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F M S F O U N D A T I O N N E W S L E T T E R (e-mail edition)
October/November 1999 Vol 8 No 7
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ISSN #1069-0484. Copyright (c) 1999 by the FMS Foundation
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The FMSF Newsletter is published 8 times a year by the False
Memory Syndrome Foundation. A hard-copy subscription is in-
cluded in membership fees (to join, see last page). Others may
subscribe by sending a check or money order, payable to
FMS Foundation, to the address below. 1999 subscription rates:
USA: $30, Student $15; Canada: $35, Student $20 (in U.S.
dollars); Foreign: $40, Student $20; Single issue price: $3.
3401 Market Street suite 130, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3315
This address and the phone numbers have changed as of July 15, 2000
Phone 215-387-1865, Fax 215-387-1917
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Feld
Rapp
Lief
Legal Corner
From Our Readers
Bartha
Bulletin Board
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Dear Friends,
"A major factor in the health-care industry's lack of progress is
its carefully guarded system of self-policing, an honor system that
even insiders say is ineffective. At its roots is what doctors and
researchers describe as a culture built around blame, in which
medical professionals face intense pressure to deny or rationalize
failure, lest they be ruined. And little is being done to change
that culture."
Andrea Gerlin, Philadelphia Inquirer.
September 15, 1999, "Curing a culture of its denial"
Although the passage above was not written in direct reference to
the recovered memory problem,[1] it is certainly applicable. With some
notable exceptions, such as the comments by Morton Rapp, M.D. on page
5 of this issue, most professionals have been silent on the recovered
memory controversy, thereby allowing a few vociferous individuals and
organizations to represent the field by denying or rationalizing the
problems associated with recovered memories.
While the wall of denial and the rationalization of treatment
failure remain intensely frustrating for all involved with FMS, the
Inquirer passage provides perspective. It reminds us that the FMS
experience is but a part of the larger culture of medicine. Consumers
and professionals with other concerns have also felt their progress
hindered because of a culture of denial and a failure to speak out.
If we look specifically at issues of memory, moreover, we see that
the wall has essentially fallen. We see this change in new
professional and popular books and in the culture at large in which
the constructive and malleable nature of memory are now routinely
explained. We see it in the memory malpractice cases in which experts
for the defense often sound like experts for the plaintiffs on the
subject of memory processes. In terms of the Foundation's educational
goals, this change is enormously satisfying.
We have long suspected that the silent majority of psychiatrists
are actually concerned about the problems associated with recovered
memory therapy because of the many supportive letters from
professionals we have received over the years. Indeed, a recent survey
of Massachusetts-registered psychiatrists seems to bear this out: of
those who returned the survey, 69% endorsed the following statement:
"The numbers of false accusations of childhood sexual abuse appearing
to emerge from the psychotherapy of adults, constitute a real problem
needing public acknowledgment as such by the mental health
professions."[2] If a majority expresses these sentiments only in the
anonymity of a survey, how powerful must the pressure be in the field
not to speak out about perceived problems!
The silence of the majority, however, simply gives louder voice to
those who deny and rationalize the problems. Silence has allowed the
vociferous minority to argue misleadingly that the false memory
problem is unimportant because only a small number of people have been
affected. But harming one person is just as wrong as harming ten
persons. The ethical code is clear: Do no harm.
The loud minority rationalizes inaction by painting the FMS
Foundation or its advisors in a negative light through ad hominem
attacks. For example, Allen Feld (page 4) returns to comments from
former president of the American Psychiatric Association, Paul Fink,
M.D., who calls the foundation a "foe" of psychotherapy in spite of
the fact that support for psychotherapy has been expressed many times
in this newsletter. (See also comments of Harold Lief, MD in this
issue.).
Another recent example of an ad hominem attack can be found in the
program for the upcoming conference of the International Society for
the Study of Dissociation (ISSD formerly ISSMP&D) in which Ross Cheit
describes his presentation about "A recent criticism by FMSF
operative,[3] August Piper..." (emphasis added) Is "operative"
appropriate scholarly language to describe someone who challenges
one's views? Is it appropriate for inclusion in the program of a
"scholarly" conference? Personal attacks are not relevant to the
validity or invalidity of arguments about recovered memory therapy.
Further, the tactic of ad hominem attack betrays the critics'
inability to argue the hard facts.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Correction |
| from the December issue |
| Ross Cheit, Ph.D., J.D., assures readers that he intended no slur |
| when he described August Piper, M.D. as an "operative" of the FMS |
| Foundation. The editor takes responsibility for this |
| interpretation. |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
The silent majority is demeaned by the minority in the
rationalization used by the defense in many malpractice cases such as
the Hess trial reported in this issue. "The accused psychiatrist was
only doing what other therapists were doing at the time," they
claim. In the Hess trial, some of the most highly credentialed
recovered memory supporters in the country testified, but the jury did
not buy their arguments and awarded $862,000 to the plaintiffs. The
plaintiffs' lawyers, William Smoler and Pamela Smeltzer, pointed out
that standards for medical care have been in place for years with
respect to differential diagnoses, the need for informed consent, and
proper procedures to follow when patients fail to improve. They also
told the jury that knowledge of the dangers of confabulation with the
use of hypnosis and skepticism about the MPD diagnosis existed well
before the current controversy.
Silence confers consent. That is a lesson from our history books
and it is a lesson relearned from the recovered memory controversies.
We have been thinking a great deal about the lessons we have
learned from the FMS phenomenon. To us, this seems an appropriate time
to focus on the constructive outcomes of the memory debates. With a
working title of "Memory and Reality: Lessons Learned," we are in the
planning stage for an FMSF conference on Saturday April 8, 1999,
possibly to extend through Sunday morning, depending on interest and
finances. This will likely follow a professional meeting that some
families might also like to attend on Friday April 7 sponsored by a
medical college.
From the tragedy of the families to the genuine concerns of
professional -- and even from the ridiculous smear attacks -- many of
us have been enriched in ways we never planned. At the very least,
families, professionals and the media are far more savvy about the
workings of memory and the problems brought by the unmonitored
exponential growth of the mental health field. By carefully assessing
what we have learned, we can then determine what we still may need to
learn or to do.
PAMELA
[1] This passage appeared in the conclusion of a 4-part series about
routine accidents in hospitals that rarely become public. The
records of the Medical College of Pennsylvania became public only
because of bankruptcy proceedings last year. According to Lucian
Leape of the Harvard School of Public Health, accidental deaths in
the U.S. rank as follows: commercial aviation (329); drowning
(3,959); falls(14,986); medical error (120,000) (Inquirer p 1,
Sept 12, 1999)
[2] Feigon & deRivera, Compr Psychiatry 1998 Nov-Dec 39(6):3,
"Recovered-memory therapy: Profession at a turning point."
[3} "operative": According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in 1905
the N.Y. Press said that Pinkerton invented the term as a synonym
for detective. Since at least 1937, it has meant spy.
+----------------------------------------------------+
| SPECIAL THANKS |
| |
| We extend a very special `Thank you' to all of |
| the people who help prepare the FMSF Newsletter. |
| |
| EDITORIAL SUPPORT: Toby Feld, Allen Feld, Janet |
| Fetkewicz, Howard Fishman, Peter Freyd |
| RESEARCH: Michele Gregg |
| COLUMNISTS: August Piper, Jr. and members |
| of the FMSF Scientific Advisory Board |
| LETTERS and INFORMATION: Our Readers |
+----------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| FINANCIAL UPDATE |
| |
| The FMS Foundation's major fundraising takes place each fall -- |
| and is now underway. A financial update is, therefore, in order. |
| |
| First, the good news. The Foundation's fiscal year closed February |
| 28, 1999. The report of the outside auditors was given at the |
| last meeting of the executive committee of the board. Once again, |
| the CPA firm that audits the books and financial statements gave |
| an unqualified opinion. Most important, the fiscal results showed |
| that for every dollar spent, 75 cents went for program services, |
| 20 cents for administrative and general expenses, and 5 cents for |
| membership development and fund raising. Clearly, the Foundation's |
| focus is unswerving. |
| |
| Now the more somber news. Of all that the Foundation set out to |
| accomplish, nothing has been as important as seeing families -- |
| torn apart by the recovered memory movement-restored to wholeness. |
| Although most families are still hoping that this will happen, for |
| an increasing number it is taking place. While this is wonderful |
| news, the support of FMSF has declined as many of these families |
| have moved on. Other families, still torn apart, have also felt it |
| would be best for them to move on and have withdrawn. Moreover, |
| ours is an organization of many senior citizens. Not surprisingly, |
| natural attrition has also taken a major toll. |
| |
| Recognizing these developments, the entire operation has changed; |
| staff has been reduced and smaller quarters leased. The Foundation |
| asks subscribers to the newsletter and members to provide the |
| support needed to continue the most essential activities. |
| Lee Arning and Charles Caviness |
| Fundraising Co-chairs |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
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CHARACTERISTICS, CONTEXT and CONSEQUENCES
of MEMORY RECOVERY among ADULTS in THERAPY
Andrews, B., Brewin, C.R., Ochera,J., Morton, J.,
Bekerian, D.A., Davies, G.M. and Mollon, P.,
British Journal of Psychiatry (1999) 175, 141-145
Andrews et al. report on what a selected group of therapists reported
to them about what a selected group of patients reported to the
therapists.[1] None of the researchers ever actually interviewed a
patient.[2]
One of the conclusions of the study was that "more (78%) of the
clients' initial recovered memories either preceded therapy or
preceded the use of memory recovery techniques used by the
respondents." An obvious problem with this conclusion is that the
therapists could be expected to be motivated to minimize their role in
the recovery of the memories. In the Hess trial described in this
newsletter, for example, the defending psychiatrist claimed that the
patient came to him with memories of abuse. When the dates of the
therapy sessions were actually compared to the onset of the satanic
memories, however, the influence of the psychiatrist became clear. The
first mention of any childhood abuse was after the patient had 37
outpatient sessions with the psychiatrist and another therapist and
almost a month of hospitalization with psychotherapy and hypnosis.[3]
In other words, we must have more information to draw the sorts of
conclusions claimed in this study.
The history of psychiatry has many examples of other retrospective
studies that have been used to support faulty conclusions. For
example, retrospective case studies were used to suggest that
schizophrenia and infantile autism could be cured by psychotherapy.
The claims of the Andrews et al. study must be confirmed by
prospective studies in order to be deemed valid.
[1] p. 145 The therapists differed from non participating therapists
by virtue of "having high case-loads, having seen more clients
reporting satanic abuse and having a greater belief in the
accuracy of recovered memories."
[2] p. 145 "The reliability of therapists' observations and memories
is unknown." 3.p. 217 Trial Testimony of David Spiegel, M.D.,
Wausau, WI, August 20, 1999.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| In the new Encarta Dictionary (published by St.Martins, |
| but Encarta is a name owned by Microsoft): |
| |
| FALSE MEMORY SYNDROME: a situation in which examination, therapy |
| or hypnosis has elicited apparent memories, especially of |
| childhood abuse, that are disputed by family members and are often |
| traumatic to the patient. |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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WHO SPEAKS for the CLIENTS?
