This book still helps...
After the author shares his tragic personal experience the book seeks to fully understand through research and interviews the "false memory phenomenon. The text examines the techniques used to create the false memories and tragic outcomes. Data and professional insights clearly detail how recovered memories can be complicated confabulations or even creations of highly intelligent and creative individuals with the best of intentions. The book includes accounts and interviews of those who actually suffered incestual abuse, those falsely accused, supporters of those who are accusing, therapists who undue the damage from false memories and retractors. A feature unique to this genre of books is that the author seeks out and interviews those who believe in "recovered memories" in order to understand their perspective more fully.
If you believe in reincarnation memory from a former life, or are convinced that memories of space aliens who abduct people for experiments actually happened, or you think that the satanic ritual sexual abuse memories is covered up by the FBI or you think people truly recover "repressed memories" of sexual abuse 20-50 years after it happened (often when less than 5 years old) then you will surely give this book a one star rating without reading it. This book is offensive and "too biased" for someone as "open minded" as you.
If you are looking for a thorough, extensively researched and well written book that explains and details the "recovered memory" mental health fraud then this is the book for you. I actually purchased 3 of them and provided them to those who are were perplexed about how such a tragedy can happen . This book explains that the victims of memory include not only those accused or caught in the middle but also the accuser who then chooses isolation and estrangement from those who care about them the most.
I wish that the book could be updated. Unfortunately "repressed memories" of space alien abductions, big foot encounters, ancient Roman soldiers who remember inflicting untold carnage, witches who abused children mercilessly, satanic rituals with infanticide and horrid incest sexual abuse of children did not flare up in the 1980's and then go away. Three decades later these victims of memory are still being created. This book still helps.
My adult daughter was in depression (following a pregnancy) and sought help. Unfortunately she obtained help, while medicated for depression, from therapist/friends who believed in "repressed memories". They coached her to "recover memories" causing the depression. Like many tens of thousands of others she went on to accuse family members of horrid crimes (that never occurred), sought corroborating accusers (she was unable to do so in this case but often happens) , cutoff those who shared doubts about her "memories" and isolated her children from family and friends. In an effort to understand this tragic event I read this book among more than a dozen others on the same topic. I place this book on the "must read list" for those impacted in any way by any of the various "recovered memory therapies."
Below are a collection of comments on the personal experiences and thoughts after reading this book. These comments are edited for brevity and clarity.
==============================================
Someone actually "abused" writes:
"I am enraged"
October 15, 2005 When I was eleven years old my father started to sexually abuse me. When I was fourteen my half-brother sexually abused me. I have remembered the abuses every single day for 37 years - never forgetting for a moment what happened to me. Up until seven years ago I played the dutiful daughter in our "happy little home" until I finally got the guts to confront my father. Did he deny it - No, he admitted it. When I asked my older sister if our father (actually her step-father) had abused her she too, She said that she had remembered it everyday since the age of seven. Our father admitted to that, too. When I confronted my brother about the abuse, he admitted it too. But did I announce to the world every sick detail that happened to me. Did I cut myself off completely from my family. No - but at least I didn't have to pretend anymore that my father was this upstanding person. Now I didn't have to come up with lame excuses when I didn't go to family functions. Did it affect me - yes it did. I spent many years engaging in self destructive behavior. When I finally started seeing a therapist did he become my Svengali - did he try to dig further and further into my past using such disreputable techniques such as hypnotism, guided imagery, body memories, etc? No - he did not. Did he encourage me to join "Survivor" groups ("survivor" and "victims" are two lables used to somehow separate or isolate those with "repressed memories" from the rest of society; sort of an us vs. them mentality) so that the other "survivors" and I could spend our session trying to one-up each other - each person trying to come up with more horrible memories than the others? No - he didn't. Did he tell me that in order to get better I had to get worse. No - he didn't. Did he insist on focusing on painful aspects of my past? No - we focused on the present and ways of working towards a healthy future. Did he tell me to focus on rage, to act out rage and anger, to become consumed by anger. Absolutely not. Anger and rage are not healthy if they become a major part of one's life. Did he tell me that I had alters roaming around in my psyche - 10, 20, 100, 1,000, 5,000 of them. Nope just me. Victims of Memory has numerous accounts of the so-called sexual abuse victims. Coming from my background and in speaking with other women who have always remembered their abuse, the stories of these "survivors" do no ring true. No matter how detailed their "memories" may seem (and I haven't even touched on the allegations of Satanic Ritual Abuse or MPD/DID) to others, they have no ring of truth to those of us who have been abused and always remembered. We don't want to listen to the minute details of what we went through - why would we. In fact, why would anyone except those who are titillated by the details. The goal is to deal with what (if anything) happened in our past and then get on with life. All of life's failures cannot be blamed on what did or did not happen in our childhoods. Eventually, as adults, we have to take responsibility for our problems and deal with them like adults.
