Showing posts with label Theotherapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theotherapy. Show all posts

Thursday, September 19, 2019

HARMFUL PRAYER MINISTRY: Personal Accounts

Personal historical accounts of how  
Prayer Ministries create false memories
that the ministries are VERY unlikely to share:

Prayer Ministry Creating False Memories Harming Families
"Sozo" (new name is "Theotherapy") uses techniques refined by recovered memory therapy debunked in the 1980's to "heal" and "free" clients by creating false memories.  This article reveals a horrid personal  experience.  (archive,2006) 
Faith Baptist Church in North Yarmouth Maine
The story of how a church was impacted and terrorized by TPM. A person who left the church was later accused, lost his wife and was then jailed before being exonerated by authorities. (archived, 2006)
Kim Clough describes the counseling process as "walking into a guillotine".  She says, when talking about the actions of the perpetrator, that "It is hard to forgive something you don't know about." (archived, 2006)
Reports of False Memories by Prayer Ministries Increasing
False Memory Foundation reports Prayer Ministries are increasingly generating false memories and accusations (archived, 2005) .
Therapist using TPM found guilty of malpractice and client realizes memories are false just prior to losing husband and family. 
Prayer therapist encouraged a patient who "channeled" with an ancient Egyptian goddess named "Amon" and "Blessed Virgin Mary". St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge sentenced therapist to 30 months in state prison.  No expression of regret from the 58-year-old hypnotherapist.  (archive, 1998)
Client describes time with a psychiatrist, fully trained and practicing Theophostic Prayer Ministry for 5 years.  The client states "At best, I wasted my time with him. At worst, he forced me to invent non-existent things from my past in order to cleanse me and relieve me of non-existent psychological pain."
Law Firm Specialized in Repressed Memory Cases alerted to Prayer Ministry
Law firm warns public about malpractice by Theophostic Prayer Ministry.
Consecrated Religious Shamed by Theophostic Prayer Ministry
Faustina is a consecrated religious living in a service community.  Faustina shares how Theophostic Prayer Ministry nurtured false memories and shame.

Publicly Reported experiences with "repressed memories"
that Theophostic Prayer Ministry relies on:

Narelle was a 47 year old mom in a stable marriage with a loving supportive husband and three children. She sought help for depression from a counselor who used a "Christian Prayer Ministry" called "Theophostic Prayer Ministry". She was trusting and excited and her entire family became involved and she was hopeful. After "digging deep" with her prayer partner she found she had memories of childhood sexual abuse. A year later Narelle realized the memories were false and retracted the false allegations against her parents. After retracting her therapist became upset, she lost her husband and then faced false accusations from her two oldest daughters. Her family was destroyed.

Alice sought help through a christian life coach counselor who first arranged for her to be medicated. While on medication Alice was led to imagine some initial state as a child such as: "you are in your room and it is dark then the door opens...". Alice would then complete the story often in a "blackout" state. Using this method the counselor and Alice created horrid repressed memories of abuse together. Alice confronted all her imagined perpetrators (mother, father and other family members). She then told her young daughter the horrid memories. Years later the daughter became suicidal, her husband left her, the life coach could not be paid (and so the sessions ended) and the medication stopped. Alice realized that the memories were less convincing and they began to fade. Six years after her initial accusations she went back to her family, apologized and worked to rebuild relationships. Alice was blessed that it only took six years because many are shamed and trapped by false memories over a lifetime. Reconciliation is reserved for those with humility, great courage and a gifted intellect.

Beth sought help from a Christian counselor for ongoing depression. The counselor wondered (aloud during a session) if Beth could have experienced abuse as a child. The counselor suggested that her problems may not be her fault. Medicated, comforted and led with suggestive scenarios Beth experienced "blackouts" where she detailed accounts of her father raping her and mother assisting. Her father lost his job and career due to accusations. Beth convinced younger sisters that the abuse was real and the family was separated. The youngest was taken by authorities who intervened to "protect" the remaining children. Three years later Beth came off the medication, got a new counselor (after moving) and became aware that the memories were not "real". After family reconciliation the family (Beth and parents) sued the therapist and won a large disclosed settlement. During the trial a medical exam verified Beth was always a virgin and was never abused as described. 