Allen Feld
The American Psychological Association has studied the therapy but
has not taken a position on it, an APA spokesman said yesterday.
(Emphasis added)
C. Wetzstein The Washington Times Sept. 4, 1999
"Recovered-memory suit yields large jury award."
The APA statement cited above concluded an article about the trial of
former patient Joan Hess against her treating psychiatrist. Ms. Hess,
her children and former husband were awarded approximately $850,000.
The jury that made the award listened to five weeks of testimony and
deliberated for 25 hours. A key issue was the psychiatric treatment
that included therapy contrived to recover memories, the use of
hypnosis, and the MPD diagnosis. It seems obvious that the APA, while
stating that it is "not taking a position," is "taking a position."
In my opinion, the quoted sentence demonstrates the inability or
unwillingness of the American Psychological Association to distinguish
between appropriate therapy and harmful therapy. If the APA fails in
that fundamental task, it cannot be relied on to protect consumers.
Members of the APA often complain about lawsuits against therapists
initiated by former clients and sometimes by parents. But the best
efforts to use either the formal complaint systems created by
professional organizations or the licensing boards under state
jurisdictions have been met with a lack of responsiveness. The courts,
unfortunately, seem to be the only alternative when the APA is unable
or unwilling to speak for those harmed by its members. They are part
of the problem. When will they become part of the solution?
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WHO SPEAKS for the CLIENTS II?
FMSF Staff
Some of our professional members occasionally send us brochures about
up-coming conferences, programs, or training courses on subjects that
might be of interest to us. We appreciate these opportunities to keep
up with what is being offered to professionals in the name of
continuing education.
We recently received a Fall 1999 brochure describing a 12-week
training course in "Counseling and Hypnotherapy." Some of the
techniques taught include suggestibility exercises, past life
regression, trance induction, inner child work, imagery and
visualization, sound vibrations, and affirmations. The instructor is
referred to by a first name only and his qualifications include a
family lineage of Sufi teachers and healers, a practitioner of Sacred
Traditions, and study of hypnotherapy. After completing this training
course and taking a 4-hour AIDS awareness class, the brochure states,
participants may apply to the State of Washington to be registered as
a Counselor and/or hypnotherapist. What the brochure doesn't state,
however, is that the 12-week course is not necessary to become a
registered counselor in Washington. (A 4-hour AIDS class and payment
of a fee is all that is required to qualify as a registered counselor
in Washington.)
This shouldn't come as a surprise to our readers: past Newsletters
have mentioned other counselors in the state of Washington who
received their credentials in this manner. What is the potential harm
of this practice? The harm is to the client and to the client's family
as well. The recently settled Drawdy case in Oregon is a specific
example of the harm that can be caused by a therapist with no
legitimate credentials. (See this month's Legal Corner). When clients
seek a counselor, they should be entitled, at the very least, to a
counselor with an educational background and degrees pertinent to the
field of psychotherapy. Therapy, in the right hands, can be
beneficial. When provided by untrained, incompetent or uninformed
therapists, it can be harmful.
* "Crazy" Therapies, by Margaret Singer and Janja Lalich (Jossey-Bass
Publishers, 1996) has a section in Chapter 9 on Consumer Guidelines
that provides guidelines on choosing a therapist, evaluating a current
therapist and traits of bad therapists.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| Attention Mental Health Professionals |
| |
| Have you had an experience with FMS, either personal or |
| professional, that you wold be willing to write about for the FMSF |
| newsletter? If so, please detail your experience in 500-1000 |
| words. Experiences might involve training, working with |
| colleagues, helping retractors or families, dealings with |
| professional organizations, being an accused mental health worker |
| or being a mental health worker who acquired false memories. |
| |
| The Foundation has made a concerted effort to document the stories |
| of families. We would like to document the experiences of |
| professionals. Be sure to include your name and your profession |
| and send to the FMSF or e-mail: [pam@linc.cis.upenn.edu]* |
\____________________________________________________________________/
*Note added 2007-11-13: the above email address is obsolete. The
current address is pamfreyd@earthlink.net -- please use this instead.
**********************************************************************
MORE on INFORMED CONSENT
Allen Feld
In a November 1998 column in Clinical Psychiatry News, Dr. Paul
Fink[1] creates the impression that the FMS Foundation is attacking
all of psychotherapy. He writes: "The foes of psychotherapy have
developed an interesting tactic -- a demand for informed consent for
psychotherapy." He also notes that "Stressing the importance of
informed consent for psychotherapy through forms and lengthy warnings
is antithetical to the time-honored technique of helping patients
learn about themselves gradually over time." Dr. Fink seems to have
overlooked the ethical codes and guidelines promulgated by the
American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
Does he consider these organizations to be "foes of psychotherapy" for
writing the following:
"The physician's obligation is to present the medical facts
accurately to the patient or to the individual responsible for the
patient's care and to make recommendations for management in
accordance with good medical practice. The physician has an ethical
obligation to help the patient make choices from among the
therapeutic alternatives consistent with good medical practice....
Social policy does not accept the paternalistic view that the
physician may remain silent because divulgence might prompt the
patient to forego needed therapy."
Section 8.08 AMA Code of Medical Ethics, 1994 Edition
* * *
"In general, informed consent should be obtained from all adult
patients prior to the initiation of psychiatric treatment...
"Psychiatrists should offer patients or others from whom consent is
being obtained information about the nature of their condition, the
nature of the proposed treatment, benefits of the proposed
treatment, risks of the proposed treatment, and available
alternatives to the proposed treatment along with their benefits and
risks."
American Psychiatric Association
Principles of Informed Consent in Psychiatry, June, 1996
NB: This is a "resource" and does not represent APA policy.)
When a member of the bar details, as follows, the information that
will potentially allow a patient to make a more intelligent informed
choice, is she, too, to be designated a "foe of psychotherapy?
"While a particular medication or other therapy may from the
professional's perspective clearly be beneficial, concerns about
anticipated or real side effects must be honestly discussed. It is
the clinician's obligation to carefully listen and flexibly respond
to experiences of consumers.
Susan Langle, Esq, Client & Legal Services,
New Hampshire Div of Behavioral Health.
The OCA Quarterly Report, 4 (2) June 1999
Dr. Fink fails to distinguish between the Foundation and the actions
taken by some of its members and other professionals who are actively
seeking to get informed consent legislation passed. Examining and
understanding why these people feel it is necessary to take this
action would better serve psychotherapy and those who provide and
receive such services. For a psychiatrist to label as "foes" people
with whom he disagrees is troubling. If there is such a thing as a
"Leadership Council," we wish that it would exercise its leadership by
changing the profession so that citizens would not need to go to the
courts or their legislative bodies to gain protection from therapists
who use unscientific, unproven and harmful therapies.
[1] Former president of the American Psychiatric Association and the
current president of the self-declared Leadership Council (See
FMSF Newsletter, September 1999, p. 3)
Allen Feld is Director of Continuing Education for the FMS
Foundation. He has retired from the faculty of the School of Social
Work at Marywood University in Pennsylvania.
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SUGGESTED REVISIONS for "RECOVERED MEMORY" GUIDELINES
of AUSTRALIAN PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
PRESENTED at RITUAL ABUSE SEMINAR
Five years after guidelines have been released, the Australian
Psychological Association reviews them to determine if they are still
needed. In that context, suggested revisions of the Society's 1995
"Guidelines Relating to 'Recovered Memory'" were presented at a Ritual
Abuse Seminar in September. This seminar was attended by therapists,
many of whom indicated they had been treating patients for ritual
abuse, "multiple personality" and "repressed memories of abuse" for
more than a decade.
The suggested revisions, which had not been sent to the relevant
group of the APS, were presented as more "client and therapist
sensitive." The suggestions have not been approved by the APS but are
of interest because they show the sorts of pressures that exist within
professional groups.
Among the suggestions is the deletion of the statement "Relatedly,
psychologists should recognize that therapeutic interventions may have
an indirect impact on people other than the client they are treating."
And among the additions is the notion that psychologists should "be
prepared to discuss with any client who recovered a memory of abuse
that it may be true or false, partly true, distorted, thematically
true, metaphorically true, or a blend of accurate, distorted or
symbolic material."
The language of the suggestions reveals the bias of the writers
when it refers to "accused offenders" rather than accused people; it
makes no reference to "unaccused offenders." The complete 1995
guidelines, the suggested changes and a commentary should soon be
available at www.afma.asn.au. If you do not have access to the web,
you may request them from the FMS Foundation.
Thanks to Andrew Gibbs, Bsc (hons) Msc. Ph.D., member of the
Australian Psychological Society and Professional Advisory Board of
the Australian False Memory Association for this information.
Editor's question: If clients can have metaphorically true memories,
can they pay for their therapy with metaphorically true checks?
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| "When I first began to work as a therapist, I naively believed |
| that the past was fixed and knowable; that if I were perspicacious |
| enough, I could discover that first false turn, that fateful trail |
| that has led to a life gone wrong; and that I could act on this |
| discovery to set things right again. In those days I would have |
| deepened [my patient's] hypnotic state, regressed her in age, |
| asked her to explore early traumas -- for example, her father's |
| sexual abuse -- and urged her to experience and discharge all the |
| attendant feelings, the fear the arousal, the rage, the betrayal. |
| |
| "But over the years I've learned that the therapist's venture is |
| not to engage the patient in a joint archaeological dig. If any |
| patients have ever been helped in that fashion, it wasn't because |
| of the search and the finding of that false trail (a life never |
| goes wrong because of a false trail; it goes wrong because the |
| main trail is false). No, a therapist helps a patient not by |
| sifting through the past but by being lovingly present with that |
| person; by being trustworthy, interested; and by believing that |
| their joint activity will ultimately be redemptive and healing." |
| Yalom, Irvin D. 1989. |
| Love's executioner and other tales of psychotherapy. |
| New York: Basic Books. p. 227 |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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CHARTER HOSPITALS in NEWS AGAIN
Effective September 14, 1999, three private psychiatric hospitals in
Massachusetts owned by Charter Behavioral Health are no longer allowed
to treat Medicaid and Medicare patients. One of the hospitals violated
regulations on the use of restraints on children. According to Health
Care Financing Authority records, among the problems were a 9-year-old
girl placed in restraint in July and a 10-year-old boy placed in a
six-point restraint in June, neither by written orders from doctors.
The hospital chain received $11.4 million in 1997 and $8.2 million in
1998 in federal funds. Since the May 1999 60 Minutes II expose on
another Charter facility, the chain has been under
heightened scrutiny."
Michael LaSalandra Boston Herald, September 1, 1999
Restraint violations cost hospitals fed $$"
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I SAY, I SAY:
Time to close the book on recovered memory
By Morton S. Rapp, MD
This article was published in The National Post (Canada) 34 (20), May
26, 1998 and is reprinted with permission of the author.
The "recovered memory movement" (RMM) is approaching the end of
its 15 minutes of fame, but took 20 years to do so.
