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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)
September/October 2001 Vol. 10 No. 5
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ISSN #1069-0484. Copyright (c) 2001 by the FMS Foundation
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The FMSF Newsletter is published 6 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. 2000 subscription rates:
USA: $30, Student $15; Canada: $35, Student $20 (in U.S.
dollars); Foreign: $40, Student $20; Single issue price: $3.
1955 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-5766
Phone 215-940-1040, Fax 215-940-1042
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Feld
Legal Corner
Bartha The next issue will be combined
Pendergrast November/December
Berry
From Our Readers
Bulletin Board
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Dear Friends,
"The most painful thing anyone can do to her loved ones is to
remove herself from their lives without giving them any say."[1]
This statement, which appeared in an advice column, will certainly
ring true to FMS families. The challenge to families and
professionals, now that we have some idea of the circumstances that
led offspring to make unilateral cut-offs, is to facilitate family
reconciliation. That is the purpose of our recent survey.
With most of the data in, we can make some general comments about
the results. The first and most important comment is: "Thank you."
Recalling the painful events that led you to contact the Foundation is
not an enjoyable activity. Your efforts, however, may lead both to a
better understanding of the dynamics of family reconciliation and to
ways in which therapists may help other families. That is what we are
working toward.
The overall demographic data of the survey are consistent with
past surveys: Dads are implicated in over 75 percent of the
accusations and about 90 percent of the accusers are daughters. About
99 percent of the families who responded to the survey are Caucasian.
For approximately 45 percent of the accusers, college was the highest
level of education completed and 32 percent completed graduate school.
Most of the accusers were between 25 and 40 years old at the time they
made the accusation and the bulk of the accusations came between 1989
and 1994 with 1991 and 1992 being the peak years. The vast majority of
accusers were in therapy at the time the accusations were made and
about 18 percent of the accusations involved claims of satanic ritual
abuse.
The range in age from when the abuse was alleged to have started
was 0 to 18 years; the range for when the alleged abuse ended was 1 to
50 years. About a quarter of respondents indicated that a
confrontation had taken place in a therapy session. About half of the
families reported that the accusations were vague and many people were
never even told what they were supposed to have done. Slightly more
families reported that the accusations had been kept private rather
than made public, and about 10 percent had some type of legal action
taken against them. Over 36 percent of the families indicated that
they had a "returner," and a bit under 80 percent of these returners
have not discussed the subject. Approximately 65 percent of retractors
returned to the family before they retracted. The length of time
families were separated from the accusing offspring ranged from 0 to
23 years.
We will share more survey results in the next newsletter and we
anticipate a report from a family that is in the process of reuniting
after 18 years of separation.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if one of these days the topic of
families reconnecting will become as popular in novels as family
disintegration has been or, more recently, books about recovered
memory?
A reviewer recently commented: "Even at a time when mysteries
concerning repressed memories threaten to become a subgenre..."[2] And
there certainly are many mysteries, novels and memoirs in which
recovered memories keep the plot moving. We recall our excitement back
in 1995 when the first novels in which false memories were mentioned
along with recovered memories began to appear. There are now so many
that it is beyond our ability to keep track of them. This summer, a
Newsletter reader sent us The Syndrome, a "thriller" by John Case. For
anyone interested in seeing how the topics of "memory" and "false
memory" are being handled in popular literature in 2001, this is a
good book to read. [The title in the U.K. is Trance State.]
How times have changed! We recall that in 1993, a syndicated
columnist who wrote in support of the notion of false memories was met
with such a barrage of protest that his column was removed from many
papers. It's difficult to remember what the climate was like and even
harder to believe it could have existed. In the early 90s the
prevailing view was that there could not be a "false" memory of abuse.
So much has changed. For example, people in Wenatchee who had been
jailed in the sex abuse trials in 1994 are starting to receive large
awards for the poor investigations of their cases, and the Pardon
Board in Massachusetts has recommended that Gerald Amirault be
released from prison. But have things really changed? In this issue
Allen Feld writes of his concern that the seeds that grew into the FMS
tragedy are still around and can sprout again. Certainly the overt
hostility has cooled, but there is still much bitterness as one can
see in the following quote:
"She has added immeasurably to our understanding of how people
remember ordinary events," admitted Bessel van der Kolk, a Boston
University professor of psychiatry and an expert in trauma. Still,
the very first words out of his mouth when he was contacted were:
`Don't publish anything favourable about Elizabeth Loftus.'"
Foss, K, "Memory bites," The Globe and Mail, July 14, 2001.
Within the scientific community, researchers continue to make giant
strides in understanding false memories. Indeed, memory research in
the 90s has seen phenomenal progress. Last year the first handbook of
memory[3] was published. It is remarkable in that about 50 percent of
the references are from the 90s -- and yes, there is a section about
recovered memories of childhood abuse.
In this issue we report on a summary of research findings from
Richard J. McNally and his colleagues. The researchers compared groups
of people who said they had repressed memories, recovered memories, or
continuous memories of childhood abuse. The results are the first to
provide any data on the cognitive functioning in the very people who
have been at the heart of the recovered memory controversy, and the
results challenge some common beliefs. They also raise the debate to a
higher plain.
The Foundation has continued to respond to changes in family,
cultural and intellectual climate. We are continuing to streamline all
administrative functions and to move in the direction of providing
information on the internet. We invite all readers who have not yet
visited the FMSF website to do so and to give us your comments and
suggestions. Do we hear someone saying, "But I don't have a computer!"
You don't need your own computer; you can go to your local library
where someone will help you make the visit to the FMSF address
(www.FMSFonline.org).
The Foundation still has much work to complete: the research on
reconciliation, the web site, and the preservation of family stories
and other material for both future study and as a reminder of what can
go wrong when professionals neglect to ground their practice in
science.
In late October, Lee Arning and Charles Caviness, co-chairs of the
FMSF Fundraising Committee, will be sending you a letter asking you to
continue your generous support of the Foundation. In the past, the
annual fund raising drive was a separate event, but this year the fund
raising drive is combined with the annual dues reminder. Beginning in
January 2002, all members will be on the same January 1 to December 31
schedule. This change should result in less administrative work.
In closing, we say "Thank you" once again for your support. FMSF
couldn't exist physically without your financial support, nor could it
exist intellectually without your ideas. Your letters and ideas are
what make this newsletter special.