Rosanne was medicated and counseled by an expert recovered memory therapist. "Repressed memories" of her father's incest were created . She announced her "memories" on her TV show in 1991. Rosanne then confronted her father and mother. The she demanded her sister agree with her accusation. When her sister told her she could not lie Rosanne fired her uncooperative and non-corroborating sister. She cut off any family who disagreed with her "memories". Rosanne was a rich popular television star and threatened legal action against them all. Over a decade later Rosanne got off medications, changed her therapist and slowly came to realize that the memories were never real and that they were actually pseudo memories. Two decades later Rosanne publicly acknowledged that she had made false accusations while being interviewed on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Rosanne shared with millions in the audience that "it was the worst mistake of my life."

Ginny was influenced by Rosanne Barr accusations on TV and went to a counselor who she thought could help her recover memories she "felt were there". She gained images under hypnosis, but was still not sure. She met a friend who was supportive of her "repressed memories" and began to develop a network of supporters. After 5 months she began to doubt her "repressed memories" and wrote letters of retraction to her friends. Her "friend and supporters" now avoid her but she has reconciled with family.

Meredith during her research and writing about childhood sexual abuse also read a "Do it Yourself Therapy" book. She then accused her father of abuse. Ten years later she realized her dreams and memories never actually happened. She has many friends who did the same thing.

Jaye sought help for depression. A psychiatrist who was also an "expert" in "repressed memories" arranged for hospitalization. Over a period of many months the doctor and hospital provided care, isolation from toxic family, suggestive counseling, medication and restraints that were needed during the nurtured emergence of horrid memories of abuse and torture by her father . When the insurance ran out Jaye was discharged. The medications stopped. The mind cleared and the "repressed memories" faded. Jaye then realized that the memories were never true and that her father was a good man.

Leslie listened to a christian woman incest survivor from Washington state who spoke on women being abused as children and how their lives show it. Leslie saw herself and her disappointing life as evidence of such abuse. She experienced "regression therapy" that sparked horrid body memories and additional recollections. Encouraged by her counselor, she wrote a letter to her father indicating that she had forgiven him. Her father became distraught at the false accusations despite her intention to forgive. Her father and family challenged her memories. The therapist also shared doubts with Leslie about the memories. Her pastor and his wife challenged her memories. Finally she came to realize the accusations were not true.

Patty was guided by a psychiatrist to "recover repressed memories" in order to help her deal with trauma that was never repressed. Patty was hospitalized, medicated and told what she had said in a "blackout" during therapy. Then she wrote a letter confronting her father. She became aware that the memories were false when she talked with a friend who went to the same hospital and also was given repressed memories by the therapists doing the same abusive treatment to her. The "repressed memories", which were all false and never happened, robbed her of a year of her life.

Lisa experienced difficulties with her 9 year old son. She sought help through therapy. The therapist thought Recovery of Memories would help. She was hospitalized and taught how to manage her "flashbacks". Six years later Laura has suffered separation from her family, hastened her mothers death, disrupted her marriage and pained her entire family. None of the repressed memories were real.

Amy had been in the mental health system for five years and diagnosed with schizophrenia. When she developed reactions to the medication, she ceased the medications and sought alternative treatment though a therapist who used recovered memory therapy. She developed "repressed memories" of sexual abuse and actually was happy to no longer be classified as schizophrenic. She read the book "True Stories of False Memories" and realized her memories were also false.

Aimee shares how she is a survivor of what she now calls "bogus repressed memory therapy". She explains "Don't you think its kind of odd and suspicious that all of a sudden after a therapist tells you that you are D.I.D and have repressed memories, you suddenly remember all kinds of horrible abuse that you suffered as a child. Don't blame yourself if this has happened to you, these therapists know how to make you actually believe this crap because they get you dependent on them. 