As Joan Acocella points out in "The Politics of Hysteria" (New
Yorker, April 6, 1998), we have undergone two decades in which the
existence of multiple personality disorder (MPD) was accepted by
mainstream psychiatry.
The "facts" that sexually abused infants and children frequently
recovered "repressed" memories years later, and that satanic ritual
abuse is widespread, have been accepted by our culture, aided and
abetted by a small but fanatical cadre of "believers" and disseminated
by television.
The RMM phenomenon bears many resemblances to the Salem
witch-hunts and the McCarthy political abominations at the start of
the Cold War. A reliable formula combines a "hot topic" (sin,
communism), a widespread fear of invasion (by communists or
pedophiles), a trend to self-perpetuation by the ability to accuse of
evil any dissenter ("fellow-travelers"; secret abusers) and reliance
on the most unreliable of witnesses, whether it be Whittaker Chambers
or a passel of disturbed young women.
RMM is actually going to die of its own excesses, as it strung
together phantasmagoric links between widespread sexual abuse,
memories recovered in ways defying the science of memory, and satanic
cults, evidence of which has never been found.
It took a while, but RMM has finally unraveled a conspiratorial
tale that not even Americans will believe. And for those who do, they
will find their managed care companies no longer willing to undertake
payment for treatment of MPD and RMM, possibly the first tangible
contribution of managed care to sensible medicine. Hysterical trends
ebb and flow like the tides.
King Canute proved you cannot stop the tides by willing it to
happen. But, I do think that organized psychiatry (if that be not an
oxymoron) could have done more to abort the recovered memories
movement in its first trimester. Even 15 years ago, psychiatry was
abandoning most of Sigmund Freud's most unscientific concepts,
certainly that of "repression."
Psychiatrists are allegedly more informed of broad general issues
and should have been able to isolate and name a pathogenic social
phenomenon in its midst. The few who did certainly didn't win any
medals at the time, but can now feel good about maintaining their
intellectual rigor and honesty under pressure. The rest of us have
some soul-searching to do.
Morton Rapp is a psychiatrist in Toronto.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| "Confirmation bias should be a matter of great interest and |
| concern to lawyers and judges. For example, lie-detector |
| (polygraph) examiners may start with a hypothesis that they |
| "confirm" by asking just the right questions. Or a mental health |
| professional investigating child abuse may too readily (albeit |
| unwittingly) collaborate with the presumed victim to create |
| memories of abuse that never occurred. The easily made diagnosis |
| of child abuse can be notoriously difficult to falsify, |
| particularly when the victim is an adult and the abuse occurred |
| early in childhood. This has led to several spectacular |
| miscarriages of justice." |
| |
| Foster, Kenneth R. and Huber, Peter W. 1997. |
| Judging science: Scientific knowledge and the federal courts. |
| Cambridge: The MIT Press. p. 45 |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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BOOK REVIEW
Therapy's Delusions
By Ethan Watters and Richard Ofshe
New York, Scribners, 1999
Reviewed by Harold Lief, M.D.
It is not easy to review a book when I find that there's much to agree
with and an equal amount with which I disagree. I applaud the authors'
delineation of the false paths of classical psychoanalytic theory and
practice. I particularly endorse their views about the role of
suggestion in all forms of psychotherapy, including psychoanalysis.
However, I believe the authors have erected an unchanging monolith to
attack which they call, but never quite identify, "psychodynamic
psychotherapy" and they have done this with a broad axe, rather than
with a chisel, let alone the scalpel, the instrument used by a surgeon
whom they frequently compare favorably to a mental health therapist. I
do not object to their criticism of Freudian theory. I would have
agreed with their views fifty years ago (I completed my own
psychoanalytic training at Columbia University in 1950). We were
taught then that Freud's ideas about the libido theory, about life and
death instincts, about the primacy of the Oedipus complex and the
central place of sexuality in the development of psychopathology were
the speculations of a poet, not those of a scientist. As an example of
a particularly damaging idea, we were taught that Freud's notions
about the locus of sexual excitation in a woman was a dangerous idea
that if endorsed by an analyst, would only increase the distress of a
female patient.
Watters and Ofshe ridicule the notion that psychoanalysis could
cure a major mental illness like schizophrenia. Fifty years ago in my
training, we were taught that it was unwise, even dangerous to
psychoanalyze schizophrenics, that schizophrenia was a biological
illness. Indeed, a group of analytic graduates from Columbia,
including me, went to Tulane University in New Orleans about 1950 to
attempt to prove that point. Unfortunately at that time we did not
have the radiographic or genetic identification techniques (the
structure of DNA was identified in 1953) now available to
neuroscientists. Watters and Ofshe may argue that these did not
represent the psychoanalytic mainstream and they would be right;
nevertheless, not all analysts had the same beliefs.
It is curious to see how the authors deal with changing beliefs.
They have selected analysts who profess to represent changing views
when, in fact, these analysts are using the same unfounded
speculations that have been in vogue for generations. The authors have
employed a highly selective process aimed at discrediting change.
Another feature of the book is the tendency to use sweeping
generalizations and then partially modify them later in the book. This
is a technique they use in discussing the relevance of childhood
events to adult behavior and in their discussion of unconscious mental
mechanisms.
Let us take a look at some of their sweeping statements. In what
they call "the fallacy of causation," they state that the
psychodynamic schools have often (note the slight modifier) limited
their search for the causes of disorder to the patient's childhood.
That notion, for example, was never part of my training. Clearly
childhood events may have large or small repercussions in one's adult
life; if they had no influence whatsoever, we would be wasting
billions of dollars in educating our young people in safe environments
(or what we hope to be safe environments), and would be unconcerned
about the role of violence, abuse, and neglect in childhood.
Novelists like Charles Dickens would make no sense.
Even when the authors are correct, when then they state that the
root cause of mental illness can be found through biochemistry,
genetics and neurology, they set up a false dichotomy between
biological or "root" causes and faulty learning. For example, in
schizophrenia, a deficient ability to experience pleasure
(biologically derived) leads to a faulty interpretation of the world
around them. A therapist can help ameliorate some of the results of
faulty learning while drugs are used to reduce the biological
deficits.
I heartily agree with their proposition that the therapist's
expectations mediate the patient's words and actions, and that this
recognition has been neglected by many psychotherapists. Indeed,
suggestion is inevitable in every interaction between therapist and
patient. It is the major cause of the travesty of psychotherapy known
as "recovered memory therapy" (a good part of a recent paper by Janet
Fetkewicz of the FMSF and me deals with the role of abuse of
suggestion in psychotherapy).
On the other hand, I am amazed at the next line on page 37: "These
therapists have offered the proposition that once a cause is discovered,
the symptom will disappear." While it is true that Freud believed this a
hundred years ago, few reasonable psychotherapists have entertained that
Hollywood notion, exemplified in Hitchcock's "Spellbound" with Jimmy
Stewart and Ingrid Bergman. This is an example of overstatement and
oversimplification.
Once you include the use of suggestion in any psychotherapy, you
have to agree with the authors contention about "the fallacy of
non-influence" and "the fallacy of confirmation," the consequences of
self-affirming feedback loops between therapist and patient, a point
Fetkewicz and I emphasized in our paper.
Points of agreement are significant, but they have to be set apart
from points of disagreement. An example of disagreement with the
authors is their allegation that psychoanalysis has ignored cultural
influences. Again, we return to a monolithic view of psychoanalysis.
The recognition of cultural influences led to the development of the
ideas of Karen Horney (and those of Clara Thompson) and the Horney
Institute in the 1940s. It is true that Horney's ideas were not then
acceptable to the mainstream of analysis but, on the other hand, it
does indicate that beliefs were changing sixty years ago.
The authors agree that there are out-of-awareness mental
processes, but they argue that there is no evidence "that
psychotherapists have special methods for laying bare out of awareness
mental processes." Again, I return to the criticism that the authors
never really identify or fully describe psychodynamic psychotherapy --
they seem to equate it with classical psychoanalysis; yet they seem to
attack all talk therapy, but on the other hand, approve of cognitive
therapy and behavioral therapy.
Let us take a look at how data about human behavior, subjective
aspects of thoughts and feelings, as well as data about health and
illness, are derived. There are two methods: inspective and
introspective. When one goes to a doctor, he not only examines us with
a variety of tools and senses (in the old days, even smelling the
patients' urine was part of the examination), but he asks us to
describe our pains, discomforts, in short, our bodily sensations. He
will ask about our behaviors, about what makes things better or worse,
about environmental influences, about our habits. The doctor is using
a mixture of inspective and introspective methods. We have to tell the
doctor unless we withhold, what we feel and think to help him achieve
a working diagnosis.
Like the medical doctor, the psychotherapist has to use the same
methods of obtaining data. He observes his patient and listens.
Psychotherapists have varying skills in eliciting data, and some are
so married to their theories (in a state that does not recognize
divorce) that their beliefs interfere with the collection of
data. Watters and Ofshe do a wonderful job of describing such
therapists. But, to say that the psychotherapist has no special
methods for uncovering out-of-awareness mental processes makes no
sense. Since I am a sex therapist, when I inquire about a patient's
sexual fantasies, the patient may have to ponder and search his
recollections for the fantasies and at first be unable to describe
when and how they occur. These are usually not "deeply" unconscious,
yet they are out of awareness until the patient does some work. The
therapist can learn about the patient's pattern of erotic arousal,
even ideas about potential partners and some ideas about the "sexual
self". Of course, Watters and Ofshe are correct that too many
therapists interpret fantasies influenced by highly speculative
theories. Yet, asking about fantasies, sexual or other, is at the core
of psychodynamic psychotherapy.
The authors laud cognitive therapy without ever describing it.
Take, however, a principle technique of cognitive therapy-- namely
inquiring about "automatic thoughts." These are the thoughts usually
just out of awareness that a person has before he experiences certain
feelings about himself, others, or the world around. Discovering these
automatic thoughts is the key to changing a person's belief system.
This is an example of another special technique used in uncovering
unconscious thought processes.
There are times when the authors protest that a person has no
definite pattern of behavior-- that seems to be nonsense. All of us
have patterns of behavior, mechanisms of psychological adaptation,
often appropriate and adaptive, sometimes inappropriate and
maladaptive. We all have mindsets or schemas with which we perceive
ourselves and the world around us. They may be more or less conscious,
more or less influenced by events in our past. A good part of
psychotherapy is aimed at increasing the patient's awareness of these
behaviors and perceptions. The patient learns how "emotional thinking"
leads to selection of cues and reinforcement of the schema. This also
illustrates how cognitive processes "laid bare" are part of what I
regard as "psychodynamic psychotherapy." When a patient develops a
phobia, for example, based on the sensory cues surrounding an initial
attack of anxiety, as I described in a paper I wrote in 1955, the
connections are outside awareness. I was roundly criticized by
orthodox psychoanalysts for saying that choice of phobic objects were
based on faulty associations rather than on symbolism; nevertheless,
the faulty associations were outside awareness. This is a different
view of unconscious mental processes from the ones attacked by the
authors, yet these are all part of dynamic psychotherapy, of "talk
therapy."