PAMELA
[1] Carolyn Hax, Albuquerque Journal, Jul 13, 2001.
[2] Pierce, J.K. "Blast from the Past, Seattle Weekly, Aug 2, 2001.
[3 Tulving, E. & Craik, F. (Editors) Oxford Handbook of Memory, New
York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Note: Readers may be interested in three books about reconnecting in
families. Unfortunately, none has an answer for how to reconnect with
an offspring who has unilaterally withdrawn and who refuses any
contact.
LeBey, B. Family Estrangements: How they begin, How to mend them,
How to cope with them, Atlanta: Longstreet, 2001.
McGoldrick, M, You Can go Home Again: Reconnecting with Your Family,
New York: Norton, 1995.
Netzger, C. Cut offs: How family members who sever relationships can
reconnect, Farr Hills: NJ: New Horizon, 1996.
+----------------------------------------------------+
| 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 |
| COLUMNISTS: August Piper, Jr. and members |
| of the FMSF Scientific Advisory Board |
| LETTERS and INFORMATION: Our Readers |
+----------------------------------------------------+
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The Cognitive Psychology of Repressed and Recovered Memories of
Childhood Sexual Abuse: Clinical Implications
Richard J. McNally
Psychiatric Annals 31 8/August 2001, 509-514.
This article provides a summary of the first set of experiments on
cognitive functioning in persons reporting either repressed or
recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. Four groups of women
were recruited via newspaper announcements: (1) those who believe they
were sexually abused as children, but who have no memory for these
events ("repressed" memory group); (2) those who report having
recalled long-forgotten episodes of childhood sexual abuse
("recovered" memory group); (3) those who report never having
forgotten their childhood sexual abuse ("continuous" memory group);
and (4) those who report never having been sexually abused ("control"
group).
PERSONALITY McNally and his colleagues used the Multidimensional
Personality Questionnaire to assess personality, and the Dissociative
Experiences Scale; the Beck Depression Inventory; and the civilian
version of the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD to assess
clinical symptoms. The researchers found that "the repressed memory
group was the most psychologically distressed, the most prone to
experience negative affective states, the most dissociative and the
most prone to absorption and, therefore, perhaps, the most
hypnotizable . . . Recovered memory participants tended to fall
midway between continuous and repressed memory participants on most
measures."
GUIDED IMAGERY has been suggested as one of the therapeutic
techniques that may lead to false memories. The researchers tested
whether women reporting recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse
were more susceptible than nonabused control participants to this
technique. The results indicated that merely imagining certain events
boosted confidence that the events had occurred and that this effect
was more than twice as large for the nonabused group than for the
recovered memory group, a result that is inconsistent with the
prediction.
In the FALSE RECOGNITION experiment, participants hear a series of
words and then later are asked to recognize whether certain words were
in the list. (For example: sour, bitter, candy, sugar with "sweet" as
a false target.) The results showed that "the more dissociation a
participant reported in everyday life, the more likely she was to
exhibit false memory effects in the experiment." McNally notes two
clinical implications:
First, "individuals who are alert to the memory-distorting aspects
of imagination may be able to counteract a tendency to fall prey to
false memory effects."
Second, "relative to other participants, those reporting recovered
memories of childhood sexual abuse rely more on gist memory." The
experiment suggests that recovered memory participants are
characterized by an information-processing style that may render them
prone to believing they experienced certain events when, in fact, they
experienced other, broadly similar events.
DIRECTED FORGETTING has been hypothesized as a mechanism with
which abused children may cope with stressors by directing their
attention elsewhere. In this experiment, groups were composed as
follows: survivors of childhood sexual abuse with PTSD,
psychiatrically healthy survivors, and nonabused controls. The
participants viewed a series of neutral, positive or trauma-related
words on a computer screen. After each word, they were told either to
forget or to remember the word. If survivors of childhood sexual abuse
with PTSD are characterized by an enhanced ability to disengage
attention, they ought to exhibit impaired memory for trauma words when
asked to recall them.
None of the groups showed enhanced ability to forget trauma-
related material. The author states, "Survivors of childhood sexual
abuse with PTSD remembered trauma-related material all too well."
SELECTIVE PROCESSING of TRAUMA CUES is a robust effect in PTSD
participants. This has been measured in a modified Stroop color-naming
experiment in which words of varying emotional content are shown in
different colors. Participants are instructed to name the colors and
ignore the meanings. People with PTSD regularly show more interference
for words related to their traumatic experiences. In contrast to
results common for patients with PTSD, none of the people in the
childhood sexual abuse groups demonstrated trauma-related Stroop
interference.
Four provisional conclusions are suggested:
First, individuals reporting repressed or recovered memories of
childhood sexual abuse report more symptoms of psychological distress
and they display elevated scores on measures of dissociation and
absorption.
Second, individuals reporting recovered memories of childhood
sexual abuse can counteract the memory-distorting effects of guided
imagery in an experimental context, but they fall prey to false memory
effects in a false recognition task.
Third, individuals reporting repressed or recovered memories of
abuse did not exhibit the predicted superior ability to forget
trauma-related material in the laboratory.
Fourth, unlike patients with posttraumatic stress disorder,
including those who have suffered sexual assault, individuals
reporting repressed or recovered memories of sexual abuse did not
exhibit delayed color-naming of trauma words on the emotional Stroop
task.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| "The whole `recovered memory' fracas, and the witch burning craze |
| in which hundreds of daycare workers and dads have been consumed, |
| is based on the Freudian belief that the Unconscious stores |
| memories like a pickle jar, permanently and perfectly (it |
| doesn't)" |
| Andrew Struthers, |
| Freud's contributions to "pop culture" |
| Vancouver Sun, July 7, 20001. |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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"A Demonstration and Comparison of Two Types of
Inference-Based Memory Errors"
Hannigan, S. L. & Reinitz, M. T.,
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition
Vol 27, No. 4, 931-940
Full text available www.apa.org/journals/xlm/xlm274931.html
Hannigan and Reinitz showed slides of scenes from settings such as a
grocery store or restaurant to 144 participants. The slides depicted
events such as dishes spilling as a meal is ordered, without showing
the causes. Participants were questioned one or two days later.