Debbie married as a teenager and that husband abandoned her. She became depressed. A friend arranged for her to see a doctor to get medication and said "your symptoms could be caused by deeper problems from your childhood" and she helped Debbie recover horrid "repressed memories" (really pseudo memories). Debbie overtime developed reactions to medications, had blackouts, experienced body memories and began drinking heavily. She "cut off" anyone that refused to agree with her accusations no matter how bizarre. Years later, after another failed marriage, her "pseudo-memory" friends no longer spent time with her. She stopped the medications and someone gave her a book "True Stories of False Memories". She realized, as the medication waned and the fog cleared, that her "repressed memories" were actually false. Slowly she reconnected with her family.

Elizabeth experienced what she thought was depression over a period of many years. Then she saw a life coach therapist who thought childhood sexual abuse would explain her ongoing depression. The therapist life coach got her medicated then helped her "recover" what she called "repressed memories" of abuse by her mother. The adamant denial of her parents was taken as proof of their guilt. She cut off her family and her true friends (who could not agree to what they knew to be a lie) and forced her children into isolation from cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents. Five years later she decided she was never getting cured of depression and quit her therapist. Over time, away from her therapist and off the medication she came to realize that none of the recovered repressed memories were real.

Maria entered therapy because of a job-related stress issue and left that therapy a suicidal wreck. Maria states "Repressed memories stole five years of my life and generated falsehoods that separated me from my father, my mother, my sisters, my brothers. It separated my children from cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents and great grandparents. My productivity suffered. Medical costs were piled on top of my counseling fees. I blame my life coach therapist Karen Meynert for what happened. She systematically led me down this road of blame and shame that hurt me, impoverished and fractured my family, hurt my extended family and stole from my children."

Laura went into counseling for an eating disorder. Her counselor told her she needed to look for things "buried with deeper roots". Over the next 6 years the counselor and she used visualizations, flashbacks, medications and hospitalizations to generate vivid, real memories. Laura read an article in the paper on "False Memories". She began to doubt her counselor. She then spoke with another (good) counselor who said "The memories are real, honey, but not reality." She settled a lawsuit out of court against the original therapist.

Olivia had a nervous breakdown and went to counseling with an "American Association of Marriage and Family Counselors" member named Tricia. Tricia arranged for medication, introduced her to "do it yourself therapy" books" and provided suggestive counseling sessions. Soon vivid detailed "repressed memories" emerged and based on the horrid memories she cut off her family. Olivia's older friends challenged her memories. While a camp counselor she had a child (in her care) tell of actual abuse. That 10 year old girl did not "repress" as Olivia had thought she should have. Olivia decided to quit her "recovered memory therapist" (Tricia) and go to another counselor. The new counselor heard that the memories were created in therapy and declined to counsel her. In 1993 she came to the realization that her "repressed memories" never actually happened. She reconnected with her family.

Michael was admitted to the hospital in 1990. His "repressed memories" were recovered with counseling sessions, dream analysis, discussion of vivid nightmares and sessions over a period of 18 months. While in the hospital he and others shared "repressed memories" and "terrifying dreams" and formed a friendship. Micheal was released in 1992 and returned to his family. He realized the memories were false and retracted so his hospital friends "cut him off". He encourages compassion for the clients.