Long ago, even though I had been President of the American Academy
of Psychoanalysis and a charter fellow of The American College of
Psychoanalysts, I realized that psychoanalysis was not cost effective.
Also, I wanted to increase my use of inspective methods so I
specialized in marital and family therapy where I could observe
behaviors (the inspective method), notably the interaction among the
family members. This made the data collection more trustworthy, but I
still had to listen to what was said by the family members
(introspection). I also became a sex therapist where I could use
behavioral interventions. However, all these forms of therapies are
talk therapies.
The authors are on target when they speak of the vast increases in
inspective (biological) knowledge that neurosciences have brought to
the practice of psychiatry. We must be mindful of therapies that have
failed to live up to and have actually harmed many patients in recent
years, notably recovered memory therapy, but we must be careful not to
jettison the entire cargo as the authors are recommending. Biological
therapy, mainly medications, while so promising, is not yet at the
point where we can treat most mental illness without psychotherapy. In
fact, outcome studies show that the combination of medication and
psychotherapy is superior to either medications or psychotherapy
alone.
While I am grateful to Watters and Ofshe for their detailed
critique of the field of psychoanalysis and of psychotherapy, that
shouldn't mean that talk therapy should be discarded. Remember that
almost every encounter between doctor and patient requires talk, and
talk therapy is any therapy in which the patient reveals his inner
world of feelings and thoughts. It is through talk that a healing
relationship is established with any healer, from family doctor to
psychiatrist. That this whole process has been abused has been
thoroughly delineated by the authors, but this does not mean that the
entire enterprise is a sham and worthless.
Harold Lief, M.D. is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the
University of Pennsylvania and a member of the FMSF Scientific
Advisory Board. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Lief pioneered
the study of sex education in medical schools.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| A BOOK FOR THERAPISTS |
| The Psychotherapist's Guide to Human Memory |
| by Janet Jones. New York: Basics Books, 1999. 296 pages. |
| |
| For those who long for "truth in packaging," Janet Jones's book |
| just might be the ticket. It is a guide to human memory and one |
| that is sorely needed. The book jacket accurately describes the |
| sad state of affairs in the education of psychotherapists: " As |
| yet no mental health professional is required to study (memory) |
| it." Professional education would be much improved by having Jones'|
| book become required reading and study. If this were to happen, it |
| is reasonable to expect that as a result, there would likely be |
| fewer calamities like false memory syndrome. Dr. Jones uses fully |
| accepted scientific knowledge to present her primer on human |
| memory. It is not a book about false memory syndrome: indeed, no |
| mention of FMS could be found. What is discussed are childhood |
| memory, memory construction, retrieval and distortions, trauma or |
| the inability to judge the veridical accuracy of memory; no book |
| on memory would be complete without these inclusions. Since Jones |
| uses a minimum of technical jargon, this book may be well suited |
| for lay audiences. She provides a comprehensive list of citations |
| that will serve any readers who are interested in exploring |
| specific areas in greater detail. |
| FMSF Staff |
\____________________________________________________________________/
**********************************************************************
L E G A L C O R N E R
FMSF Staff
________________________________________
Jury Awards $862,000 in Malpractice Suit
Hess et al v. Juan Fernandez, et al Case No 95-CV-138
After hearing five weeks of testimony and engaging in 25 hours of
deliberation, a 15-person jury found psychiatrist Juan Fernandez, III
negligent in his treatment of Joan Hess and awarded Hess and her
family $862,000. Hess had accused Fernandez of implanting false
memories of sexual abuse and cult abuse and of leading her to believe
that she had more than 75 personalities. During treatment, Hess became
suicidal and was hospitalized numerous times. Hess was joined in her
suit by her two children and her former husband, the mayor of the city
of Wausau.
In an article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Hess' attorney,
William Smoler said "In my view, there is no defense for this kind of
therapy. If that means that this is now a message that this stuff has
to stop, I hope that message is delivered. This is vindication that
this craziness was not her fault." (Jury reaches verdict in negligence
trail focusing on memories, Sept. 2, 1999)
The main arguments of the defense were that Hess already had
memories when she started therapy with Fernandez and that he was
within the standard of care in her treatment as it was known between
1991 and 1994. It is noteworthy that some of the most prominent
experts in the United States testified on both sides of this
case. Their testimony addressed repressed-memory therapy, hypnosis,
standards of care and the diagnosis of multiple personality disorder.
The defense pointed out that several of the plaintiff's witnesses
were associated with the FMS Foundation. The plaintiffs noted that
most of the experts for the defense and much of the material they
submitted was from a small group of people associated with the ISSMP&D
(International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality and
Dissociation). Attorney Smoler argued that the defense experts were
part of a "cottage industry" developed by six or eight doctors
interested in cultivating MPD and who relied upon it for a living. He
noted that Chu was a past president of the ISSMP&D and that Spiegel
had been a member until he resigned a few years ago.[1] Smoler used
this to demonstrate that the standards of care relied upon by the
defense were the standards endorsed only within this small group and
were not the standards of the majority of psychiatrists. "[I]t is only
the standard of care whenever you look to anybody who is a member of
ISSMP&D [2] One of the questions in this trial centered on the timing
of Hess' memories of sexual abuse. Did Hess enter treatment with
Fernandez with memories of sexual abuse or did they come up after she
started seeing Fernandez? According to one report,[3] Hess "went to
Fernandez seeking help with nothing more serious than mild
depression. She emerged from several months of therapy recalling her
parents molesting her in a satanic cult when she was a child,
according to court records. The memories, the Hess family claims, were
implanted by Fernandez"
Spiegel's testimony evaluating Hess' treatment records noted that
the first mention of "memory problems or blocked memory is on 3/18/91
after 28 sessions between Dr. Fernandez and Carolyn Decker."[4] Later
in the testimony, in a question posed to the expert by Smoler, it was
noted that the first mention by Hess of memories of childhood sexual
abuse occurred on 5/21/91, after 37 therapy sessions and during a
month of hospitalization and hypnosis. [5]
[1] p.188 "Of the treatises that have been submitted by the defense,
17 of them were authored by Dr. Kluft, eight of them were authored
by Dr. Putnam, 12 of them were authored by Dr. Ross, three of them
were authored by Dr. Braun, 7 authored by Dr. Lowenstein -- all
past presidents of ISSMPD" Putnam was a member, but not a
president.
[2] p. 186 Trial Testimony of David Spiegel, M.D., Wausau, WI, 8/20/99
[3] Wasson & Kallio, "Suits in memory cases rise," 7/26/99 Wausau
Daily Herald
[4] p. 205 Trial Testimony of David Spiegel, M.D., Wausau, WI,8/20/99.
[5] p. 217-218 Trial Testimony of David Spiegel, M.D., Wausau, WI
8/20/99 According to reports in the Wausau Daily Herald the
following were among the experts who testified in the Hess trial:
For the plaintiffs:
August 4 - Paul McHugh, M.D., Chief of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins,
testified that Fernandez was negligent in the following ways: did
not perform proper evaluation; used hypnosis as primary treatment
with little training; over-prescribed tranquilizers, making Hess
more susceptible to suggestion; did not focus on current problems;
failed to use clinical common sense, and abandoned treatment. McHugh
noted that it is possible "and even common" for psychiatrists to
implant memories.
August 6 - James Hudson, M.D., a psychiatrist at McLean Hospital,
testified that Fernandez diagnosed and treated a cluster of 14 MPD
patients within three years of his arrival in Wausau. He noted that
this is a statistically unlikely cluster.
August 12,15 - Herzl Spiro, M.D., a Milwaukee psychiatrist,
testified that it was Fernandez' responsibility to investigate
memories and determine accuracy and that psychiatrist is in charge
of all aspects of a patient's care.
August 15 - Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D., University of Washington,
testified about the nature of memory and suggestion and noted that
Hess' memories were "highly suspicious."
For the defense:
August 20 - Daniel Brown, Ph.D., a psychologist at Harvard
University, testified that there was no evidence that Fernandez
implanted memories or contributed to MPD. But under cross
examination he stated that "there's a possibility that therapy
contributed to her condition."
August 21- David Spiegel, M.D., a psychiatrist at Stanford
University, testified that Fernandez used appropriate treatment. He
told the court that he has never seen a case of MPD caused by a
doctor implanting suggestions in a patient's mind.
August 25 - Harold Harsch, Ph.D., Associate Medical Director of
Psychology at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee,
testified that Fernandez was obligated to treat Hess for MPD whether
or not he believed her memories of sexual and satanic ritual abuse
were real.
August 28 - James Chu, M.D., Clinical Director of the
Trauma/Dissociative Disorder Treatment Program at McLean Hospital,
testified that Fernandez was only doing what other MPD therapists
were doing in the early 1990s and said that Fernandez was following
the advice given by Frank Putnam, M.D. in his 1989 book Diagnosis
and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder.
____________________________
Drawdy v Brightwater, Oregon
Willamette Week, 25 (11), August 11, 1999
On August 9, 1999, Joy Drawdy settled a lawsuit against Faith
Brightwater for an undisclosed amount. The suit alleged that
Brightwater (a.k.a. Melanie Cline, a.k.a. Melanie O'Banion)
encouraged Drawdy to believe that she had been abused as a child by a
Satanic cult but had repressed the memories. Drawdy was also led to
believe that she was really the biological child of Brightwater.
Drawdy was represented by Michael Shinn and Hala Ghores of
Portland, Oregon. According to attorney Shinn, during the period of
Drawdy's therapy, the Willamette Week published an extensive article
about the Jennifer Fultz malpractice lawsuit that involved false
memories of satanic ritual abuse.[1] When Drawdy brought the article
to her therapist's attention, Brightwater said that it was an example
of how satanists had even infiltrated the legal profession.
Drawdy chose Brightwater as a therapist shortly after moving to
Portland in 1996 basing her decision on her ad in the yellow
pages. The ad said that Brightwater was a board certified therapist in
hypnosis. According to attorney Shinn, Brightwater had no
undergraduate degree but possessed an MA and Ph.D from the LaSalle
correspondence school in Florida. In addition, Brightwater had no
clinical training.
Brightwater had been a speaker at conferences such as those held
by the now-defunct Believe the Children organization, where she
presented herself as someone abused by a satanic cult..
[1] See FMSF Newsletter June 1996, September 1996, October 1996,
December 1997 and July/August 1998.
______________________________________________________________
Drake University and Lutheran Hospital Settle Malpractice Suit
The Des Moines Register, 8/12/99
A lawsuit brought by K.S. (name removed by request)
against former Drake University
counselor and Iowa Lutheran Hospital has ended in a confidential
settlement in August. The plaintiff, a law student who sought help for
stress, had accused the counselor of planting false memories of
satanic ritual abuse and leading him in a bizarre treatment that
included seeing a psychic in Wisconsin in 1993. K.S. and the
counselor, Deborah Webb-Burmeister now of Lakeland, Fl, began a sexual
relationship in 1995. The attorney for the plaintiff was Roxanne
Conlin.