Researchers found that people "fill in the blanks" in their memories
and claimed to have seen slides not originally presented that fit the
scene's narrative. To explain a spill in the grocery store scene, for
example, many claimed to have seen a picture of someone pulling an
orange from a pile of fruit. Errors increased with the passage of
time. According to a July 1, 2001 press release from the American
Psychological Association, this is the first study that shows that
memory errors result when "people make inferences about the the
underlying causes of events." Previous studies have demonstrated
schema-based memory errors.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| "Memories that refuse to fade tend to involve regret, trauma and |
| other potent negative emotions. All emotions strengthen a memory, |
| but negative ones seem to write on the brain in indelible ink, |
| Schacter finds. That's especially true if the memory reinforces |
| your self-image: if you think of yourself as a screw-up, you'll |
| have a hard time erasing the memory of the time you spilled wine |
| all over your boss. Blame your amygdala. When you experience a |
| threatening event like the approach of a menacing stranger, the |
| level of activity in this clutch of brain neurons predicts how |
| well you will remember the experience. Stress hormones seem to |
| strengthen the neuronal circuit that embodies a traumatic memory." |
| Begley, S. |
| "Memory's mind games," Newsweek, July 16, 2001. |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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Victimized by `Victims':
A taxonomy of antecedents of false complaints against psychotherapists
Martin H. Williams
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Feb 2000 Vol 31 (1) 75-81.
Williams provides six anecdotes to demonstrate false claims brought
against therapists by patients. His analysis of reasons why such false
claims might be brought are: (a) malingering and fraud, (b) revenge,
(c) psychopathology, (d) "recovered" memory, (e) doctrinaire
suggestions from subsequent therapist, and (f) escape from unwanted
treatment. He comments that "The emotional toll on the accused is
significant, as the outcome may be unknown for years. One would expect
that a great deal of anxiety would be attendant to the possibility of
losing one's ability to practice one's chosen profession while
simultaneously needing to find a new way to make a living. Even with
eventual vindication, one may need to live with the experience of
shame, knowing that one's peers may not offer the benefit of doubt,
may be spreading rumors, and may assume that `where there's smoke,
there's fire'."
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| Great News. |
| |
| Our great friend of the Ohio group has donated her expertise to |
| put our newsletter on line. It will be in the next newsletter, but |
| I will give you a preview. You can get our newsletters from last |
| December on by "dialing up." |
| |
| www.ltech.net/OHIOarmhp |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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Baylor Cancels Deal with Menninger
Last year the prestigious Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas announced
that it was planning to move to Houston, Texas and affiliate with
Baylor College of Medicine. On July 31, 2001, however, Dr. Walt
Menninger, chief executive officer, announced that negotiations had
failed.
Staying in Topeka is not an option for Menninger because trustees
have made a commitment that the only way to provide the best quality
treatment would be for Menninger to be tied to a medical school in a
metropolitan area.
Menninger has been winding down for the past year. In September
2000 it employed 900 people but now employs 450 and intends to cut
another 90 soon. The hospital has reduced its licensed beds from 143
to 95. In September, 2000, the Menninger Foundation had $100 million
and this year is has $90 million. According to hospital president Ian
Aitken, "expenses continue to exceed revenues, although less so than
they did last year."
Hooper, M., "Menninger move halted," Topeka Capital Journal, 8/1/01.
Babson, R. "Urgency has faded this time," Kansas City Star, 8/8/01.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| Last month we wrote about an article called "The Truth and Hype of |
| Hypnosis" by Michael R. Nash that appeared in the July issue of |
| Scientific American. A shortened version of the article is |
| available on the web at: |
| www.sciam.com/2001/0701issue/0701nash.html#author |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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It's Never Too Late
A man in his 70s has filed a $4 million lawsuit against the
Archdiocese of Portland claiming that he was sexually abused by a
priest when he was an altar boy during the 1940s. The priest he has
accused died 30 years ago.
Under Oregon law, victims of child abuse may file claims decades
after the alleged abuse occurred. The statute of limitations in Oregon
says a victim must file within three years of becoming aware of the
psychological or other damage caused by the abuse. The plaintiff said
he recognized connections between his problems and his childhood abuse
in the summer of 2000. He blames past alcohol and marriage problems as
well as homophobia toward a gay son on the abuse he says he suffered
so many years ago..
The Oregon Supreme Court ruled in 1999 that the archdiocese can be
held liable as the employer of an abusive priest. George, J. "Former
altar boy sues church over abuse," Register-Guard (OR), 7/28/01.
In 1997 a 71-year-old Ontario man launched a suit against an
orphanage in New Brunswick claiming he was abused there in the late
1930s and 1940s. Justice McLellan dismissed the case noting that it
was filed too late and that he was concerned about "flashbacks" or
recovered memories.
The plaintiff is trying to have the case reopened and he is also
seeking financial assistance.
Gleaner, F.
Ontario man wants trial looking
into claims of abuse at N.B. orphanage
The Canadian Press, 8/8/01.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| [A] person's position toward UFOs and extraterrestrial beings may |
| be determined largely by what he or she thinks that others |
| believe. Such information about others' beliefs appears to be |
| collected not only through direct social interaction but also |
| through UFO-related activities involving media, such as reading a |
| book on abductions or watching a television program about UFOs. |
| Furthermore, it appears that the impact of media on the |
| endorsement of specific UFO beliefs was mediated by the |
| participants' individual differences in the capacity to use vivid |
| mental imagery. |
| Patry, A.L. & Pelletier, L.G. |
| "Extraterrestrial beliefs and experiences," Journal of Social |
| Psychology, April, 2001. |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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The Seeds that Spawned FMSF: Are They Still There?
Allen Feld
Many chapters in history books describe citizens who joined together
to correct what they believed were grievous mistakes -- mistakes
causing injustice, pain and unhappiness. The seeds that brought about
the need for an organization like the False Memory Syndrome Foundation
were sown when certain members of society's helping professions
abandoned verifiable facts and science-based principles and when legal
institutions ignored their noble objective of seeking justice through
truth.
Although only a minority of professionals were responsible for the
harm done to families, the silence of the vast majority of
professionals is to me the saddest aspect of this debacle.