Paul lived in a small Washington state community, loved his family, was faithful to his wife, active in his church, worked as a sheriff's deputy and was involved in local politics. Paul sent his daughter, Ericka, to a church sponsored camp where she heard "Heart to Heart" (a talk on sexual abuse) and during prayer a "prophet" indicated that she had been abused by her father. Ericka did not recall any abuse but she and her sister underwent "recovered memory therapy". Soon horrid detailed "repressed memories" were created in the therapy. Paul was accused by his daughters and jailed. No medical or physical evidence suggested by the stories were ever found. In addition medical, forensic and psychological experts hired by the prosecution thought Mr. Ingram was innocent. To obtain a conviction police used harsh interrogation methods including sleep deprivation, lengthy interviews and repeatedly reminded Paul that a trial would torment his accusing daughters. In a video tape after hours of grilling Paul broke down in tears and admitted he must be "guilty" because he knew that his "daughters wouldn't lie". A confession meant no evidence, no expert testimony and no trial were needed to imprison Paul. During sentencing Paul stated that he wanted to spare his daughters the emotional ordeals of a trial. Paul later attempted to recant the confession (and one of his daughters did too). The courts rejected recanting of the confession. Paul served his full 20 years in prison.

Mike experienced vivid real hallucinations and memory of alien abduction and had video tape captures vivid depiction of the event (his false claim). The False memory was a real memory created by sleep deprivation.

Vince attended group support meetings, used "Do it Yourself Therapy" books, wrote 180,000 words self exploratory journal then had an unlicensed hypnotherapist to help recover "repressed memory". He still doubted his "memory".   His journey ended when he was exposed to reading material from the "False Memory Syndrome Foundation" and rejected his false memories as fabricated under therapist and peer pressure.

[The Personal Stories above are further detailed at this site.]

Often due to shame and fear tragic family breakups caused by pseudo memories go unreported.  Pseudo memories are false memories often called "repressed memories" by the uninformed, incompetent or deceptive practitioner.   TPM is focused on creating these false memories. This "Prayer Ministry" explicitly relies on what psychologists, counseling professionals and experts know will CREATE false memories. A variety of methods associated with "Recovered Memory Therapy" (abbreviated RMT) are used heavily.

Conclusion of extensive Examination and Study:
     "Although quick and permanent results are promised by this (TPM) approach, it also holds the potential for irreparable damage to relationships and families by the unearthing of allegedly buried memories of the past sins of others. All that glitters is not gold, and all that claims to be "light" is not necessarily God's light. The theophostic approach does not withstand scrutiny under the searchlight of God's eternal Word."






ALL Pictures are of life before false memories were recovered.
She is satisfied and happy with our hike overlooking Phoenix
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WHY I BECAME INTERESTED IN THIS PROGRAM
     Our adult child in postpartum depression and medicated with antidepressants sought help while living 2000 miles away. Someone helped her using "Repressed Memory Therapy" (or some variant of recovered memory therapy like the now debunked  TheoPhostic Prayer Ministry) either through a therapist or friends using "do it yourself therapy books". She became one of hundreds of thousands victimized by a method well known to produce false or pseudo memories (American Psychological Association).     Experts have established how false memories are maintained once nurtured and we hope that friends are helping free our daughter from the shackles of false memories. Unfortunately the accuser and the friends around her may nurture and reinforce false memories for a variety of reasons. Those medicated and entranced, as our daughter was, often have the most detailed and horrid fantasies mistaken for memories. It will take incredible emotional strength, a mind cleared of medication, fully functioning intellect, immense humility and great courage for our daughter to return.  Many such victims never do but we remain steadfast in our hope.     In spite of the bizarre and false accusations we love our daughter and her family. A father still hopes. A mother still pleads. Her sister still remembers. We will never give up on reconciliation.


Wednesday, December 2, 2015

HARMFUL MINISTRY: Client Invents Non-Existent Memories to Explain Pain

Client of Theophostic Prayer Ministry
       "I have a friend who is a professional psychiatrist and has been using Theophostic Prayer Ministry for over five years.  He took me through the Theophostic Prayer Ministry technique when I was enduring extreme pain.  
       It proved to be fibromyalgia, not a psychological disorder, but he tried to convince me otherwise and "cure" me. 
       At best, I wasted my time with him.   At worst, he forced me to invent non-existent things from my past in order to cleanse me and relieve me of non-existent psychological pain.
     My own opinion is that, at best, it is worthless, and, at worst, it can mislead sincerely hurting people such as myself."

