3 ms·

"Then finally you go into therapy and crack through the repression barrier and out comes this pristine memory. But there really is no credible scientific suppor

"Then finally you go into therapy and crack through the repression barrier and out comes this pristine memory. But there really is no credible scientific support for that notion." I personally had a repressed memory and it was uncovered in therapy. I am lucky that my mom is still alive and was able to verify the memories. It's obvious to me from the snark in her tone like the word "pristine" and the rest of the article that she is a shill for defense attorneys.

Ellipsis753 13y ago
Could you expand on this story a little? It would be interesting to hear what happened in your experience if you're willing to talk about it.
brazzy 13y ago
Obviously a shill, huh? Sorry, but I find her a lot more believable than you.
Daniel_Newby 13y ago
False memory experts also work closely with interrogators and prosecutors to avoid contaminating testimony. Most district attorneys do not want to be involved in a fiasco like the Satanic ritual abuse cases.
err_badprocrast 13y ago
Marijuana can also cause vivid recollection of forgotten memories. In my experience it's closer to reliving a moment than remembering; overall a very interesting experience.
ScottBurson 13y ago
I do believe that memories can be repressed and later recovered, but I also think that using recovered memories as evidence in a court of law is highly problematic. If a memory provides information that leads to actual forensic evidence -- the locations of buried bodies being a particularly dramatic example -- that can certainly be the basis for a conviction. But if it can't be corroborated at all, I would encourage a court to tread very lightly.
kvee 13y ago
I think you and she disagree about what a "repressed memory" is. Maybe what you call "a repressed memory" she'd call conveniently forgotten. I think what she takes issue with is the idea that "in order to go on in life, you had to wall off this memory, because it would be too painful to live with." That you remembered a memory in therapy does not mean that you necessarily walled it off previously because it was too painful to live with. Or maybe you did, but she says there is not yet "credible scientific support." Maybe the research just hasn't been done yet. Seems like her attitude towards "repressed memory" is an overly literal reaction against colloquially popular definitions of repressed memories. Perhaps her attitude is for the best because by not believing in the notion of repressed memories we prevent ourselves from having them? Still, isn't that some form of repression?!
- andrewtbham 13y ago
  "in order to go on in life, you had to wall off this memory, because it would be too painful to live with." That was my experience. There were some embarrassing and traumatic events when I was a child. Throughout the rest of my childhood there were frequent reminders of the events. If I brought the events up later to my parent's they wouldn't acknowledge them, and they strongly discourage me from discussing it. These were significant events that led to my parent's divorce and I repressed them. When I recalled them later it was very emotional. With regards to research and scientific proof... I don't know how you would prove it. How can others verify my experience. It's not easily repeatable. Even if it were repeatable... how could you prove something like that in an ethical way without traumatizing people.
PeterisP 13y ago
The risk is that the same therapy techniques can "restore" memories that weren't there and didn't happen in the first place - and there are no known ways to distinguish the results to see if the memory was or wasn't real.

Ellipsis753 13y ago

Could you expand on this story a little? It would be interesting to hear what happened in your experience if you're willing to talk about it.

brazzy 13y ago

Obviously a shill, huh? Sorry, but I find her a lot more believable than you.

Daniel_Newby 13y ago

False memory experts also work closely with interrogators and prosecutors to avoid contaminating testimony. Most district attorneys do not want to be involved in a fiasco like the Satanic ritual abuse cases.

err_badprocrast 13y ago

Marijuana can also cause vivid recollection of forgotten memories. In my experience it's closer to reliving a moment than remembering; overall a very interesting experience.

ScottBurson 13y ago

I do believe that memories can be repressed and later recovered, but I also think that using recovered memories as evidence in a court of law is highly problematic. If a memory provides information that leads to actual forensic evidence -- the locations of buried bodies being a particularly dramatic example -- that can certainly be the basis for a conviction. But if it can't be corroborated at all, I would encourage a court to tread very lightly.

kvee 13y ago

I think you and she disagree about what a "repressed memory" is. Maybe what you call "a repressed memory" she'd call conveniently forgotten. I think what she takes issue with is the idea that "in order to go on in life, you had to wall off this memory, because it would be too painful to live with." That you remembered a memory in therapy does not mean that you necessarily walled it off previously because it was too painful to live with. Or maybe you did, but she says there is not yet "credible scientific support." Maybe the research just hasn't been done yet. Seems like her attitude towards "repressed memory" is an overly literal reaction against colloquially popular definitions of repressed memories. Perhaps her attitude is for the best because by not believing in the notion of repressed memories we prevent ourselves from having them? Still, isn't that some form of repression?!

andrewtbham 13y ago
"in order to go on in life, you had to wall off this memory, because it would be too painful to live with." That was my experience. There were some embarrassing and traumatic events when I was a child. Throughout the rest of my childhood there were frequent reminders of the events. If I brought the events up later to my parent's they wouldn't acknowledge them, and they strongly discourage me from discussing it. These were significant events that led to my parent's divorce and I repressed them. When I recalled them later it was very emotional. With regards to research and scientific proof... I don't know how you would prove it. How can others verify my experience. It's not easily repeatable. Even if it were repeatable... how could you prove something like that in an ethical way without traumatizing people.

PeterisP 13y ago

The risk is that the same therapy techniques can "restore" memories that weren't there and didn't happen in the first place - and there are no known ways to distinguish the results to see if the memory was or wasn't real.