It may well be that economic interests played a part in this
unfortunate episode. At the same time that an increasing number of
organizations and therapists sought additional or new sources of
revenues, an increase in public awareness about abuse was occurring.
Society's awakened concern about abuse became the source of potential
major revenue.
Despite their frequent and fervent assertions to the contrary,
both the national professional associations and the state or local
licensing boards failed to monitor their constituents and to protect
the public. It became evident that there was a need for an
organization like the FMSF.
Almost a decade after its inception, the Foundation now receives
far fewer calls from families who say they are falsely accused. There
are far fewer suits against families and courts are treating such
families more fairly. The burgeoning number of research and scientific
articles triggered by the false memory fiasco has created a more
complete and balanced understanding of the malleability of memory and
the power of suggestibility in memory retrieval. Unfortunately, at the
same time there are far too many families that have not reunited.
Sadly, too many adult offspring continue to hold on to their false
memories and are still struggling, at least in part, with the
erroneous beliefs created by those false memories.
I believe that the seeds that spawned FMSF are still present. I am
convinced that many clinicians still fail to embrace science. The
application of science in treating clients with psychological or
emotional concerns has historically been uneven at best. But in
addition, misinformation about aspects of human development, memory,
suggestibility and other significant psychological phenomena are
deeply entrenched in many quarters.
I recently read an article that reinforced how psychoanalytic
theory continues to be an important cornerstone for therapy in some
quarters.[1] Psychoanalytic theory relies heavily on the notion that
most adult pathology has its roots in very early childhood trauma and
that in order to reduce the client's current problems, these early
"forgotten memories" need to be uncovered.[2] While psychoanalytic
therapy may help some patients, the theory contains the seeds that
lead to the creation of false memories. Although the need for an
organization such as the FMSF may have abated, society should remain
vigilant. The seeds for similar episodes may only be dormant and not
extinguished.
When the history of the FMS episode is written, I hope it will
treat with accuracy and great respect the efforts made by falsely
accused families and courageous professionals in establishing a
remarkable hybrid grass roots/establishment organization consisting of
professionals and non-professionals. As a one-time student and teacher
of community organization, I believe it will. Scholars who study
organizations, however, will have to make a more objective
determination than I can of the role that this diverse group played in
responding to problems caused when some valued societal institutions
failed in their responsibility to monitor and regulate their own
constituents.
[1] Batz, J. "Mind Over Matter," Riverfront Times, July 25-31, 2001.
pp 20-29.
[2] p. 26.
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.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| From Canada |
| |
| "In 1996, newspaper columnist Michele Landsberg compared skeptics |
| of repressed memory -- a theory whose advocates say it is possible |
| to forget horrific events for decades and then suddenly `remember' |
| them accurately -- to Holocaust deniers. She speculated that |
| within five years, they would `have vanished from the scene, |
| utterly discredited... the scientific research is mounting up.' |
| Those five years have come and gone and it is the theory of |
| repressed memory that is on history's trash heap." |
| |
| "Common sense has finally won the day. Psychiatric associations on |
| both sides of the Atlantic have cautioned courts against |
| convicting people of sex crimes solely on the basis of recovered |
| memory. United States courts have overturned numerous convictions. |
| Leaders in the recovered memory movement have been stripped of |
| their licenses to practice, or surrendered them voluntarily. |
| Juries have awarded millions in damages to people who sued their |
| therapists for malpractice." |
| |
| "The evidence has never been more compelling that `repressed' and |
| `recovered' memories are highly suspect." |
| Editorial |
| National Post, June 15, 2001 |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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L E G A L C O R N E R
FMSF Staff
________________
Wenatchee Update
On July 31, 2001, Honnah and Jonathan Sims were awarded $3 million
after a three-week civil trial. The Spokane jury found Douglas County
and the city of Wenatchee negligent during the 1994 and 1995 sex-abuse
investigations. Sims, a Sunday-school teacher at the Pentecostal
church led by Pastor Roby Roberson, had been charged with molestation,
jailed, and acquitted by a jury in 1995.
The jury also concluded the city and county were negligent in the
investigations of Pastor Roby Roberson and his wife Connie, who spent
155 days in jail before they were acquitted. The jury said that the
city of Wenatchee was negligent in the case of Donna Rodriguez, a
parishioner of the church, whose charges were dismissed in 1996 when
four of her five accusers recanted their stories. Despite these
conclusions, the jury determined that the negligence did not meet the
requisite standards for monetary damages in the cases of the Robersons
and Rodriguez.
The $3 million award is a record for litigation arising from
Wenatchee sex cases. In 1998, the late state social worker Juana
Vasquez was awarded $1.57 million after a jury found that she had been
retaliated against for criticizing the investigations. She continued
to advocate for the Wenatchee defendants until her untimely death.
The 1994-1995 investigations resulted in 60 adults being arrested
on 29,726 charges of child sex abuse involving 43 children. All 18
people convicted in the Wenatchee "sex ring" cases have now been freed
either because their cases were overturned or because they agreed to
plea agreements to get out of prison.
Douglas County sheriff, Dan LaRoche said he believes the county's
insurance carrier, Hartford Insurance Co of Connecticut will pick up
the entire award. Plaintiff's attorney Robert Van Siclen said that
during settlement talks, he was told by Stan Bastian, the attorney for
Douglas County that the county's policy limit was $1 million.
Honnah Sims said that the jury's characterization of the police
investigation as "negligent" was more important than winning a
monetary award. She noted that the award may portend the outcomes in
pending cases. Although she and the Robersons had been acquitted,
"many others convicted in the cases spent years in prison and
permanently lost their children, which will ring more powerfully with
juries." [1]
During the trial, it was learned that Pastor Roby Roberson is
still under investigation by police for alleged abuse. Bastian said
Roberson's 11-year-old daughter, Rebecca, was the focus of the
investigation. "Children that show deviant behavior at a young age are
often victims of abuse themselves," Bastian said.
Roberson said the stigma of the case still haunts his family. "You
walk around on egg shells. You're looking over your shoulder all the
time; it's constant harassment."
Defendants in the case were Detective Robert Perez, former
Wenatchee Police Chief Ken Badley; Douglas County Sheriff Dan LaRoche
and county detectives Robbin Wagg and Dave Helvey. Plaintiffs were
represented by Robert Van Siclen. Pat McMahon was the attorney for the
city of Wenatchee and Stan Bastian the attorney for Douglas County.