NOTE:
       The above account would be humorous and laughable if this ministry was not so damaging to the more vulnerable.  This account depicts a uniquely highly qualified professional, credentialed, trained and experienced in the use of Theophostic Prayer Ministry.  The client notes that the ministry had him creating memories of things that never happened.  
       In this case the ending is not so tragic but it is quite revealing.  The use of "repressed memories" is fraudulent even if the author of the program thinks, personally that "repressed memories" are a "fact".

     Found 7/16/2016 at http://www.christianforums.com/threads/theophostic-counseling.7539827/#post-56892161

 Often due to shame and fear tragic family breakups caused by pseudo memories go unreported. Pseudo memories are false memories often called "repressed memories" by the uninformed, incompetent or deceptive practitioner.   TPM is focused on creating these false memories. This "Prayer Ministry" explicitly relies on what psychologists, counseling professionals and experts know will CREATE false memories. A variety of methods associated with "Recovered Memory Therapy" (abbreviated RMT) are used heavily.

Learn more about:
THEOPHOSTIC PRAYER MINISTRY

Some Summaries on Prayer Ministry that Harms:
  Lying Spirits (online book)
  Theophostic Theology (online book)
  TheoPhostic: Divine or What?  (brief article)

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HARMFUL MINISTRY: TPM Practitioner Guilty

        TPM uses DANGEROUS therapy techniques once considered "traditional psychoanalytic ".  These Freudian therapies have been largely abandoned by psychiatrists and increasingly shunned by competent Christian counselors.  Dr. McHugh (former chair of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins) points out that programs using traditional psychoanalytic techniques (like TPM) are statistically shown to lead to poor outcomes such as increased rates of unemployment, estrangement from family, loss of child custody and suicide ideation.  


More information  about TPM by informed psychologists, expert therapists and Christian Scholars are available at:
NOTE: Like other malevolent practices and products this program changes names and titles while also hiding behind religious protections. The same material and approaches are also called "Transformational Prayer Ministry", "Theophostic Prayer Ministry" and "TPM".
  
