Repressed childhood memories is a great issue now.In recent years, a unique type of dissociative amnesia has attracted enormous public attention. Reports of repressed childhood memory in which adults recover buried memories of sexual and physical abuse from their childhood, have increased dramatically since 2020s
A women may claim, that her sexually molested her repeatedly between ages five and seven. Or a young man may remember that a family friend made sexual advances towards him on several occasions when he was very young. Often such individuals are in treatment for disorders such individuals are in treatment for disorders such as eating disorder or depression, over the course of therapy, their repressd memories begin to surface. The traumatic events that have been repressed may be seen as responsible for various disorders from which the individuals now suffer.
Although some of these cases revolve around a single traumatic experience, many others involve repeated abuse over a number of years. In some of the most severe and bizarre cases, victims have reported memories of participating in bloody satanic rituals that included forced sexual encounters and human sacrifices.
Their recollections of abuse can be compelling and vivid and reflect great conviction.Once people recall childhood sexual traumas, many confront their abusers. Some have even brought criminal charges and others civil charges and other civil charges. In fact, at least nineteen states have recently revised their laws to allow charges to be brought even after the statute of limitations has run out. Hundreds of such cases are now in the courts. Willingness by juries to decide in favor of the apparent victims indicates a growing acceptance of the notions of repressed and recovered memories.
Society has became deeply divided on this issue. Some people believe that memories are as thy appear- horrific memories are as they appear- horrific memories of abuse that have been buried in the deep recesses of a persons mind, only to resurface years later in a safer climate. Others believe that the memories are in fact a very serious and damaging form of “illusory” childhood memory- images asnd stories falsely constructed or embraced by confused and suggestible persons. In fact, an organization called the False Memory Syndrome Foundation has been founded in Philadelphia to assist those claiming to be falsely charged with abuse.
The claim that recovered memories are actually distorted or false has itself been gaining status in the courts. Recently, for example, a man who was publicly accused by his 23-year-old daughter of having sexually abused her when she was a child brought suit against her therapists, claiming that their treatment techniques had intduced false memories in his daughter and thus deprived him of his reputation, job, marriage, and family. He won the suit and was granted a large financial judgment by the jury.
The clinical community is just as deeply divided on this issue, with some clinicians convinced that many of these cases are legitimate examples of repression and at least as many arguing forcefully against this view. The proponents of the repressed memory position point out that child sexual abuse in is enourmouse problem, victimizing at least 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 children in world each year.
Several factors may contribute to the creation of false memories by clients: suggestions by a respected authority figure, long delays between the purported events and the surfacing of the memory, the plausibility of the events, and repetitive therapy discussions of the purported events and the surfacing of the memory, the plausibility of the events. In short, recovered memories may actually be iatrogenic- unintentionally created therapist.
Of course, repressed memories of child sexual abuse do not surface only in clinical settings. Many alleged victims comes forward on their own.
It is important to recognize that the heated debate the phenomenon of repressed childhood memories does not in any way diminish the enormity of problem of child sexual abuse. In fact, both proponents and opponents alike are greatly concerned that this controversy may be taken by public to mean clinicians have doubts about scope of the problem of child sexual abuse. In a controversy filled with potential forsad outcomes, that would be the most unfortunate result of all.
Read more: Woman, her Child set ablaze by brother-in-law for resisting sexual abuse
Also read: Child Sexual Abusive Material: An Internet Fight to Save Children