[1] Barber, M. "Victim of Wenatchee sex-abuse investigators bears no
ill will," Seattle Post Intelligencer, Aug 10, 2001.
Information for this article also from Dundas, C., Associated Press,
July 11, 2001
_______________
Amirault Update
On July 6, 2001, in a 5-0 ruling, the Massachusetts Parole Board
recommended that the governor commute the sentence of Gerald "Tooky"
Amirault.[1] The 24-page ruling stated: "The case was replete with
inconsistent and conflicting judicial opinions concerning whether
justice was done." The ruling noted that "It is clearly a matter of
public knowledge that, at the minimum, real and substantial doubt
exists concerning [the] petitioner's conviction," and "Gerald Amirault
has demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that his further
incarceration would constitute gross unfairness, because of...the
severity of sentence in comparison to the sentence[s] received by
codefendants." The Parole Board wrote: "In the end this is a case of
simple, fundamental fairness."
Gerald Amirault was convicted in 1986 in one of the 30 or so day
care cases that appeared around the country in the wake of McMartin.
He was sentenced to 30-to-40 years and has served 15. His mother and
sister, however, received 8?to-20 year sentences. No corroborating
physical evidence and no testimony from a teacher or visitor at the
school supported the allegations.
The Parole Board recommendation has been sent to Massachusetts
Governor Jane Swift. If she agrees with the recommendation, the
commutation would be sent to the governor's Council which makes the
final decision.
[1] Ruling available at www.ultranet.com/~kyp/parole.html
Following are some of the comments about this case that have
appeared in the media:
"In retrospect, the case seems the product of an impassioned movement
spawned in the 1980s, a combination of newfound awareness of sexual
abuse, families torn by divorce, psychologists' championing of
victims, and a more sensational mass media."
Raja Mishra
State panel votes to free Amirault: a legacy of doubt, hysteria"
Boston Globe, July 7, 2001
"`Let me tell you one thing. I did not lie,' said a woman in her 20s,
who said she was a toddler when she was abused. `How could we (the
victims) all come up with the same stories if we were not molested by
monsters?'"
Associated Press
"Fells Acres victims fearful about Amirault's potential release"
July 7, 2001
"Studies have shown that children will vehemently defend the veracity
of implanted memories. They recall reporting them, and those reports
produce mental images of the events that these individuals cannot
distinguish from their real experiences. But the kids are not
responsible for that. The interviews are."
Debra Poole, Ph.D.
quoted in "Memories questions: Studies say kids can be easily led"
Tom Mashberg, Boston Herald, July 8, 2001
"It is essential to keep in mind now that most children with such
implanted memories will have believed in their allegations of abuse
for far longer than they were alive before those allegations first
surfaced. These `implanted' memories are no less visceral than
real-life memories."
Stephen Ceci, Ph.D.
quoted in "Memories questions: Studies say kids can be easily led"
Tom Mashberg, Boston Herald, July 8, 2001
"Long after this case is over and the last Amirault has left prison,
it will be worth remembering the aspects of character that made it
possible for them [the Amirault family] to endure. Among them we can
count their courage to refuse false confessions that might have helped
win their freedom."
Dorothy Rabinowitz
"Gerald Amirault has reason to celebrate"
Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2001
"Everyone had to have their own sex crimes case and everyone started
targeting daycare centres. We just suspended intellectual integrity.
We believed the abused when it came to child abuse cases."
Kimberly Hart in Jan Cienski
"Man at heart of 1980s child abuse case may be freed:
Daycare worker convicted on recovered memories,"
National Post (Canada) July 10, 2001
"The job within our legal system is to prove that [the accused] did what
they were accused of, and given the evidence we now have on how easy it
is to influence children, the state failed."
Pamela Freyd in Jan Cienski
"Man at heart of 1980s child abuse case may be freed:
Daycare worker convicted on recovered memories"
National Post (Canada) July 10, 2001
____________
Braun Update
Bennett Braun, M.D. has surfaced in Helena, Montana where he has been
working at the Shodair Children's Hospital. Former workers at the
hospital claim that Braun has been treating patients, but a hospital
executive denies the allegations. The claims have prompted the Montana
Department of Public Health and Human Services to investigate.
Dr. Braun, who was once director of the dissociative disorders
program at Rush Presbyterian Medical Center in Chicago, surrendered
his medical license in Illinois over allegations he used drugs and
hypnosis to convince a patient she killed scores of people in satanic
rituals. He settled a lawsuit with the patient for over $10 million.
Dr. Braun did not admit any of the allegations and says the case
was settled against his will. He is suing the attorneys and the
insurance companies who represented him for $20 million.
Before he lost his license, Braun was earning about $300,000 a
year, but the legal fight tapped all his savings. He was unemployed
for a while, then had a job as a night watchman before employment at
the hospital. The job at Shodair pays about $28,000.
Anez, B.
"Former workers claim suspended doctor was involved in treatment"
Associated Press, Aug 1, 2001
Anez B.
"Montana board to investigate psychiatrist
whose medical license was suspended in Illinois"
Associated Press, Aug 3, 2001
___________________________________________
Assistants Plead Guilty in Rebirthing Death
Jaye D. Bartha
Disposition hearings for Jack McDaniels, 48, and Brita St.Clair, 42,
the assistants present at the rebirthing session that killed
ten-year-old Candace Newmaker in April, 2000, were held before
Jefferson County District Judge Jane Tidball in Golden, Colorado on
August 2, 2001.
Both McDaniels and St.Clair, now married, pled guilty to
criminally negligent child abuse resulting in death, a class III
felony which carries no mandatory prison term. The sentencings,
scheduled for October 4, carry a possible 4-16 year prison term, 5
years parole after sentence completion, and a $3,000 - $750,000 fine.
Connell Watkins, 55, and Julie Ponder, 41, the psychotherapists
who swaddled young Candace in a flannel sheet during a "rebirthing"
procedure designed to "cure" attachment disorder, but instead resulted
in suffocation, were convicted of reckless child abuse resulting in
death, a class II felony, and are serving mandatory 16-year prison
terms.