Pendergrast's book delves deeply into the "repressed memory" phenonmenon. Personally, I think he treats the unscrupulous therapists too kindly - giving them the benefit of the doubt that they "mean well" and truly believe that what they are doing is somehow helpful to the client. I don't view them so kindly. After reading Victims of Memory (not just in this book but others on the false memory syndrome) I am glad that the falsely accused parents and "survivor"/retractors are finally receiving compensation through the courts - not for sexual abuse but for therapist abuse. These therapists (and as the book points out, pretty much anyone can call themself a therapist) need to be accountable for their actions. Authors of books such as "Self Help Therapy Books" need to be held accountable for all the irresponsible and blatantly false "advice" and information in their books.
As Pendergrast points out in his book, it is so ironic that feminists in the post-modern women's movement overwhelmingly support the repressed memory phenomenon. The whole repressed memory concept was one of Freud's pet theories - not someone whose theories I would expect to see embraced by modern feminists. In addition, repressed memory therapy by nature forces the client (usually a woman) into a weak, dependent - almost childlike - state quite unlike the strong independent woman one would expect feminists to support. I suppose this doesn't seem like much of a review of Pendergrast's book but more of a personal rant. But that's how Victims of Memory made me feel. Not anger at the author but anger - and sadness - over all the ruined lives that are a consequence of the repressed memory phenomenon. I only have a couple of criticisms of Victims of Memories. First, this second edition of the book came out in 1996. The book could really use an updating. There has been so much research done recently on memory showing how easy it is to implant false memories. An updated edition could help with this added info. In addition, many of the statistics certainly could use updating. Updates on the falsely accused in prisons, updates on changes in the policies of professional organizations, and information on the trends in the number of repressed memory cases. Whenever someone professes that repressed memories have to be true I always ask the same questions. Where are all those who suffered horrible tortures and abuses at the hands of the Nazis in the WWII concentration camp claiming annesia? Where are all those amnesiacs who made it out alive from Pol Pot's regime and the Killing Fields? Where are all the children who have completely forgotten seeing their mother, sister or friend killed right before them by a drive-by shooter? These aren't people who forget - they have vivid memories - memories they can't forget even if they wanted to.
======================================
By Sheri J. Storm on January 15, 2013
I am a victim of iatrogenic or therapy-induced MPD and false memories of SRA. My own case was highlighted in Scientific American Mind's "Brain Stains" article in 2007. (NOTE: The article was carried by at least five countries, which illustrates how wide-spread iatrogenics/false memories have come to be.)
To be brief, the article conveys how repressed memory therapy, mixed with other components - victimizes patients, their friends and family around them. The wrongly-accused suffer tremendous consequences - which is something many don't consider as the debate over how memory works and doesn't work, rages on.
The author candidly shares his own heart-breaking story with his readers, which took great courage. My heart goes out to Mark and his family. If I could speak directly to his daughter, I would sincerely and without hesitation.
Reading "Victims of Memory" was of enormous help to me... Discovering I was not the only exploited by suggestive therapy was an important step in healing. I know writing this book took a great deal of time, research, blood sweat and tears. I commend Mark and cannot thank him enough for helping me grasp a situation that at the time, I truly didn't feel I could survive.
