A small ppt discussing repressed memories including case studies, the difference between repressed memories and false memories, as well as psychologist's theories regarding this matter. I hope this information is helpful to those wondering about this subject.

1. Repressed
Memories
Psy101

2. OUTLINE
● Background
● Definition
● Case Studies
● Psychologists Theories
● Repressed VS False Memories
● Conclusion

3. Background
Cases of emotional trauma such as abuse and sexual assault started the
theory of memory repression, where the patient does not remember the
event properly, or at all.
Sigmund Freud was the first scientist to discuss repressed memory, after a
case of his inspired him to discuss emotional repression, trauma and how
they are related, but he later abandoned it because of lack of scientific
evidence.

4. Background
Some of the techniques used in recovering lost
memories were:
● Hypnosis: a therapeutic technique in which
clinicians make suggestions to individuals who
have undergone a procedure designed to relax
them and focus their minds.
● Guided imagery: a program of directed
thoughts and suggestions that guide your
imagination toward a relaxed, focused state.
● Automatic writing: a claimed psychic ability
allowing a person to produce written words
without consciously writing.
Non-believers:
Around the 1990’s renowned scientists and
psychologists started discovering that the
memories recovered were false and unreliable
after trying to match them up with real life
events, therefore discrediting the theory and
considering repressed memories a myth.

5. Definition
● Repressed memory can be defined as a blocked memory because of the
happenings of a traumatic event and it is compared to Dissociative Amnesia.
● Dissociative Amnesia: “inability to recall autobiographical information. This
amnesia may be localized (i.e., an event or period of time), selective (i.e., a
specific aspect of an event), or generalized (i.e., identity and life history).”

6. Case Studies
1. The case of “Claudia.” Recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse by her older brother, corroborated by documentary
evidence. Her case is notable for three reasons: first, it was written up in Science News; second, the memories came back in the
course of group therapy; and third, they were corroborated through powerful documentary physical evidence. As detailed by Bruce
Bower,
After losing more than 100 pounds in a hospital weight-reduction program she had entered to battle severe obesity,
Claudia experienced flashbacks of sexual abuse committed by her older brother. She joined a therapy group for incest
survivors, and memories of abuse flooded back. Claudia told group members that from the time she was 4 years old to her
brother’s enlistment in the Army three years later, he had regularly handcuffed her, burned her with cigarettes, and forced
her to submit to a variety of sexual acts.
Claudia’s brother had died in combat in Vietnam more than 15 years before her horrifying memories surfaced. Yet Claudia’s
parents had left his room and his belongings untouched since then. Returning home from the hospital, Claudia searched
the room. Inside a closet she found a large pornography collection, handcuffs, and a diary in which her brother had
extensively planned and recorded what he called sexual ‘experiments’ with his sister. (Bruce Bower, “Sudden recall: adult
memories of child abuse spark a heated debate.” Science News (September 18, 1993), Vol. 144 , No. 12: pp. 184-86.)

7. Case Studies
2.D’s recovered memory (in 1991) of sexual abuse by her father, Stanley Huntingford, 20-34 years earlier. As summarized
by Justice Thackray, “Mr. Huntingford was convicted by a jury on six counts of what is now generally called sexual assault.
The charges were brought by three of his five children. Of the three, two had continuous memories of the abuse while the
third, D., recovered her memory 34 years after the first assault.” Her Majesty the Queen v. Stanley Charles Huntingford
(Supreme Court of British Columbia)(Vancouver Registry No. CC940539).
“The first woman [with continuous memory] said that her father regularly raped her, but stopped when she was 14 because
she screamed when he came into her bedroom. She said she told her mother about the incidents in 1981….The accused’s
wife, who testified for the defense, told the jury she never confronted her husband when the first daughter told her in 1981
about the abuse.” (Larry Still, “Father, 73, convicted of incest,” Vancouver Sun (February 4, 1995: A6).)
As Justice Thackray explained at sentencing, on March 28, 1995, “The Crown retained the services of Dr. John Yuille. Dr.
Yuille is a psychologist and a leading expert in retention and recovery of memory. He also has impressive credentials in the
area of sexual abuse. Dr. Yuille interviewed D. and prepared a report….Dr. Yuille therefore gave oral evidence in which he, in
my opinion, fairly set forth the opinions of the two opposing camps. Dr. Yuille did not in any way demean the opinion of Dr.
Loftus or the opinions of others with whom he parts company on the subject. Rather, he showed an objectivity that allowed
both the Crown and the defence to rely upon his evidence and recommend it to the jury.” Id.

8. Psychologists Theories
Sigmund Freud started developing his
psychological theories about the nature of
unconscious mental processes, which
inspired him to research about the
repression process of memories.
The concept of repressing traumatic
memories, as Freud saw it, was a
fundamental defensive process where the
mind forgets or places events, thoughts and
memories we cannot acknowledge or bear
elsewhere. He further suggested that if these
memories weren’t recalled, it could result in
physical or mental symptoms.
Later, however, Freud has disregarded his
works and beliefs on repressed memories.
In early 1980s, after Freud's
abandonment of his theories, Alice
Miller was the one to revive it,
followed by thousands of the
therapists who were continuously
trying to resurrect repressed
memories properly.

9. Repressed Vs False Memory
Repressed Memories False Memories
Memories that have been unconsciously blocked due to
the memory being associated with a high level of stress or
trauma. The theory postulates that even though the
individual cannot recall the memory, it may still be
affecting them consciously, and that these memories can
emerge later into the consciousness. Ideas on repressed
memory hiding trauma from awareness were an important
part of Sigmund Freud's early work on psychoanalysis.
He later took a different view.
The psychological phenomenon where a person recalls
something that did not happen. False memory is often
considered in legal cases regarding childhood sexual
abuse.This phenomenon was initially investigated by
psychological pioneers Pierre Janet and Sigmund Freud.
Freud wrote The Aetiology of Hysteria, where he
discussed repressed memories of childhood sexual
trauma in their relation to hysteria.

10. References
[1] Guided Imagery - Topic Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved, from https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/tc/guided-imagery-
topic-overvie
[2] American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/hypnosis/
[3] Automatic Writing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/automatic-writing
[4] Recovered Memory Therapy (RMT). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/rmt_intro.htm
[5] Repressed Memories. (n.d.). Retrieved, from http://www.guidetopsychology.com/repressn.htm
[6] Newman, L. (2017, October 10). Do trauma victims really repress memories and can therapy induce false memories? Retrieved from
http://theconversation.com/do-trauma-victims-really-repress-memories-and-can-therapy-induce-false-memories-84998
[7] Dennis S. Bull, “A Verified Case of Recovered Memories of Sexual Abuse,” American Journal of Psychotherapy, Vol. 53, No. 2,
Spring 1999, pp. 221-224.

11. References
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repressed_memory
[9] Science News (September 18, 1993), Vol. 144 , No. 12: pp. 184-86.)
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_memory