Jefferson County Prosecutor, Steve Jensen, said it was necessary
to "make a distinction between the levels of responsibility" in the
charges against those convicted in the killing. He concluded,
"Admitting to criminal negligence means they [McDaniels and St.
Clair] exhibited a gross deviation from the standard of care and posed
a substantial risk to the child." Mr. Jensen added that "no sentence
concessions" were made with the defendants.
From his North Carolina home Candace's grandfather, David Davis
stated, "Unless they are mindless creatures who are not responsible
for their actions, they should go to prison. These are dangerous
people because they do what they are instructed regardless of the
consequences."
Candace's adoptive mother, Jeane Newmaker, 48, a nurse
practitioner, also charged with criminally negligent child abuse
resulting in death, is scheduled for trial in early November.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| Mr. Richard Trask (Historian): You know, we're not immune. We tend |
| to think that the Puritans 300 years ago were kind of funny |
| people. They dressed funny; they were very superstitious. How |
| silly of them. But we have our own witch-hunts around here today |
| that we have to be careful about. |
| |
| Tovia Smith (Reporter): For example, Trask points to the national |
| wave of child abuse prosecutions in the 1980s. Rather than going |
| over ancient history of the witches, he says, better to focus on |
| those who may still be wrongly imprisoned today. |
| |
| Mr. Richard Trask: Many of these people who were jailed in the |
| `80s got as much as a hundred, 200, 300 years of jail time. And |
| it's not to say there isn't such a thing as child abuse, but when |
| you see five or six people within a school are being accused and |
| they're accused of killing animals and killing children and |
| there's no physical evidence, and then you have the poor children |
| come out and they're somewhat manipulated, it just smacks to me -- |
| it's so close to the witchcraft of 1692 that it's really scary. |
| |
| National Public Radio, "All Things Considered, "7/18/01 |
\____________________________________________________________________/
**********************************************************************
Seeds for Problems
Elsewhere in this newsletter, Allen Feld comments on the seeds that
spawned FMSF and expresses his concern that, though dormant, they are
still abundant and could sprout if the conditions are favorable. There
is plenty of evidence to support his anxiety. Families from around the
country continue to send brochures of continuing education programs
that raise alarm.
It seems like "deja vu -all over again" to read that in October in
Portland, Seattle and Anchorage there will be continuing education
seminars entitled "Helping Adult and Child Survivors of Trauma and
Abuse." Although there is no mention of "false memories" in the topics
to be covered, codependency, transgenerational trauma and abuse,
"disassociative" disorders and attachment disorders will be taught by
a masters level leader. Continuing education credit for social
workers, licensed professional counselors, and psychologists are
provided through the company that sponsors the seminars: Medical
Educational Services in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. (It was in Eau Claire
that the recent $5 million was awarded to parents of a daughter who
developed false memories in therapy.)
There remain serious concerns about religious counseling that
ignores the body of scientific evidence on the dangers of creating
false memories. The fastest growing recovered memory program of which
we are aware is Theophostic Counseling. Those who might be curious are
encouraged to go to the Theophostic Counseling website
(www.theophostic.com) to examine this program for themselves. A
christianity-based challenge to this unsound approach may be found at
www.psychoheresy-aware.org.
**********************************************************************
A recent article in Christianity Today
prompted author Mark Pendergrast to speak out:
Christianity Today - Editor:
Your favorable story about Theophostic Ministries does a grave
disservice to your readers, since it is clear that Ed Smith, the
Theophostic founder and guru, believes in and practices so-called
recovered memory therapy. Your article states that he works "primarily
with victims of childhood sexual abuse," but it is quite likely that
many of the people he works with were not, in fact, sexually abused as
children, since they did not recall any memories of abuse until they
went for therapy. People do not "repress" years of traumatic events.
Rather, they recall them all too well.
On the Theophostic website, Ed Smith writes that "unless the
person is able to return to the original memory event where the lie
was first embedded, true release of the emotional pain in the present
will not occur." This kind of wording and thinking is all too familiar
to me. As I documented in my book, Victims of Memory, this type of
misguided therapy has harmed rather than healed. It results in misery
and destroyed families. Unfortunately, many "Christian" counselors
have fallen for it, and Ed Smith appears to be the latest.
Because his wording was somewhat vague, I wrote to Ed Smith to ask
his opinion about recovered memories of sexual abuse. His reply was
extremely alarming: "I would encourage you to order from us the book,
The Truth About The False Memory Syndrome, by James Friesen. This book
is helpful. I really do not concern myself with what is factual in a
memory. I focus on the emotional pain that is present and look for the
belief that is producing it."
James Friesen is a true believer in recovered memories and in
mythical satanic ritual abuse cults, which have been quite thoroughly
debunked. His book totally denies that misguided therapy can lead
people to believe in false memories of sexual abuse, and he denies the
stories of retractors who have come to realize that they were "had" by
bad therapy. Smith's cavalier lack of concern about whether memories
of abuse are true or not is shocking. Your readers need to be warned
about this man and his theories -- not encouraged to seek his help. At
a time when recovered memory therapy has been completely discredited,
it is amazing to me that Smith is once again practicing it now, in the
21st century. It is particularly distressing that he is doing so in
the name of religion, telling people that Jesus is the one who is
revealing the "truth" to them.
Yours, Mark Pendergrast
Author, Victims of Memory
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| `I really do not concern myself with what is factual in a memory. |
| I focus on the emotional pain that is present and look for the |
| belief that is producing it." |
| Ed Smith, Theophostic Counseling |
\____________________________________________________________________/
**********************************************************************
My Story
Maxine Berry
Prepared by Brian Berry
Life is a journey, so am I told. As I look back on my life, there are
so many things I wish I could change, but there are also many things
that I would not change. I am a survivor of false memory therapy and I
have not talked much about it, until now. How could someone as young
as I was get caught up in FMS? Actually, it was very easy. It was
getting out of the false memory abyss that was more difficult.
My difficulties started just prior to my high school
graduation. There are conflicting stories from my parents as to what
exactly occurred, but what I relate is told from my understanding of
the facts. These facts were not told to me until recently when I was
able to read depositions in the malpractice lawsuit that I brought.
My reason for seeking therapy was depression that occurred shortly
before my graduation from high school. My records indicate that I was
actually suffering from a physical and not a psychological problem,
but the psychologist and psychiatrist to whom I turned did not take
the time or effort to investigate any physical causes for my
symptoms. Instead they jumped to a psychological diagnosis.