_______________________________
Malpractice Settlement in Texas
Elizabeth Goodman v Patricia P. Corke, M.D, individually;
Patricia P. Corke, M.D., P.A.; Gail Howell, M.S.W.,
Baywood Hospital, Inc, NME Psychiatric Hospital, Inc:
Tenet Healthcare Corp; Tenet Healthcare, L.P, and
National Medical Enterprise, Inc
in the District Court of Harris County, TX.
Cause No 97-07986
The plaintiff sued for negligent psychotherapy claiming that the
defendants had failed to assess and treat her properly. The plaintiff
alleged that the defendants had implanted false memories of childhood
abuse using hypnosis and other means. In addition, the plaintiff
claimed that the defendants had provided her with false information
regarding "repressed and recovered memories." The plaintiff further
claimed that the defendants had failed to obtain proper informed
consent before embarking on dangerous, untested "treatments."
The defendants denied liability and admitted no wrongdoing. The
parties and attorneys all declined to comment on the case or
settlement due to the confidentiality agreement.
Attorneys for the plaintiff were R. Christopher Barden, Ph.D.,
J.D. of North Salt Lake, Utah and Larkin Eakin, J.D. of Houston,
Texas. The settlement amount is undisclosed.
__________________________________
Wrongful-Death Settlement in Texas
Miller v Malone, Vance and Charter Grapevine
236th Judicial Dist, Carrant County, TX, Cause # 236-169773-97.
According to attorney Skip Simpson, a settlement was reached in a suit
filed by the family of a woman who killed herself after she became
convinced while in therapy that she had been the victim of bizarre
acts of sexual and satanic ritual abuse as a child. The defendants
were the woman's therapists and the Texas psychiatric facility where
she died. Jay Miller, the woman's husband, brought the action on
behalf of himself and the couple's two minor children. According to
attorney Simpson, Starla Miller went to Charter Hospital of Grapevine
in February of 1995, feeling depressed and suicidal. Miller had
earlier been treated by an Oklahoma therapist, under whose influence
she developed graphic and bizarre "memories" of her childhood. During
more than two months at Charter Grapevine, her therapist, Charles
Vance, encouraged her to believe more firmly her childhood "memories"
of being repeatedly raped and prostituted by her father, abused by her
father and others during cult-related satanic rituals, and forced to
participate in the murder of an unidentified man. Her condition
steadily worsened and she repeatedly spoke of suicide, telling the
staff at Charter that she would hang herself with a bed sheet.
Her life ended prematurely in March of 1995 after she hung herself
with a bed sheet in her room at the Charter Grapevine facility.
According to Simpson, Miller's therapists told her that she
suffered from Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) and that she was
inhabited by dozens of personalities or "alters."
At the time of her suicide, the lawsuit alleged, Charter Grapeview
was understaffed, preventing the staff from properly conducting
suicide checks. Miller's suicide came in the wake of a heated meeting
arranged by Vance, Dr. Gary L. Malone, and Charter Grapevine, during
which Miller confronted her father with allegations of abuse. The
terms of the Miller family's settlement with Charter Grapevine, Dr.
Gary L. Malone, and Charles Vance are confidential.
___________________________________
$366,800 Awarded in Wrongful Arrest
Resulting from Recovered-Memory Accusation
G. Kalogerakis, Montreal Gazette, September 17, 1999
Alain Andre, a former mayoral candidate, was arrested in 1994 at his
home at 6:30 AM by six police officers after his 25-year-old adopted
daughter told them that he had raped her when she was a child.
Mr. Andre was held in a jail cell until his release the same day. All
charges were dropped before the preliminary inquiry after Andre gave
prosecutors 40 affidavits from people who refuted the accusations.
Andre subsequently filed a lawsuit against the police. He contended
that the police should have at minimum interrogated him before
arresting him.
Andre, a lawyer, had to leave his teaching job because of the
accusation and arrest. "This cost me my political career. That's down
the drain for sure. No matter what I do, I will always be the guy who
was accused. Always the guy who was charged. Never the guy who was
acquitted."
Prosecutors, police and accuser were ordered to pay $366,800. The
daughter, who is said to have psychological problems and has not been
seen for some time, did not show up for the civil trial last year and
Judge Luc Lefebvre said that if she does not pay her third of the
award then the prosecutors and police must.
Judge Lefebvre sharply criticized a police investigator and a
prosecutor for basing their case solely on the statements of the
adopted daughter. "The prosecutor destroyed the life of a man on very
little evidence," he said. "[The prosecutor] flouted his right to
liberty, his right to safeguard his dignity, his honour and his
reputation, rights enshrined in the Quebec and Canadian charters."
Speaking about the police, Lefebvre commented: "The court is of the
opinion that [the officer] didn't undertake a serious investigation
before the arrest."
The decision may have far-reaching consequences in terms of other
sex-assault cases because the judge ruled that police need more than
just the alleged victims' accusations, even if they believe them.
_________________________________
State of New Hampshire v Sargent,
1999 WL 547885 (N.H.)
The New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that expert testimony on the
risk of false memory implantation through suggestive and coercive
questioning is admissible because the average juror may not have the
knowledge or understanding of the proper protocols and techniques used
to interview child victims. (From the Legal Aid Society NY, J.R.D.
Newsletter 25(32) August 30, 1999)
__________________________________________________
U.S. Supreme Court to Rule on Grandparents' Rights
Richard Carelli, Associated Press, September 28, 1999
"Visitation Rights To Be Decided"
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of Gary and
Jennifer Troxel of Washington state who seek to regain visitation
rights to their young granddaughters over the objections of the girls'
mother, Tommie Granville Wynn. The court expects to hear arguments in
January and a decision is expected by next June.
A lawyer with AARP's state legislative department said, "We have
lots of members who are very interested in protecting the special and
unique bond grandparents have with their grandchildren."
____________________________________________
California Eliminates Statute of Limitations
in Sex Abuse Cases Retroactively
The People v Frazer
Case No S067443, Supreme Ct of Calif, 1999 Cal. LEXIS 5535
On August 30 in a 4-3 decision, the California Supreme Court upheld a
1994 law and ruled that suspected child molesters can be prosecuted
years or decades after the alleged crime, even if the statute of
limitations has passed. The ruling contradicted decisions by courts in
some other states that such laws are unconstitutional.
The 1994 law states that the crime must have involved one of some
specified sexual acts and that prosecutors must present evidence that
clearly and convincingly corroborates the crime. Such evidence cannot
consist of the opinion of a mental health professional, a point
relevant to recovered memory cases.
_________________________________________
Washington State Supreme Court Rules that
MPD is Generally Accepted Within Scientific Community
State of Washington v. William B Green 67250-4
Wa Supreme Ct. Filed Sept 30, 1999
The Washington Supreme Court ruled that multiple personality disorder
is generally accepted within the scientific community, but that does
not mean that evidence about MPD is necessarily admissible in any
particular case.[1]
William Green, a repeat offender, was found guilty of indecent
liberties and kidnapping of Maryalyce Stamatiou, his therapist in
1994.[2] Green appealed the trial court's Frye hearing that concluded
DID (MPD) testimony was not admissible thus excluding an insanity
defense. The Court of Appeals held that DID is generally accepted in
the scientific community and remanded the case for a new trial. In
reviewing the case, the Washington Supreme Court found that the trial
court properly excluded the DID insanity defense but for the wrong
reason. It affirmed the Appeals court ruling that DID is admissible
under Frye.[3]
[1] See H. T. George, "High court won't set standards for multiple
personality disorder cases" Sept. 1, 1999.
[2] A television news journal program of this case appeared on
Dateline NBC June 23, 1998 "Alter Egos: A look inside of Bill
Green, who has multiple personalities and has been accused of
rape"
[3] For a review of DID (MPD) in the courts see Slovenko, R., "The
production of multiple personalities," Journal of Psychiatry & Law
27/Spring 1999. See also FMSF Newsletter 8 (3) April/May 1999.
________________________________________
Updates of cases we have been following:
WENATCHEE: Paul Glassen, a former social worker in Wenatchee, has
received a letter from the city clearing him of any criminal activity.
It was part of a settlement that included $295,000 and $2,500 in
mediation costs between Glassen and the city. Until this letter,
obtained by Wenatchee World under the Freedom of Information act, the
city has never publicly admitted improper conduct during the infamous
1994-95 investigation. Glassen had been arrested in 1994 on a charge
of witness tampering after he questioned the tactics of detective
Perez and he was accused by one of Perez's foster daughters of
participating in sex orgies. Glassen fled to Canada. He is the third
plaintiff to settle out of court in 1999. The portion of his suit
against the state is scheduled to go to trial October 13 in
Wenatchee. (Maher, Wenatchee World, 8/30/99, "After 4 years, letter
from city clears former social worker")
LITTLE RASCALS: The Little Rascals Day-care case in Edenton, NC is
finally over. The case that was the focus of several Frontline
documentaries began in 1989. Robert F. Kelley Jr, who operated the
Little Rascals day care, had been sentenced to 12 consecutive life
terms on sexual abuse convictions involving children at the center and
he spent more than 6 years in jail. His convictions were overturned
in May 1997 and the state dropped all 99 charges against him in the
Little Rascals case but charges of sexual abuse involving a woman who
said Kelly had abused her when she was 9-years-old remained. Those
charges have now also been dropped. (M. Barnes, Fayetteville,"Last
Kelly abuse charges dropped") Amirault -- As we prepare to take this
newsletter to the printer, Cheryl LeFave Amirault prepares to be sent
back to prison. The box opposite contains opinions about this case
from newspaper columns.
PAUL INGRAM UPDATE -- Daniel Brailey, the founder of an organization
working to obtain freedom for Paul Ingram, has written to say that
Ingram remains in prison in Delaware and is working and studying as he
has since 1988. This past summer Paul's father died but he was not
allowed to go to the funeral.
The Ingram case gained national attention because Ingram was a law
enforcement person who confessed to practicing SRA after his daughters
claimed to have recovered repressed memories of abuse. Later, it was
demonstrated by Richard Ofshe, Ph.D. that Ingram would falsely confess
to ideas suggested to him. A New Yorker article that later became
book, Remembering Satan by Larry Wright details the case.