For anyone who finds themselves being told they 'might' have been abused - that there MUST be some abuse in their past if they cannot recall every moment of their childhood, read this book. If you have a loved one who has recently discovered recovered memories of abuse that seem improbable - If you've lost a loved one because after recovering false memories, they've cut off all connection with you... I urge you to read this book and then, share it. At a time when iatrogenic DID/MPD and false memories of Satanic Ritual Abuse continue actively repeating its 1980s cycle - education, information and informed consent should be top priority when it comes to mental health care.
==================================================
By Adam McLaughlin on March 18, 2015
One might expect that, having lost two daughters to false memory syndrome and been falsely accused of doing unspeakable things, Mark Pendergrast would have nothing but bitterness for the individuals and industry that gave rise to the concept of recovered memories. In reading his book, though, I found him to be surprisingly sympathetic, not only to the multitude of patients who have been misled by faulty therapeutic practices, but by the therapists themselves. While he recognizes and unequivocally condemns the very real harm they've done to their patients and their families, he refrains from pillorying them and recognizes that the vast majority are themselves deluded in an honest belief that they are acting as a genuine force for good.
Nor does Pendergrast at any point appear unwilling to listen to the opposition. In his interviews and research, he actively seeks out and invites proponents of repressed memory to provide him with evidence of its reality. The fact that all the "evidence" he receives is uncorroborated and unverifiable is telling indeed, and leaves the critical reader with no doubt as to the veracity of his conclusion: that the repressed memory phenomenon is nothing more than a delusion in which patient and therapist become horrifyingly convinced of a terrible past that never actually existed.
The book as a whole serves as an object lesson - a warning about mass hysteria and the dangers of taking designated "experts" at their word without outside corroboration - and as an aid for those affected by or caught up in the phenomenon - be they patient, friend, family or even therapist. He urges people to retract, but recognizes the need for patience and understanding for those still under the spell of false memory syndrome.
All in all, I'd recommend this book to anyone seeking to learn more about false/recovered memories - especially those who don't yet have their feet firmly planted on either side of the issue.
===============================================
By Frank Dubinon December 10, 2013
Worthwhile Reading. Should be read by every thinking adult. I have read several other books that verify the contentions made by Mr. Pendergrast including Multiple Identities and False Memories by Nicholas P. Spanos, Ph.D, and the Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan, Ph.D., I have also read supporting statements by some of the most prominent psychologists in the United States and last, but not least, comments regarding the false memories of witnesses in legal disputes, I have no doubts about the existence of this phenomenon. Unfortunately, even so-called professionals are money motivated--to the detriment of their professional code of ethics. If you examine the background of the witch trials you will discover that, while some fools believed in witches, devils, and demonic possession, many people were money motivated. The property of anyone condemned as a witch was forfeited to the church and sometimes, in part, to the state, and some people became witch bounty hunters receiving money or property for "discovering" witches. I believe that many psychologists jumped on the bandwagon and made a business (and a long term annuity) out of "discovering" family sexual abuses and satanic connections--for which there has never been any substantive evidence!
Recently, a guest speaker at a class I was attending, who is a licensed psychologist, discussed reincarnation therapy, and claimed she had one client with 100 past lives. I went on the internet to check her out and to my utter dismay, discovered never ending links to psychologists touting reincarnation therapy, some of whom claimed they could uncover future lives. I am not going to discuss the absurdity of this because, in my opinion, if you believe in reincarnation (another example of false memories induced by psychologists), nothing I could say will dissuade you.
In summary, the phenomenon of demonic conspiracies, "recovery" of repressed memories of sexual abuse by family members, reincarnation therapy, and UFO abductions and their attendant sexual experiments are all part of the same phenomena.
======================================
Courageous exposé of the recovered memory movement
By A customer on December 6, 1998 I found the book fascinating, enraging, depressing, only sometimes uplifting. What is encouraging is the fact that, where courage and good sense and humility for a moment combine, people caught up in this monstrous charade that is destroying families can get themselves out of the chasm and re-discover a modicum of serenity. What is so depressing is the thought that this appears to happen rarely; because most - but by no means all - of the people responsible for this nonsense are acting in good faith, one is up against a quasi-religious fervour that is impervious to calm, reasoned argument. Patients themselves are obviously feeling rudderless on the seas of life, and vulnerable, and this makes them suggestible in the incapable hands of zealous psycho-missionaries. What a tragic social phenomenon. The tragedy also remains, apart from the shattered lives left behind by this "in-yer-face" movement, that it risks obscuring the plight of those genuinely abused. Read the book.