The events just prior to my graduation served as the basis for my
"therapy." I was stressed about the graduation, perhaps in great part
because my father wanted to attend. When I was in the first grade my
parents had divorced and that was the last time I saw my father for 20
years. The key event that set the focus for my therapy was the fact
that my dad wanted to come and see me graduate, but my mother was
strongly opposed. This created tremendous conflict at home and this
period in my life was very sad for me.
I was hospitalized for the first time less than a month before my
graduation and I remained hospitalized until sometime after
graduation. During this time, my therapist told me horrific things
about my father. I now believe that the "flashbacks" and "memories"
of abuse I supposedly recovered were induced by my psychiatrist after
he talked with my mother. My mother is the one who believed that I had
been abused. Many of my supposed "memories" closely corresponded to my
mother's beliefs about what had occurred, I learned later from the
papers in the lawsuit.
The doctors and therapists communicated what I said about my
"recovered memories" to my mother. She never told them or me that
these things never happened. I was victimized and my father's name was
ruined. To make matters worse, the legal records show that my doctors
had been told there was no evidence to support their belief about me
being sexually abused by my father.
I was hospitalized many times the next year and that was awful,
but during this same time I met the man who was to be my husband, and
that was wonderful. I married Brian that year.
It is said that people have 20/20 vision in hindsight. As I look
back, I realize my husband was trying to tell me something was not
right with my therapy and my therapists. Unfortunately I did not
listen to him. Instead I chose to listen to my mother, the therapists,
and the doctors. This mistake led to my temporary separation from my
husband, but fortunately we were able to overcome this problem. I
realized that I needed to make some changes in my life.
I stopped my contact with my mother, I changed doctors, and I
decided to research what they were saying to me. Slowly the truth came
to the surface; I had been told a fabrication.
But why would my doctors and my mother do such a thing? I believe
the doctors and therapists knowingly or unknowingly were influenced by
the easy availability of insurance money. I believe my mother was
caught up in emotional revenge and that she saw herself as a heroine
who was saving me from the terrible person of my father.
Two people helped me back to reality. The saving forces in my life
were my husband and my family doctor. Both told me that there was not
much truth to what I had come to believe in therapy.
Shortly after I recognized that my memories were false, I filed
suit and started to piece my life back together. I have much to be
thankful in addition to the support from my husband and family doctor,
I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to meet my father twice.
Unfortunately, my mother continues to be greatly upset that I have
established contact with my dad and that makes a very difficult
situation for me. I hope that one day we can talk about it and that
she is able to see the role that she played in my nightmare and maybe
even apologize.
I can't help but feel that if she had done something to prevent
the falsehoods from spreading, I would have not have been sterilized.
One psychologist who was treating me told me that I had to get my
tubes tied because I had been abused. The reasoning is that since I
had been abused, I would abuse any child that I might have. If that
had not happened, my mother would be enjoying grandchildren now.
I hope that by sharing this story I can prevent more abuse in
therapy. I hope I can stir an awareness of how this type of therapy
destroys relationships. I hope I can alert people to the harm that can
result when therapists believe they know more about a patient's life
than she does.
Who would think that a high school graduation could be the
catalyst of such a bizarre experience? How wonderful that with the
love and support of my husband, I have been able to join the real
world.
**********************************************************************
F R O M O U R R E A D E R S
_______________________________________
Notes from an FMS Meeting in July, 2001
I had to write and tell you about the wonderful FMS meeting we had in
July. I learned about the meeting from the notice in the Newsletter
and about a dozen of us gathered at 6:00 PM and no one left before
10:00. Our host served us a fine buffet dinner.
This meeting was different from any of the many other FMSF
meetings I have attended because it seemed almost everyone present had
some current contact with the accuser.
One person told us that he has brought a lawsuit for slander and
libel against his sister, the accuser. He was able to get details of
her accusation at the pre-trial deposition. The lawsuit is still
pending.
In another family, the accuser wants to return to her father, but
he refuses to meet with her unless she retracts. He is 82 years old
and asked the group what he should do in his will. The accuser and her
parents exchange Christmas and birthday cards.
Another couple told us that their accusing daughter will be
meeting with them soon. She has not retracted and the parents are
apprehensive as to what will happen at the meeting. She accused her
father four years ago.
"William" who has four daughters, was accused by one of them about
two years ago. He has told all his relatives and friends about the
accusations. I thought that was probably not typical. William is not
sure that he was right to do that.
"Sally" is the sibling of the accuser. Her father, who has died,
was accused of sexual abuse by his daughter in 1980. Sally and her
other siblings supported their father. She recounted how she told her
teenage nieces and nephews about the accusations in the presence of
their respective parents and that they saw no validity in them.
Another couple was there because the accusing daughter saw a
therapist who appears to have no license or special training about 10
years ago. This therapist had told the daughter that she had negative
feelings about herself because her mother had failed to bond with her
and denied her the love she deserved. The therapist told the daughter
to end all contact with the mother. The accusing daughter then brought
her brother to the same therapist, and now he has no contact with the
parents.
One man said that this was his first FMS meeting and that he had
been accused by his daughter about a year and a half ago. After asking
his daughter many times what he was accused of, she told him that
there was an incident of sexual abuse when she was three years old.
She said that this came to her first in a dream. The man related that
just before the accusation, he had told his 22-year-old daughter that
he disapproved of her relationship with a 53-year-old non-working
boyfriend. The daughter has since married the man and the father has
stopped sending support money.
As for me, I visited my older daughter and my grandson last
week. She gave me pictures of my accusing daughter and her husband and
infant son. This was the first I knew of the marriage and
grandchild. I was accused ten and a half years ago and have had no
contact with the accuser. But I know that I would not have been given
the pictures without the consent of the accuser. Should I send a note
to her to thank her for the pictures?
It seemed that in almost all the accounts, the accuser had a
failed marriage or failed relationship before the accusations.
A Dad
___________________________
News from Sacramento Valley
We held our Sacramento Valley annual group meeting at the beginning of
June. We sent 45 news flyers and had 15 families attending.