     The letter below is by an ex-client of  TPM.  A psychologist using TPM was found guilty of malpractice.  In 2006 a tribunal found that Irene Moreau (the prayer partner/life coach/counselor) 'inappropriately used TPM [Theophostic Prayer Ministry] as a counseling technique".
=======================
Letter of Warning:
To everyone interested in Truth,
       As a 47 year old concerned mother of 3 ,deeply wounded by therapy, I write this letter because I was once an accuser as a result of these victim mentality therapies, then i became a retractor and broke free of the mind altering techniques involved and became a TRUE VICTIM who lost everything.
       This included my husband whom I lost to the therapist, and my only two daughters, who continue to believe the 'False Memories' of childhood sexual and ritual abuse arising from the unproven and unethical forms of therapy. My daughters have cut off all contact despite efforts on my part to reconnect. I know they have been advised by this therapist in conjunction with their father to cut off all communication.
       This Repressed Memory/ Theophostic Prayer Ministry used the following techniques on my family and me: guided imagery, reference to 'Body memories', hypnotic trances, suggestibility, heavy emphasis on 'abreaction', constant reinforcement of the fact that all the bizarre memories were true because the therapist had heard it all before, reference to 'alters or 'parts' (up to 20 different parts) and labeling me an SRA (Satanic Ritual Abuse) victim before I even started the therapy based solely on the fact I had depression and Lupus SLE.
       There was absolutely no attempt to substantiate or corroborate any of the 'imaginings'. Instead the therapist tried to drag up more and more bizarre visualizations to the point where I was totally out of touch with reality.In a place of severe mental breakdown and tried to commit suicide. Initially before breaking free from this dangerous therapy I was advised to cut off from all extended family (because they were supposedly the root cause of my pain) I was told to stop taking antidepressants and not to seek professional medical help.
        I openly encourage all mental health workers, therapists and church counselors to become more aware of this dangerous form of therapy and of the enormous, sometimes irreversible damage it can cause to an individual and to the many family members it can ultimately destroy. ( this also includes all those innocent people that have been accused of gross crimes because of repressed memory therapy and have and still continue to serve time in jails  for crimes that they did not commit.)
       This dangerous therapy also takes away justice and diminishes the severity of true and actual sexual crimes which are perpetrated and have been proven to have occurred. I implore all of you involved in mental health fields and church healing ministries to keep up to date with current research and accounts that are now very clearly showing the damage created by such irresponsible forms of therapy.
       To continue to use these therapies is malpractice to say the least and totally unethical and unprofessional. It CAN and HAS led to suicides, innocent people being imprisoned, and the total destruction of the family unit. I am one of those statistics and I can no longer sit idly by and know that there are still large numbers of you out there that are using these unorthodox and dangerous therapies.
       I also challenge you to keep up to date with research in the field of memory and how pseudomemories (false memories ) CAN and ARE being created by these types of therapies. Elizabeth Loftus is a leading researcher in the field. In respect to Ed Smith and his Theophostic Prayer Ministries, I ask all those who have involved themselves in some way with this 'psychoheresy' to take an extremely critical look at his theology and his writings in 'BEYOND TOLERABLE RECOVERY'.
       Jan Fletcher, a Christian journalist and researcher has written a very powerful e-book called 'Lying Spirits' which clearly and thoroughly discounts much of Ed Smith's teachings. It is a valuable resource for those who have suffered as a result of involving themselves in Repressed/ Theophostic therapy.
       This is just a brief account of my true story. My name is Narelle Lewis and I reside in Brisbane Queensland, I have spent the last three years in total agony and emotional pain because I become involved with a freelance so-called therapist on the QLD Gold Coast who practices a mishmash of repressed memory, body memory and Theophostic Ministry on her unwitting patients. Before meeting this middle aged, female, divorced, freelance therapist who was and still is (to my knowledge) operating a business and preying on people's vulnerability; I had a loving family and adoring compassionate husband, two beautiful daughters and one son.
       I had suffered from depression for many years and also have lupus SLE and high blood pressure. I met this woman in 2002, and was immediately labeled an SRA ( explained as Sexual Ritual Abuse) survivor. I then went through 18 months of intense and tortuous brainwashing therapy in which anything and everything was dragged up relating to sexual abuse by my father who died in 1989.
       I had previously had no memories of my childhood much earlier than 6 to 8 years of age. In fact I was quite sure I had had a normal happy childhood, but because of my present ailments this woman labeled me as an SRA victim and continued to pursue the root cause of my present day ailments.
       She followed all the same methods I have mentioned previously and used by many other such unethical counselors and eventually I became totally cut off from my extended family and indeed the real world. I did this only to please my husband who eventually was sucked into becoming involved with this woman and her dangerous therapy. He left me in September 2003 to support her and her dangerous therapy.
