD or satanic high priestess for themselves. Anything just to get it over with and back to a sense of normalcy.
Paul Simpson says he prayed with his clients and asked God to bless the therapy and still had ungodly results. He now realizes that God will not bless idolatry and occult practices no matter how much a spirit filled Christian might pray. Obedience to biblical principles and truth is absolutely necessary to avoid self-delusion.
Dr. Simpson gives an account of how his patients lives were affected before and after his therapy with them. The statistics as to how they were functioning supports his statement that he never saw a single patient who was better off after the therapy for having remembered such abuse.
....Buy this book, which like all truth is hard to find at the bookstore.
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A FORMER PRACTITIONER OF "REPRESSION THERAPY"
CHANGES HIS MIND
By Steven H Propp TOP 100 REVIEWER on August 8, 2013
Dr. Paul Simpson is a Criminal Forensic Psychologist who is also a Christian, as well as a former practitioner of Recovered Memory Therapy. He wrote in the Preface to this 1996 book, "this book reflects the quiet horror of thousands who have been swept into one of the greatest hysterias of this century, a magnitude not seen since the last cycles of the great Witch Hunts... Through Project Middle Ground, I have found myself in the very heat of the battle---mediating between families and accusing adult children... I write to you out of moral imperative. Simply put, what is happening in the False Memory Crisis is wrong, horrifically wrong... this book seeks to give you a readable, accessible description of the issues involved in a False Memory Crisis..."
He adds, "This book is a description of my journey from doing regression therapy to eventually intervening in the False Memory Crisis. For me, the first steps in coming out of this movement began with my questioning of the confident dictates and theories I had been taught. My search for truth led me to discussions with a wide spectrum of experts who treat multiple personality disorder... In the pages that follow, I want to share that I've learned along the way." (Pg. 18)
He states, "If a person understands that memory is susceptible to distorting influences, they are actually better prepared to resist influences that corrupt their memories. But a person who has misbeliefs about memory (i.e., memory is 'picture-perfect,' isn't subject to suggestion or reconstruction) is actually left more vulnerable to the very influences they naively assume don't exist." (Pg. 55)
He cites research by Bob and Gretchen Passantino (formerly of the Christian Research Institute, and authors of books such as Witch Hunt), indicating, "The U.S. Department of Justice, in a definitive review of the subject, has shown that on average 52 to 158 children are murdered by strangers each year in the United States. Where are the thousands of children that are supposed to be missing? Truth is, they aren't. But the regressionists have done such an effective job of installing satanic panic that many of us within the church have come to firmly believe that thousands of helpless victims are missing and have been murdered." (Pg. 84)
He argues, "Let's be clear: You can call hypnotic trance 'age regression,' 'Holy Spirit guidance,' 'New Age Spirit guides,' 'a plate of spaghetti,' whatever you want. But calling this rose by another name does not remove its thorns. The reality is that the Christian regressionist and client are not engaging in an act of faith, what they're doing is classic hypnotic trance. All the dangers and limitations of hypnosis that we've discussed in previous chapters still apply." (Pg. 187)
He adds, "In our research with retractors, we found that 63 percent of retractors had initiated legal action against their therapists. Ironically, it isn't the pedophiles, the patriarchy, multigenerational satanists, or space aliens that are bringing the movement to a grinding halt. It's the retractors in a court of law. With stacks of therapy notes, journals, clear memories, and evidence, retractors are taking their regressionists to court---and winning." (Pg. 211)
This is an excellent "corrective" to excesses of the "Recovered Memory" movement, and one that isn't relevant only to Christians.
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I wish I knew this before abusive repressed memory therapy...
By L. Simmons on June 21, 2011
A family member has become brainwashed by a therapist claiming to be able to promote healing through recovery of repressed memories using supposed regression therapies such as body memories and hypnosis. Over several years, the memories have become stranger and further removed from reality. Now she has cut off all contact with her family. I wish I had researched false memories several years ago because it may have saved her from the mental deterioration that has resulted from abusive therapy.
Unbelievably, it has the characteristics of a cult and has become a current day witch-hunt. After conducting lots of research on-line and reading five books on the subject, I recommend this book by Dr. Paul Simpson, as the most readable. It is sensitive to the legitimate issue of sexual abuse against children. Dr. Simpson is a recovered repressed memory therapist. He presents well-documented evidence and highly-informed intelligent logic to explain how the therapy produces false memories and how it hurts the patients and those they falsely accuse. He is not afraid to address Christianity and how it has contributed to the problems but also how it creates a duty to seek the truth. I hope I can figure out how to get my loved one to read the appendix, "A Word to Repression Believers," especially Dr. Simpson's list of 9 "rights" that patients "may not have been told about" by their therapists. It may save her life. If you are one of these repression patients, have the courage to read this book without the permission of your therapist. If you are one of these therapists, have the professionalism to explore the possibility that you have made a mistake and are harming instead of helping your clients.
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WARNING
If you are seeking help for personal struggles and a therapist, counselor or friend says that "recovering childhood memories can help you get better" then IMMEDIATELY get up from your chair (or off the couch), run to the door, open it and flee. Hundreds of thousands have lost families, years of productive living and squandered immense wealth with tragedy inducing therapy that produces horrid false memories, splinters families, isolates the client and is documented to cause decline in mental health.
If you are seeking help for personal struggles and a therapist, counselor or friend says that "recovering childhood memories can help you get better" then IMMEDIATELY get up from your chair (or off the couch), run to the door, open it and flee. Hundreds of thousands have lost families, years of productive living and squandered immense wealth with tragedy inducing therapy that produces horrid false memories, splinters families, isolates the client and is documented to cause decline in mental health.
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ALL Pictures are of life before false memories were recovered.
Happy with our hike overlooking Phoenix
Grace and I while visiting family in New England
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