If you believe in reincarnation memory from a former life, or are convinced that memories of space aliens who abduct people for experiments actually happened, or you think that the satanic ritual sexual abuse memories is covered up by the FBI or you think people truly recover "repressed memories" of sexual abuse 20-50 years after it happened (often when less than 5 years old) then you will surely give this book a one star rating without reading it. This book is offensive and "too biased" for someone as "open minded" as you.
If you are looking for a thorough, extensively researched and well written book that explains and details the "recovered memory" mental health fraud then this is the book for you. I actually purchased 3 of them and provided them to those who are were perplexed about how such a tragedy can happen . This book explains that the victims of memory include not only those accused or caught in the middle but also the accuser who then chooses isolation and estrangement from those who care about them the most.
I wish that the book could be updated. Unfortunately "repressed memories" of space alien abductions, big foot encounters, ancient Roman soldiers who remember inflicting untold carnage, witches who abused children mercilessly, satanic rituals with infanticide and horrid incest sexual abuse of children did not flare up in the 1980's and then go away. Three decades later these victims of memory are still being created. This book still helps.
My adult daughter was in depression (following a pregnancy) and sought help. Unfortunately she obtained help, while medicated for depression, from therapist/friends who believed in "repressed memories". They coached her to "recover memories" causing the depression. Like many tens of thousands of others she went on to accuse family members of horrid crimes (that never occurred), sought corroborating accusers (she was unable to do so in this case but often happens) , cutoff those who shared doubts about her "memories" and isolated her children from family and friends. In an effort to understand this tragic event I read this book among more than a dozen others on the same topic. I place this book on the "must read list" for those impacted in any way by any of the various "recovered memory therapies."
Below are a collection of comments on the personal experiences and thoughts after reading this book. These comments are edited for brevity and clarity.
==============================================
Someone actually "abused" writes:
"I am enraged"
October 15, 2005 When I was eleven years old my father started to sexually abuse me. When I was fourteen my half-brother sexually abused me. I have remembered the abuses every single day for 37 years - never forgetting for a moment what happened to me. Up until seven years ago I played the dutiful daughter in our "happy little home" until I finally got the guts to confront my father. Did he deny it - No, he admitted it. When I asked my older sister if our father (actually her step-father) had abused her she too, She said that she had remembered it everyday since the age of seven. Our father admitted to that, too. When I confronted my brother about the abuse, he admitted it too. But did I announce to the world every sick detail that happened to me. Did I cut myself off completely from my family. No - but at least I didn't have to pretend anymore that my father was this upstanding person. Now I didn't have to come up with lame excuses when I didn't go to family functions. Did it affect me - yes it did. I spent many years engaging in self destructive behavior. When I finally started seeing a therapist did he become my Svengali - did he try to dig further and further into my past using such disreputable techniques such as hypnotism, guided imagery, body memories, etc? No - he did not. Did he encourage me to join "Survivor" groups ("survivor" and "victims" are two lables used to somehow separate or isolate those with "repressed memories" from the rest of society; sort of an us vs. them mentality) so that the other "survivors" and I could spend our session trying to one-up each other - each person trying to come up with more horrible memories than the others? No - he didn't. Did he tell me that in order to get better I had to get worse. No - he didn't. Did he insist on focusing on painful aspects of my past? No - we focused on the present and ways of working towards a healthy future. Did he tell me to focus on rage, to act out rage and anger, to become consumed by anger. Absolutely not. Anger and rage are not healthy if they become a major part of one's life. Did he tell me that I had alters roaming around in my psyche - 10, 20, 100, 1,000, 5,000 of them. Nope just me. Victims of Memory has numerous accounts of the so-called sexual abuse victims. Coming from my background and in speaking with other women who have always remembered their abuse, the stories of these "survivors" do no ring true. No matter how detailed their "memories" may seem (and I haven't even touched on the allegations of Satanic Ritual Abuse or MPD/DID) to others, they have no ring of truth to those of us who have been abused and always remembered. We don't want to listen to the minute details of what we went through - why would we. In fact, why would anyone except those who are titillated by the details. The goal is to deal with what (if anything) happened in our past and then get on with life. All of life's failures cannot be blamed on what did or did not happen in our childhoods. Eventually, as adults, we have to take responsibility for our problems and deal with them like adults.