The Ingram organization has opened a website:
www.Ingramorganization.com
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| Comments in the media about the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial |
| Court's decision to send Cheryl Amirault back to prison. |
| |
| "The Amirault prosecutions took place in an atmosphere of |
| hysteria. At the time, 'children don't lie' was the battle cry for |
| the prosecutors and anti-abuse activists. It wasn't until years |
| later that empirical research became clear and society began to |
| understand how easy it is to plant ideas in a child's head and how |
| improperly suggestive the earlier investigative tactics had been. |
| "In six different decisions in the Amirault cases, the SJC has |
| seemed determined to defend the prosecutors and insist that these |
| defendants belong behind bars. Virtually scoffing at any |
| possibility that an injustice may have been done, the justices |
| have been unyielding in their refusal to let a new trial take |
| place to present scientific testimony that wasn't well-developed |
| at the time of the original trials." |
| Editorial, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, |
| 9/13/99 p. 28 M.L.W. 2992. |
| |
| "In the past, the roadblock to LeFave's release has been the |
| requirement she admit guilt, which she refuses to do. LeFave and |
| her mother and her brother, Gerald 'Tooky' Amirault, have |
| maintained their innocence since the case made national headlines |
| in 1985 amid a series of alleged day care sex abuse cases." |
| Ed Hayward, Boston Herald, 9/29/99 |
| |
| "We will never know what happened at Fells Acres, just like the |
| communities that suffered through the other multiple abuse |
| cases...will never know with certainty" if the defendants were |
| guilty or innocent, said Boston lawyer Martin Weinberg, director |
| of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 'But in a |
| democracy, unlike in an accusatory system, when there's |
| uncertainty citizens remain free. It's the fundamental notion of |
| our nation's heritage, and I think that's been challenged in this |
| community.'" |
| Sacha Pfeiffer, Boston Globe, 8/21/99 |
| |
| "The supreme judicial court of Massachusetts last week could have |
| ended perhaps the commonwealth's worst miscarriage of justice |
| since the Sacco and Vanzetti trial of the 1920s. Sadly, it did |
| not." |
| Editorial, Christian Science Monitor, 8/23/99 |
| |
| "The opinion is a telling document, as much for what the judges |
| left out as for what they put in. Indeed, a reader who came to it |
| knowing nothing about this prosecution would have been hard put to |
| find in this decision any of the reasons this case had won such |
| notoriety; nothing of the frenzied interrogations, the mad |
| pleadings of interviewers exhorting children to tell, of the |
| process by which small children were schooled in details of |
| torments and sexual assaults supposedly inflicted on them in |
| secret rooms-matters, the record of these interviews reveals, that |
| the children clearly knew nothing about." |
| Dorothy Rabinowitz, Wall Street Journal, 8/24/99 |
| |
| "[T]hese women did not receive a fair trial." Judge Robert Barton |
| whose 1997 order for a new trial was also overturned by SJC. |
| Jack Sullivan, Boston Herald, 8/25/99 |
| |
| "We're talking about 15 years for a sentence I intended to be less |
| than six. That's kooky," said Sullivan [Judge John Paul Sullivan |
| who sentenced the Amiraults to eight to 20 years in jail with the |
| understanding they would likely be paroled in less than six |
| years]. |
| Tom Kirchofer, Associated Press Newswires, 8/19/99 |
| |
| "'The court is left with an abiding conviction that justice was |
| not done,' Borenstein [the second judge to order a new trial] said |
| at the time." |
| Jack Sullivan, Boston Herald, 8/25/99 |
| |
| "'One thing that is absolutely clear is that this outcome had |
| nothing to do with the Amiraults,' said Thomas G. Gutheil, a |
| professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who has |
| testified in numerous abuse cases. 'It can only be about the |
| political and judicial system here.'" |
| Sacha Pfeiffer, Boston Globe, 8/21/99 |
\____________________________________________________________________/
**********************************************************************
F R O M O U R R E A D E R S
_____________
Starting Anew
We last talked to our son when he called us after 8 years, told us he
loved us and that there had been a big void in his life without us.
After a lengthy, wonderful conversation with both his dad and me, I
asked if we could get together and talk. He said he would pray about
it and call us back. That was in July, 1998 and he didn't ever call
back. We suspect that someone in his family caused him to change his
mind. However, we wouldn't take anything for that phone call-it was
wonderful hearing his same, sweet voice and realizing that he really
is that same loving son we knew.
We have finally faced the fact that after nine years, we probably
will not be seeing our children and grandchildren again. One thing we
did find out with the phone call was that all the love for him came
right back into play and we weren't filled with bitterness at all. We
were just glad to hear his voice and learn what he has been doing.
We have decided to start a new life across the continent. We are
excited about our new home and feel that we have much to look forward
to. We will always be in touch and in support of the FMSF. We can
never thank you enough for all you have done for us over the years.
A Mom
__________________
Dear FMSF Friends:
ALLELUIA! An answer to our prayers for the last 8 years, finally came
in the form of a phone call from our daughter, on Monday evening of
this week. She told her Dad and me that she had made a big mistake in
accusing him and that she had finally come to the realization that he
had not done anything to her, after all. She told us how sorry she was
for making the accusation in the first place, for taking so long in
retracting it and asked for our forgiveness, which we readily gave
her.
On Wednesday, she E-mailed us the greeting card that I am
forwarding to you. Any of you on Internet, can access it by pointing
the arrow or the little hand to the greeting Co.'s address written in
blue.
We wanted to share the good news with all of you and thank you for
your support, love and prayers. We know that the road ahead will still
have some bumps along the way but we are now very hopeful that the
trust in our relationship that has been very badly damaged, will
someday be fully restored. Please join us in praying that the first
steps that have now been taken, will lead us down the road to a full
recovery for the entire family.
We will continue to pray for all of you who have yet to reconcile
with your lost child/children, as well as continue to support the FMS
Foundation and all of you. Never hesitate to call on us for anything,
we will be there for you as you have been for us. We really believe
in the power of prayers, even though at times, I must admit, we
wondered if this day would ever come. PRAISE THE LORD, it has finally
come.
A Happy Mom and Dad
_____________________________
Doubtful Anything Will Happen
Our family's trials continue with no communication whatsoever over the
last two years. Even the death of the "Satanic Father (Perpetrator)"
two months ago elicited no communication. And at 82 years of age, it's
rather doubtful anything is likely to happen before the demise of the
remaining spouse, the accuser's mother. It's so sad that such credence
is given to such quack "counseling."
Sister-in-law of "victim"
_______________
A Constant Ache
We are getting on with our lives but the pain of separation and unjust
accusation is a constant ache barely diminished by time.
A Dad
______________
With Open Arms
It is with great joy that I write to tell you that after eight and a
half years our daughter has returned to us. You and the FMS
organization were of enormous help to us during those difficult
years. Now we want to share our good news.
Six weeks ago at eight-thirty in the morning our telephone rang.
When my husband answered it, our daughter said to him very simply,
"Dad, I would like to start over with you and Mom. May I come over?"
He answered, "Wonderful. When would you like to come?" She replied,
"Right now!"
My husband and I had just sold our family home of 33 years and
were in the process of clearing it out and packing up. It had been
very much on my mind to try to make contact with our daughter before
we moved. I felt it would be a terrible tragedy if some day (and who
could predict if or when) she decided to come home and we no longer
lived there. I didn't have her address or phone number.
We welcomed her with open arms and sat on our back screened-in
porch for the next three hours or more talking. It was amazingly
comfortable and serene. It seemed a very natural coming together. I
don't think that we really had enough time to get nervous. We did
decide before she arrived that we would not ply her with any
questions.
We filled her in on some of the family doings, but mostly we just
let her talk. She spoke in an almost stream-of-consciousness manner,
not giving us a complete recount of what had happened to her, but
rather randomly telling us some of her life for the past few
years. When I told her that I had wanted to contact her about the
move, she said that she sensed that we were thinking of her. At one
point she started to say, "I am really sorry..." but her father
interrupted her and said, "We don't go through life looking through a
rear view mirror." Then she looked at me and I said, "All's well that
ends well."
Early in her account, she mentioned that she had been diagnosed
recently as manic depressive and that she was currently on medication
that seemed to be very beneficial. Then she made a heartfelt comment,
"I only wish I had been diagnosed accurately in the very beginning."
AMEN!
This daughter is the third in a large family. We have often felt
that her cutting-off was a greater heartbreak for her sisters and
brothers than it was for us. Parental love is so unconditional. The
reaction of her brothers and sisters to her return has been varied,
although all are grateful that she is back. We are all taking it
slowly. Some of her siblings have already visited with her; others are
not ready yet to do that. There are no plans to try to get everyone
together from where they are scattered across the country. We will let
each one find his own way in his own time.
Our daughter has brought two of her three children to see us. We
learned she has been divorced for more than six years and that her
former husband has custody of them. We have now visited with her
several times and are in regular contact by e-mail and phone. She told
me that she is planning to return to school to complete her degree
this fall. We may never know who her therapist was or all the grim
details. Somehow it doesn't seem to matter because we are so grateful
that she is back and on the road to a healthy and normal life.
We thank the Foundation for the information you supplied and for
making it possible for us to develop wonderful friendships with other
members. That is what made it possible for us to survive this ordeal.
A Mom
___________________________________________
Comments on Excerpts from Creating Hysteria
This comment is about an eight-hour therapy session in the September
newsletter. I cannot think of any other reason that would warrant such
an extended session, other than to meet the needs of the
psychotherapist.
Newton Joseph, Ph.D.
_______________________
To Stop the Destructive
We Must Talk
The following letter appeared in the Arizona Daily Star in July
1999. It is reprinted with permission of the author.
Imagine your adult children announce one day, "Our family has been
living a lie, we are not a happy family. Instead we are a
dysfunctional family. We know now that we were abused. We are working
with a support group and a wonderful therapist to rebuild our
self-esteem. To establish our own lives free of destructive family
patterns, we do not wish to see you or Dad over the holidays. In fact,
we do not wish to have anything to do with either of you from now on."
Preposterous! It could never happen to my family. That is what
millions of seniors thought until it did happen. The most painful
cases involve accusations of satanic ritual abuse or sexual abuse.
The realization that a parent is a villain usually comes about in
an addiction treatment program or a self-help support group.
Individual therapists sometimes teach that severing all ties is the
best way to emotional health.
Whatever the causes, it would be of some comfort to millions of
parents to know they are not isolated in their affliction. Ask any
large group of seniors about their children, and you will find a great
many of them have become victims of therapy-induced alienation.
We live in the age of therapy, and the destruction of families is
one result. If we can talk about it and realize how widespread and
destructive a process it is, perhaps we can stop it.
Walter Barnes.
______________________
Corroborate Repression
Why should not the believers in massive repression be encouraged to
study those affected by the earthquake in Turkey in order to find some
who have totally repressed the traumatic experience.
With 15,000 killed there must be multiples of that number who have
both witnessed and experienced terrible trauma. If those who support
the notion of massive repression could find at least a few people who
had not received a blow to the head and yet lost all memory of what
had happened to their loved ones, the researchers could prove once and
for all that, at least on one occasion, massive repression occurs.
I have a biased point of view, but I see it as criminal to
consider the search for repressed memories as legitimate therapy if we
have no concrete proof that such repression occurs -- at least
occasionally.
Can we somehow challenge the mental health community to take
advantage of this grand opportunity to settle the controversy over
repression?
A Dad
___________
What to Do?
Our daughter disowned us (her therapist called it distancing) in
1991. We have had no contact since that time. We were threatened that
worse could happen if we made any attempt to communicate.
We would like other parents to respond and tell how they have
handled the problem of the death of one of the parents and the notice
is printed in the newspaper. Did you just list the survivors as though
the accusing daughter no longer exists? If the estranged daughter's
name was given, how did you handle the questions about her?
We were both educators and came into contact with many people, not
all of them aware of the false accusations. A funeral is distressing
enough without explaining a "lost daughter."