       In September 2003, my whole world fell apart, I became suicidal and took pills, I couldn't stand any more of the pressure placed on me by both the therapist and my now very different self obsessed and blameful husband who was consumed with hatred for my family. He left me and went on to continue to support the therapist. My daughters now 23 and 21 became involved in the same Repressed/Theophostic Therapy.
       They cut of all ties and to this day (two long and painful years) will have no contact despite my desperate attempts to reconnect. I was left alone to battle through what I had been left me , which had once been my life and reason for living. My son is still with me he is 16 but now has developed severe emotional problems including OCD and eating disorder. These conditions were not present before my husband left me.
       The trauma had almost destroyed me and I was ready to end my life but I reached out to a registered Psychiatrist who has gradually bought me back to a place where I can at least function and work. I am a primary school teacher. I am still deeply and chronically depressed but this is controlled somewhat by antidepressant medication.
       MY life is one of existence with out my daughters whom I love deeply and my husband who is under great deception and may even be delusional and in dire need of psychiatric help, which he refuses to have because this therapist will not allow it. She is very clever and manipulative and seems to have enormous power in being able to suck people in who are particularly vulnerable and are susceptible because of a deep need to feel the victim.
       She cleverly tapped into this need as well as her need to have some sort of ego trip in being able to control the outcomes of other people's lives. She used information against me from my initial therapy sessions to manipulate and put herself in a position where both my husband and her were in a codependent relationship.
       Neither of them could survive without communicating several times a day to each other and they got to the stage they were going away to motels and holiday houses to work on each other's healing. My husband and this counselor would not make any decisions without consulting each other. It was impossible to break in because they both remained unaccountable to anyone and kept telling me they only had to be accountable to God .
       It was almost sect and cult-like. My husband is a totally changed individual who was once a compassionate, unselfish and caring man of integrity. After getting involved with this therapist in 2002 his whole personality deteriorated to the point of withdrawal from his family and the whole situation. My husband and I no longer communicate because the hurt and the hatred that is exchanged is just to much to bear.
       This is only a small extract of the damage created by BAD and UNETHICAL therapy. I wish to seek help and I wish to get involved with bringing these crazy therapists who destroy whole families to some sort of justice and accountability. I want to help in lobbying politicians and churches and the wider community into becoming aware of the dangers of this kind of therapy. There desperately needs to be some protections put in place for the public at large.
       Can you please make some sort of response in reading this letter, it is a cry from a deeply wounded mother of three who has lost everything and now has no family connections. This is all because I became involved with a therapist who practices highly suspect and dangerous methods of therapy, including repressed memory which has led to false accusations that cannot be corroborated.
      She uses other practices such as 'body memory', massage along with guided visualization and aspects of the dangerous Theophostic Prayer Ministry of Ed Smith in the U.S.A. I really am very alone in all this and it has taken an enormous toll on both Andrew my son and I, healthwise.
      I feel I have nothing, it has all been taken from me and I am still reeling from the shock of the last three years (lost Years) still. I would be grateful for your assistance and support and for your attention to the content of this letter. The numbers of hurting people out there are enormous.
       Therapists, psychotherapists, counselors, church workers and psychologists all need to be held accountable for the damage they may have created as in my case. I have no money to fight this therapist in court but have very detailed accounts of the times I spent in therapy with her and have records of my husband's payments to her over a two year period. The total is quite enormous. And for What?
       I was left a total mess with suicidal ideation and I lost everything that mattered to me, MY FAMILY!
Thank you for your time
Narelle Lewis


Originally found at:
http://www.peterellis.org.nz/Mak/2006/02/2006-0205_Lewis_OpenLetter.htm
   Found 7/12/2016 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophostic_counseling
This letter is now archived at:
   https://drive.google.com/file/d/159oQ82xYpaEpPoMN4_TsLmfVg2222SsD

Editor’s Comment:    
       The retractor provides an remarkable insight into how a prayer ministry that assumes "repressed memory" to be a fact, combined with a person having significant authority (a licensed counselor who claimed to be a Christian) predictably nurtured false memories.   This is a clear example and replication of how false memories are formed.  Experts have long  long debunked repressed memories that is openly accepted by the founder of the TPM ministry (Ed Smith).
       Shame is often the outcome once the accusations are leveled.   The horrid implications for the client, family and accused can have a huge impact on reputations, careers and livelihoods.  Clients and the falsely accused are both victims of this "prayer ministry".  This ministry needlessly causes a deleterious impact on family reputation.  The shame associated with the accusations (even after they are retracted) is a part of the reason such programs continue to breed more false memories and more tragedy as new clients are ignorant (due to the silence)  of the horrid outcomes such programs frequently generate.
       Profit is also another reason these tragic therapies continue to be propagated.