Pendergrast's book delves deeply into the "repressed memory" phenonmenon. Personally, I think he treats the unscrupulous therapists too kindly - giving them the benefit of the doubt that they "mean well" and truly believe that what they are doing is somehow helpful to the client. I don't view them so kindly. After reading Victims of Memory (not just in this book but others on the false memory syndrome) I am glad that the falsely accused parents and "survivor"/retractors are finally receiving compensation through the courts - not for sexual abuse but for therapist abuse. These therapists (and as the book points out, pretty much anyone can call themself a therapist) need to be accountable for their actions. Authors of books such as "Self Help Therapy Books" need to be held accountable for all the irresponsible and blatantly false "advice" and information in their books.
As Pendergrast points out in his book, it is so ironic that feminists in the post-modern women's movement overwhelmingly support the repressed memory phenomenon. The whole repressed memory concept was one of Freud's pet theories - not someone whose theories I would expect to see embraced by modern feminists. In addition, repressed memory therapy by nature forces the client (usually a woman) into a weak, dependent - almost childlike - state quite unlike the strong independent woman one would expect feminists to support. I suppose this doesn't seem like much of a review of Pendergrast's book but more of a personal rant. But that's how Victims of Memory made me feel. Not anger at the author but anger - and sadness - over all the ruined lives that are a consequence of the repressed memory phenomenon. I only have a couple of criticisms of Victims of Memories. First, this second edition of the book came out in 1996. The book could really use an updating. There has been so much research done recently on memory showing how easy it is to implant false memories. An updated edition could help with this added info. In addition, many of the statistics certainly could use updating. Updates on the falsely accused in prisons, updates on changes in the policies of professional organizations, and information on the trends in the number of repressed memory cases. Whenever someone professes that repressed memories have to be true I always ask the same questions. Where are all those who suffered horrible tortures and abuses at the hands of the Nazis in the WWII concentration camp claiming annesia? Where are all those amnesiacs who made it out alive from Pol Pot's regime and the Killing Fields? Where are all the children who have completely forgotten seeing their mother, sister or friend killed right before them by a drive-by shooter? These aren't people who forget - they have vivid memories - memories they can't forget even if they wanted to.
======================================
By Sheri J. Storm on January 15, 2013
I am a victim of iatrogenic or therapy-induced MPD and false memories of SRA. My own case was highlighted in Scientific American Mind's "Brain Stains" article in 2007. (NOTE: The article was carried by at least five countries, which illustrates how wide-spread iatrogenics/false memories have come to be.)
To be brief, the article conveys how repressed memory therapy, mixed with other components - victimizes patients, their friends and family around them. The wrongly-accused suffer tremendous consequences - which is something many don't consider as the debate over how memory works and doesn't work, rages on.
The author candidly shares his own heart-breaking story with his readers, which took great courage. My heart goes out to Mark and his family. If I could speak directly to his daughter, I would sincerely and without hesitation.
Reading "Victims of Memory" was of enormous help to me... Discovering I was not the only exploited by suggestive therapy was an important step in healing. I know writing this book took a great deal of time, research, blood sweat and tears. I commend Mark and cannot thank him enough for helping me grasp a situation that at the time, I truly didn't feel I could survive.
For anyone who finds themselves being told they 'might' have been abused - that there MUST be some abuse in their past if they cannot recall every moment of their childhood, read this book. If you have a loved one who has recently discovered recovered memories of abuse that seem improbable - If you've lost a loved one because after recovering false memories, they've cut off all connection with you... I urge you to read this book and then, share it. At a time when iatrogenic DID/MPD and false memories of Satanic Ritual Abuse continue actively repeating its 1980s cycle - education, information and informed consent should be top priority when it comes to mental health care.