Has anyone had a daughter (son) return at the funeral of a parent?
Distressed Parents
____________________
Open Letter to Media
I am a survivor of false memory syndrome, having retracted sexual
abuse allegations against my father three years ago; allegations based
on "repressed" memories that were "recovered" in psychotherapy. I have
published a newsletter for other retractors and try to do what I can
to educate and inform others about the potential dangers in certain
therapeutic techniques.
Because of my own experiences and because I have learned about the
malleability of memory, I was very disappointed to read that your
network will be airing yet another program about the questionable
multiple personality diagnosis. While the information I read noted
that one psychiatrist believes her condition was manufactured in
therapy, most of the information fully supported the diagnosis.
There are many well-respected professionals who now question the
diagnosis. It is misleading not to portray the extent of the
controversy of this diagnosis to your viewers. Many former patients
were falsely diagnosed with MPD/DID. They were often asked leading,
self-fulfilling questions like "Who is talking now?"
A media that promotes the validity of this diagnosis compounds --
and possibly even causes -- the problem. Individuals who become
convinced of this diagnosis suffer tremendous pain, as do the people
who love them.
Please consider the consequences of relaying information as
unchallenged fact, when it is actually highly controversial.
I hope that you will consider a future program that represents the
issues fully and fairly.
Donna Anderson
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| Dear Anne, |
| When I described some past incidents to my mother, she dismissed |
| them as products of a "false memory." Since I broke contact with |
| her, my life has improved beyond my wildest dreams. |
| A Reader |
| Dear Reader, |
| Your letter upset me, because I get so many letters from |
| heart-broken parents who believe that counselors have taken away |
| their children. The fact that you feel good doesn't mean |
| anything. Adultery feels great at first -- otherwise nobody would |
| bother with it. |
| Whatever you blame your mother for, you must surely recognise |
| that she must now be devastated. Real maturity is being able to |
| relate to people without being controlled by them. So please make |
| contact with her as soon as you can. |
| Anne Atkins |
| The Daily Telegraph (London), June 18, 1999 (selection) |
\____________________________________________________________________/
**********************************************************************
THE ILLUSIVE SATANISTS
Jaye D. Bartha
Last year, at Halloween, I designed a costume and attended Kate's
annual party. She decorated her property, starting at the curb, with
blinking orange lights, cob webs, and hidden boxes that made
unpredictable sounds when I walked by. The house was dark with
intrigue. I wondered what scary characters awaited my arrival.
After dark, her neighborhood was full of adults and children in
costume. We pretended to be witches or walking trees or scarecrows. We
gave ourselves permission to create, fantasize, and play. For one
night, we became someone, or something, other than ourselves. Mystery
and intrigue are what make Kate's Halloween parties enticing. Oddly,
treatment for Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), now known as
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), has similar enticing qualities.
For example, once labeled a "multiple," I was often viewed as exotic
and mysterious. My thought patterns and subsequent behaviors were
intriguing and bewildering to therapists.
Treatment twisted my thinking. I became a devoted student of
repressed memory therapy, believing I was raised in a Satanic cult.
Therapy helped me "remember" cult meetings with gory smoldering
cauldrons of blood, dismembered animals, the screech of tormented
women, and the foul smell of burning flesh. The Halloween season, once
a time of fun and theatrics, became an annual nightmare referred to as
"The Satanic High Holidays." Therapy transformed the play of
yesteryear into terror.
The Halloween season became life-threatening. My doctor instructed
me to beware of encoded messages sent by Satanists, either by mail or
by telephone, programming me to suicide. He said I needed protection
from them because I was exposing their cult secrets. I agreed to be
hospitalized, drugged and quarantined.
My doctor's thinking was not logical. In fact, it was pure
nonsense. The tricks, illusions, and deceits of treatment lured me in.
What made it impossible to distinguish fact from fancy?
Prior to therapy, I knew nothing about Satanism. While
hospitalized, however, I was inundated with information about Satanic
cults from my doctor, therapists, nurses, other patients, self-
proclaimed "professionals" who survived Satanic abuse, and books.
Initially, I was a willing participant in the exchange of information.
Later, I was a captive audience and my caretakers' professional
opinions quickly flipped my belief system upside-down. I often
proclaimed that my uncovered "memories" were fabrications, but I was
ignored. New "memories" weren't as real as those I'd never forgotten;
they were dream-like and fuzzy. The idolatrous manner in which I
related to my doctor blinded me to the truth regarding my history. I
was tricked into believing there was Satanic abuse when, in fact,
there wasn't.
The illusive Satanists never surfaced at Halloween. Just the same,
my feelings of terror were real. Therapy created panic, insomnia,
anorexia, abuse of prescription drugs, gastrointestinal distress and
fatigue. My behavior was irrational. I hid under the bed, shrouded
myself in blankets, and hugged Leroy, my teddy bear. Unknowingly, I
was caught in the web of my doctor's delusions.
Halloween is payday for some therapists and hospitals because
clients are often in a heightened emotional state. The fabricated
Halloween horrors create chaos; they breed confusion and anxiety.
Clients seek comfort and often require extra sessions with therapists
while needing more prescription drugs, additional phone contact, and
even hospitalization. I challenge therapists who treat clients for
Satanic abuse to follow their own treatment regime this year. By
mid-October, check into a hospital, stay behind locked doors, speak to
no one, ingest mass quantities of narcotics, and starve yourselves --
then stay awake while watching horror movies night and day.
Since leaving treatment I learned the illusive Satanists, created
in therapy, don't exist. Halloween has returned to what it's always
been -- a day of fun, fantasy, and theater. I'm looking forward to
Kate's party.
Jaye Bartha recently settled a lawsuit she brought against her
former therapist who practiced recovered memory therapy.
**********************************************************************
* N O T I C E S *
**********************************************************************
* *
* Albany, New York Area *
* Wednesday, November 3, 1999 *
* 7 pm at Guilderland Library *
* Route 20, Western Avenue, Albany *
* *
* Speaker *
* JOSEPH deRIVERA, Ph.D. *
* Co-editor of *
* Believed-In Imaginings: The Narrative Construction of Reality *
* *
* Co Sponsored by FMSF families and the local Skeptics group (ISUNY) *
* *
* Program is open to the public at no charge *
* *
* For further information contact Elaine at 518-399-5749 *
* *
**********************************************************************
* Families and Professionals *
* *
* H O L D T H E S E D A T E S *
* *
* MEMORY AND REALITY: LESSONS LEARNED *
* *
* Professional conference on April 7 *
* sponsored by medical college *
* may also be of interest. *
**********************************************************************
* *
* COMING SOON *
* *
* Recovered Memories of Child Sexual Abuse: Psychological, Social *
* and Legal Perspectives on a Contemporary Mental Health Controversy *
* Editor: Sheila Taub, J.D. *
* Publisher: Charles C. Thomas *
* *
* This book contains articles based on talks presented at a *
* conference in the fall of 1997. Authors are: Arthur Taub, M.D., *
* Ph.D., Mark Pendergrast, M.L.S., David K. Sakheim, Ph.D., Jerome *
* L. Singer, Ph.D., Jonathan Schooler, Ph.D., D. Stephen Lindsay, *
* Ph.D., Pamela Freyd, Ph.D., Anita Lipton, B.S. *
* *
**********************************************************************
* New Web Site of Interest *
* *
* British False Memory Society *
* *
* www.bfms.org.uk *
* *
* Contains information about the false memory problem in England. *
* Don't miss the "Therapist of the Month" section. In September that *
* honor went to Robin Balbernie of the Severn NHS Trust who wrote in *
* Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol 4, Issue 2, April *
* 1999 *
* *
* "In this paper I describe an example of projective identification *
* from work with a six-year-old adopted boy where I found myself *
* almost completely unable to function for several sessions. *
* *
* "A traumatic past experience belonging to my patient, which he *
* could have no conscious knowledge of, had been pushed out of his *
* unconscious to lodge in mine; and then, in turn, I acted out a *
* version of that experience." *
**********************************************************************
* *
* http://www.FMSFonline.org *
* is the address of the website that FMSF is developing. *
* All past newsletters are now available here. *
* (The site now has transcripts of many of the therapy session *
* tapes presented in evidence at the trial of *
* U.S.A. v Peterson et al *
* *
**********************************************************************
* A new web site of interest to FMSF Newsletter readers: *
* http://www.StopBadTherapy.com *
* Useful information on this site includes: *
* *
* * Phone numbers of professional regulatory boards in all 50 *
* states. *
* *
* * Links for e-mailing the American Psychiatric Association, the *
* American Psychological Association, the American Medical *
* Association, and the National Association of Social Workers. *
* *
* * Lists of online and printed resources: links, articles, books *
**********************************************************************
* *
* New PTSD Web Page *
* www.forensicptsd.com *
* This site is run by Gerald Rosen, University of Washington *
* *
**********************************************************************
* New Web Page for the *
* Australian False Memory Association. *
* www.afma.asn.au *
**********************************************************************
* *
* New Retractor Web Page *
* www.geocities.com/retractors *
* This site is run by Laura Pasley *
* *
**********************************************************************
* www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/7629/books.html *
* *
* Resource for purchasing books about Recovered Memories *
* (now part of Amazon.com) *
**********************************************************************
* *
* Our daughter, Robin, is one of the many "missing" children due to *
* false memory. We have just recently gotten her listed on four web *
* sites. Please check out the following web sites and let us know if *
* you have seen her. *
* *
* www.angelfire.com/il2/robinsearch/ *
* www.state.il.us/isp/mai00001.html *
* www.mispers.com/mewes.html *
* www.childsearch.com/robin_mewes.html *
* *
**********************************************************************
* THERAPY'S DELUSIONS: *
* THE MYTH OF THE UNCONSCIOUS AND *
* THE EXPLOITATION OF TODAY'S WALKING WORRIED. *
* Ethan Watters and Richard Ofshe *
* Scribner 1999 ISBN 0-684-83584-3 *
* 287 pages $25.00 hardback *
* *
* This new book by the authors of "Making Monsters" reveals how talk *
* therapy has masquaraded as a scientific discipline. It is a *
* powerful call for reforming the mental health profession. *
* See: *
* www.chordate.com/therapys_delusions/index.html *
**********************************************************************
* *
* CORRECTION *
* *
* In the September issue of FMSF Newsletter on page 3 the correct *
* title of the Newsday article by Jamie Talan (5/4/99) should be: *
* "The Plural Personalities/ Memories Debate" *
* *
**********************************************************************
* To order: *
* MAKING OF AN ILLNESS *
* by Gail Macdonald *
* Contact: Laurentian University Press *
* 935 Ramsey Lake Road *
* Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada *
* Phone: (705) 675-1151 *
* ISBN # 0-88667-045-4 *
**********************************************************************
* *
* ESTATE PLANNING *
* If you have questions about how to *
* include the FMSF in your estate planning, *
* contact Charles Caviness 800-289-9060. *
* (Available 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific time.) *
* *
**********************************************************************
* FREE *
* "Recovered Memories: Are They Reliable?" *
* Call or write the FMS Foundation for pamphlets. Be sure to *
* include your address and the number of pamphlets you need. *
**********************************************************************
_____________________________________
F M S B U L L E T I N B O A R D
Key: (MO)-monthly; (bi-MO)-bi-monthly; (*)-see Notices above
Contacts & Meetings:
_____________
UNITED STATES
ALASKA
Kathleen (907) 337-7821
ARIZONA
Barbara (602) 924-0975; (602) 854-0404(fax)
ARKANSAS
Little Rock
Al & Lela (870) 363-4368
CALIFORNIA
Sacramento
Joanne & Gerald (916) 933-3655
San Francisco & North Bay - (bi-MO)
Gideon (415) 389-0254 or
Charles 984-6626(am); (415) 435-9618(pm)
East Bay Area - (bi-MO)
Judy (925) 376-8221
South Bay Area
Jack & Pat (831) 425-1430
Central Coast
Carole (805) 967-8058
Central Orange County - 1st Fri. (MO) @ 7pm
Chris & Alan (714) 733-2925
Orange County
Jerry and Eileen (909) 659-9636
Covina Area - 1st Mon. (MO) @7:30pm
Floyd & Libby (626) 330-2321
San Diego Area
Dee (619) 941-4816
COLORADO
Colorado Springs
Doris (719) 488-9738
CONNECTICUT
S. New England
Earl (203) 329-8365 or
Paul (203) 458-9173
FLORIDA
Dade/Broward
Madeline (954) 966-4FMS
Boca/Delray - 2nd & 4th Thurs (MO) @1pm
Helen (561) 498-8684
Central Florida - Please call for mtg. time
John & Nancy (352) 750-5446
Tampa Bay Area
Bob & Janet (813) 856-7091
GEORGIA
Atlanta
Wallie & Jill (770) 971-8917
HAWAII
Carolyn (808) 261-5716
ILLINOIS
Chicago & Suburbs - 1st Sun. (MO)
Eileen (847) 985-7693 or
Liz & Roger (847) 827-1056
Peoria
Bryant & Lynn (309) 674-2767
INDIANA
Indiana Assn. for Responsible Mental Health Practices
Nickie (317) 471-0922; fax (317) 334-9839
Pat (219) 489-9987
IOWA
Des Moines - 2nd Sat. (MO) @11:30 am Lunch
Betty & Gayle (515) 270-6976
KANSAS
Wichita - Metting as called
Pat (785) 738-4840
KENTUCKY
Louisville- Last Sun. (MO) @ 2pm
Bob (502) 367-1838
MAINE
Bangor
Irvine & Arlene (207) 942-8473
Rumbold
Carolyn (207) 942-8473
Protland - 4th Sun.(MO)
Wally & Boby (207) 878-9812
MASSACHUSETTS/NEW ENGLAND
Andover - 2nd Sun. (MO) @ 1pm
Frank (978) 263-9795
MICHIGAN
Grand Rapids Area-Jenison - 1st Mon. (MO)
Bill & Marge (616) 383-0382
Greater Detroit Area
Nancy (248) 642-8077
Ann Arbor
Martha (734) 439-8119
MINNESOTA
Terry & Collette (507) 642-3630
Dan & Joan (651) 631-2247
MISSOURI
Kansas City - Meeting as called
Pat (785) 738-4840
St. Louis Area - call for meeting time
Karen (314) 432-8789
Springfield - 4th Sat. (MO) @12:30pm
Tom (417) 883-8617
Roxie (417) 781-2058
MONTANA
Lee & Avone (406) 443-3189
NEW JERSEY (So.)
See Wayne, PA
NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque -2nd Sat. (MO) @1 pm
Southwest Room - Presbyterian Hospital
Maggie (505) 662-7521 (after 6:30 pm)
Sy (505) 758-0726
NEW YORK
Westchester, Rockland, etc.
Barbara (914) 761-3627
Upstate/Albany Area
Elaine (518) 399-5749
NORTH CAROLINA
Susan (704) 538-7202
OHIO
Cincinnati
Bob (513) 541-0816 or (513) 541-5272
Cleveland
Bob & Carole (440) 356-4544
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma City
Dee (405) 942-0531
HJ (405) 755-3816
Tulsa
Jim (918) 297-7719
OREGON
Portland
John (503) 297-7719
PENNSYLVANIA
Harrisburg
Paul & Betty (717) 691-7660
Pittsburgh
Rick & Renee (412) 563-5509
Montrose
John (717) 278-2040
Wayne (includes S. NJ) - 2nd Sat. (MO)
Jim & Jo (610) 783-0396
TENNESSEE
Nashville - Wed. (MO) @1pm
Kate (615) 665-1160
TEXAS
Houston
Jo or Beverly (713) 464-8970
El Paso
Mary Lou (915) 591-0271
UTAH
Keith (801) 467-0669
VERMONT (bi-MO)
Judith (802) 229-5154
VIRGINIA
Sue (703) 273-2343
WASHINGTON
See Oregon
WISCONSIN
Katie & Leo (414) 476-0285 or
Susanne & John (608) 427-3686
_____________
INTERNATIONAL
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Vancouver & Mainland
Ruth (604) 925-1539
Victoria & Vancouver Island - 3rd Tues. (MO) @7:30pm
John (250) 721-3219
ONTARIO, CANADA
London -2nd Sun (bi-MO)
Adriaan (519) 471-6338
Ottawa
Eileen (613) 836-3294
Toronto /N. York
Pat (416) 444-9078
Warkworth
Ethel (705) 924-2546
Burlington
Ken & Marina (905) 637-6030
Sudbury
Paula (705) 549-1423
QUEBEC, CANADA
Montreal
Alain (514) 335-0863
St. Andre Est.
Mavis (450) 537-8187
AUSTRALIA
Mike 0754-842-348
fax 0754-841-051
ISRAEL
FMS ASSOCIATION fax-(972) 2-625-9282
NETHERLANDS
Task Force FMS of Werkgroep Fictieve
Herinneringen
Anna (31) 20-693-5692
NEW ZEALAND
Colleen (09) 416-7443
SWEDEN
Ake Moller FAX (48) 431-217-90
UNITED KINGDOM
The British False Memory Society
Madeline (44) 1225 868-682
__________________________________________________
Deadline for the December Newsletter is October 20
Meeting notices MUST be in writing
and should be sent no later than TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO MEETING.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| pjf@cis.upenn.edu |
| if you wish to receive electronic versions of this newsletter and |
| notices of radio and television broadcasts about FMS. All the |
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+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
**********************************************************************
The False Memory Syndrome Foundation is a qualified 501(c)3 corpora-
tion with its principal offices in Philadelphia and governed by its
Board of Directors. While it encourages participation by its members
in its activities, it must be understood that the Foundation has no
affiliates and that no other organization or person is authorized to
speak for the Foundation without the prior written approval of the Ex-
ecutive Director. All membership dues and contributions to the Founda-
tion must be forwarded to the Foundation for its disposition.
**********************************************************************
Pamela Freyd, Ph.D., Executive Director
FMSF Scientific and Professional Advisory Board, October 1, 1999
AARON T. BECK, M.D., D.M.S., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
PA; TERENCE W. CAMPBELL, Ph.D., Clinical and Forensic Psychology,
Sterling Heights, MI; ROSALIND CARTWRIGHT, Ph.D., Rush Presbyterian
St. Lukes Medical Center, Chicago, IL; JEAN CHAPMAN, Ph.D., University
of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; LOREN CHAPMAN, Ph.D., University of Wiscon-
sin, Madison, WI; FREDERICK C. CREWS, Ph.D., University of California,
Berkeley, CA; ROBYN M. DAWES, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh, PA; DAVID F. DINGES, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA; HENRY C. ELLIS, Ph.D., University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque, NM; FRED H. FRANKEL, MBChB, DPM, Harvard University Medi-
cal School, Boston MA; GEORGE K. GANAWAY, M.D., Emory University of
Medicine, Atlanta, GA; MARTIN GARDNER, Author, Hendersonville, NC
ROCHEL GELMAN, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, CA; HENRY
GLEITMAN, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; LILA
GLEITMAN, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; RICHARD
GREEN, M.D., J.D., Charing Cross Hospital, London; DAVID A. HALPERIN,
M.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY; ERNEST HILGARD,
Ph.D., Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA; JOHN HOCHMAN, M.D., UCLA
Medical School, Los Angeles, CA; DAVID S. HOLMES, Ph.D., University of
Kansas, Lawrence, KS; PHILIP S. HOLZMAN, Ph.D., Harvard University,
Cambridge, MA; ROBERT A. KARLIN, Ph.D., Rutgers University, New
Brunswick, NJ; HAROLD LIEF, M.D., University of Pennsylvania, Phila-
delphia, PA; ELIZABETH LOFTUS, Ph.D., University of Washington, Sea-
tle, WA; SUSAN L. McELROY, M.D., University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati,
OH; PAUL McHUGH, M.D., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; HAROLD
MERSKEY, D.M., University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; SPENCER
HARRIS MORFIT, Author, Westford, MA; ULRIC NEISSER, Ph.D., Cornell
University, Ithaca, N.Y.; RICHARD OFSHE, Ph.D., University of Califor-
nia, Berkeley, CA; EMILY CAROTA ORNE, B.A., University of Pennsylvan-
ia, Philadelphia, PA; MARTIN ORNE, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsyl-
vania, Philadelphia, PA; LOREN PANKRATZ, Ph.D., Oregon Health Sciences
University, Portland, OR; CAMPBELL PERRY, Ph.D., Concordia University,
Montreal, Canada; MICHAEL A. PERSINGER, Ph.D., Laurentian University,
Ontario, Canada; AUGUST T. PIPER, Jr., M.D., Seattle, WA; HARRISON
POPE, Jr., M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; JAMES RANDI,
Author and Magician, Plantation, FL; HENRY L. ROEDIGER, III, Ph.D.,
Washington University, St. Louis, MO; CAROLYN SAARI, Ph.D., Loyola
University, Chicago, IL; THEODORE SARBIN, Ph.D., University of Cali-
fornia, Santa Cruz, CA; THOMAS A. SEBEOK, Ph.D., Indiana University,
Bloomington, IN; MICHAEL A. SIMPSON, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., M.R.C,
D.O.M., Center for Psychosocial & Traumatic Stress, Pretoria, South
Africa; MARGARET SINGER, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley,
CA; RALPH SLOVENKO, J.D., Ph.D., Wayne State University Law School,
Detroit, MI; DONALD SPENCE, Ph.D., Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center,
Piscataway, NJ; JEFFREY VICTOR, Ph.D., Jamestown Community College,
Jamestown, NY; HOLLIDA WAKEFIELD, M.A., Institute of Psychological
Therapies, Northfield, MN; CHARLES A. WEAVER, III, Ph.D. Baylor Uni-
versity, Waco, TX.
**********************************************************************
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This address and the phone numbers have changed as of July 15, 2000
* FAX your order to (215) 287-1917. Fax orders cannot be processed
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