==================================================
By Adam McLaughlin on March 18, 2015
One might expect that, having lost two daughters to false memory syndrome and been falsely accused of doing unspeakable things, Mark Pendergrast would have nothing but bitterness for the individuals and industry that gave rise to the concept of recovered memories. In reading his book, though, I found him to be surprisingly sympathetic, not only to the multitude of patients who have been misled by faulty therapeutic practices, but by the therapists themselves. While he recognizes and unequivocally condemns the very real harm they've done to their patients and their families, he refrains from pillorying them and recognizes that the vast majority are themselves deluded in an honest belief that they are acting as a genuine force for good.
Nor does Pendergrast at any point appear unwilling to listen to the opposition. In his interviews and research, he actively seeks out and invites proponents of repressed memory to provide him with evidence of its reality. The fact that all the "evidence" he receives is uncorroborated and unverifiable is telling indeed, and leaves the critical reader with no doubt as to the veracity of his conclusion: that the repressed memory phenomenon is nothing more than a delusion in which patient and therapist become horrifyingly convinced of a terrible past that never actually existed.
The book as a whole serves as an object lesson - a warning about mass hysteria and the dangers of taking designated "experts" at their word without outside corroboration - and as an aid for those affected by or caught up in the phenomenon - be they patient, friend, family or even therapist. He urges people to retract, but recognizes the need for patience and understanding for those still under the spell of false memory syndrome.
All in all, I'd recommend this book to anyone seeking to learn more about false/recovered memories - especially those who don't yet have their feet firmly planted on either side of the issue.
===============================================
By Frank Dubinon December 10, 2013
Worthwhile Reading. Should be read by every thinking adult. I have read several other books that verify the contentions made by Mr. Pendergrast including Multiple Identities and False Memories by Nicholas P. Spanos, Ph.D, and the Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan, Ph.D., I have also read supporting statements by some of the most prominent psychologists in the United States and last, but not least, comments regarding the false memories of witnesses in legal disputes, I have no doubts about the existence of this phenomenon. Unfortunately, even so-called professionals are money motivated--to the detriment of their professional code of ethics. If you examine the background of the witch trials you will discover that, while some fools believed in witches, devils, and demonic possession, many people were money motivated. The property of anyone condemned as a witch was forfeited to the church and sometimes, in part, to the state, and some people became witch bounty hunters receiving money or property for "discovering" witches. I believe that many psychologists jumped on the bandwagon and made a business (and a long term annuity) out of "discovering" family sexual abuses and satanic connections--for which there has never been any substantive evidence!
Recently, a guest speaker at a class I was attending, who is a licensed psychologist, discussed reincarnation therapy, and claimed she had one client with 100 past lives. I went on the internet to check her out and to my utter dismay, discovered never ending links to psychologists touting reincarnation therapy, some of whom claimed they could uncover future lives. I am not going to discuss the absurdity of this because, in my opinion, if you believe in reincarnation (another example of false memories induced by psychologists), nothing I could say will dissuade you.
In summary, the phenomenon of demonic conspiracies, "recovery" of repressed memories of sexual abuse by family members, reincarnation therapy, and UFO abductions and their attendant sexual experiments are all part of the same phenomena.
======================================
Courageous exposé of the recovered memory movement
By A customer on December 6, 1998 I found the book fascinating, enraging, depressing, only sometimes uplifting. What is encouraging is the fact that, where courage and good sense and humility for a moment combine, people caught up in this monstrous charade that is destroying families can get themselves out of the chasm and re-discover a modicum of serenity. What is so depressing is the thought that this appears to happen rarely; because most - but by no means all - of the people responsible for this nonsense are acting in good faith, one is up against a quasi-religious fervour that is impervious to calm, reasoned argument. Patients themselves are obviously feeling rudderless on the seas of life, and vulnerable, and this makes them suggestible in the incapable hands of zealous psycho-missionaries. What a tragic social phenomenon. The tragedy also remains, apart from the shattered lives left behind by this "in-yer-face" movement, that it risks obscuring the plight of those genuinely abused. Read the book.
======================================================================
Communication with Grace months prior to treatment in Walla Walla, Washington in 2015:
===========================
========================================
*** 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.
==============================================================
This is an effort to Break the Cycle of Shame