Our agenda was just to catch up with one another and that took up
the whole meeting. Everyone asked us to have a meeting again next
year?noting that once a year was enough, but it was also necessary.
The new family that contacted us recently did not show, and we
have not been able to reach them but intend to follow up. We had one
new daughter-father contact after 10 years. A small but welcome
breakthrough. Most are still either completely estranged or dealing
with a returnee at some stage of contact but no real resolution. Most
are reasonably at peace and getting on with their lives?but always
with the constant "hole in the heart" none the less.
Volunteer Group Leader
____________________
The Worst Experience
My husband will be 80 in September. I'm doing pretty well. I'll be 80
in November and, Lord willing, if we make it to Valentine's Day, we
will be celebrating 60 years of a very happy marriage. The worst
experience of our lives has been the separation from our first born.
A Mom
______________________
We Ignored the Problem
Our accusing daughter telephoned the immediate family to invite us to
her wedding! Mostly, we ignored the problem. It had done no good
trying to reason with her, so we quit trying to talk it through. We
just began interacting when the opportunity was presented.
It took four years for her to work it out in her own mind. Some
hard physical work (scrubbing and painting an old house) gave her time
to think it through. Her new husband remained neutral.
A Mom
_______
"A Dad"
I found the letter from "A Dad" in the last FMSF Newsletter to be most
interesting. It hit on many of my thoughts. It has been 12 years since
we last heard from our son. In 1989 he charged his father, his mother,
and his older brother of molesting him when he was a little boy. He
does not contact us, and in fact he has returned our mail unopened. We
have quit trying to contact him. Like "A Dad" we have made a new life
without him. We have our 5 other children with whom we still have
close relations. Unlike "A Dad", we no longer miss our son, and we
have deleted him from our wills. He is no longer "our son." We will
not accept him unless he grows up, accepts adult responsibility for
his actions, and recants the charges he has made.
He has done too much harm to us, including an article in a church
magazine, for us to accept him. He conducts twelve-step programs on
recovered memories. He seems to be converted to the recovered memory
doctrine. In my opinion, he is lost to us forever. I do not expect to
see him again. And, today, after 12 years, I no longer care. Please
tell "A Dad" thanks from us.
Another Dad and Mom
_________________
"A Dad" was Right
A letter from a father in the July/August edition of the newsletter
was entitled Safe Not Sorry. He wrote, "Without a retraction, contact
risks the possibility of renewed charges and the potential for
lawsuits, criminal charges, etc." He also said, "She's not seeing her
therapist anymore. But what if she makes new mistakes or life goes
wrong again and she needs reassurance that "it's not her fault" and
she goes back."
My daughter was a returner during the last months of her father's
illness and his death in January 1999. She has kept in contact by
phone sporadically since then, and I paid her a brief visit in
November. She sent me a Christmas card stating how glad she was that I
was back in her life.
This past January, she became unemployed again, was depressed on
the anniversary of her father's death and was admitted to a hospital
for three weeks. Although I wrote notes or sent cards at least three
times a month, there was no response. On July 1 she called again from
the waiting room of the hospital. She said she had not been in contact
because one of my letters didn't acknowledge other causes for her
pain. She began to enumerate instances of physical abuse that were not
true. We are back to square one.
Our experience is an example of what this father had written. We
need to be careful.
A Mom
_____________________
A Breath of Fresh Air
The letter from "A Dad" was like a breath of fresh air, a candle that
suddenly burst into flame. As I have read the letters from members
over the years, I searched for someone who felt like I do. "A Dad"
makes me feel that I am not alone.
I have struggled with the idea of behaving as though nothing sad
or bad had happened, of being asked to pick up the threads of love,
honesty and trust as though these had never been broken. "A Dad"
outlined the risks and potential criminal charges that could occur. I
believe that those who treat false memory accusations as something
trivial do not really understand the devastation.
I wish to thank "A Dad" for his help.
Colleen from New Zealand
__________________________
From Returner to Retractor
After six years of no contact, our daughter called her mother on
Mother's Day 1996. The call was very cordial and made no mention of
the accusations. Calls, letters, and cards followed with still no
reference to the alleged abuse. In the fall of 1997, we went to visit
our daughter. While we were there, she broke down, cried profusely and
said, "You have been the best parents any daughter could have had."
There were other similar comments during the emotional but enjoyable
visit. There was no mention of the accusations.
In 1998 she visited us in our home. She brought with her a letter
from a friend that described another daughter who had come to realize
her memories of abuse were false and had been planted in her mind by a
therapist. That letter caused my daughter to think of her own
situation and she eventually came to the same conclusion -- her
memories had been false. It took her a long time to sort out the truth
from the lies, a painful exercise.
She visited us again and this time she explained to us the
therapeutic process that had caused her false memories. We told her
that we knew all about the therapeutic tragedy that was going on in
the country and that we had been members of FMSF for quite a while. It
was then that she declared that her accusations had been false. We
welcomed her back to the family with no reservations.
Today, our family is fully united and we all keep in contact with
her. She is successful in her business. Last year we crossed the
country to visit with her. The past problem was never mentioned.
A Mom
_____________
Eating Bones!
This is a story my six-year-old daughter told me after I picked her up
from daycare. Great snacks are served in the afternoon and as we were
walking home, I asked her what the snack was that day.
Mom: What did you have for snack today?
Daughter: Bones.
Mom: Bones? (I thought she might be talking about bone shaped
cookies or bread sticks or candy.)
Daughter: Yeah, bones. They found a dead body behind the daycare
today. She took out the guts and pulled the bones out. She brought
them into the day care and cleaned them and cooked them.
Mom: She cooked them? (I started to have flashes of the stories
kids have told in the past about day cares and how those ludicrous
stories caused innocent people to go to jail.)
Daughter: Yeah, big ones, little ones.
Mom: Did they serve any dipping sauce? (This ghoulish story was
getting too weird for me.)
Daughter: Yeah. (And so we continued talking about weird types of
dipping sauces until I made her laugh.)
This just shows that children will make up the weirdest most
disgusting stories all by themselves even without the aid of twisted
helpers. Now I feel even more sympathy for the falsely accused day
care providers.
Roma Hart
________________________
Loving but No Retraction
The wonderful things that the Foundation has done for families
stricken with this problem is unequaled anywhere. You helped my late
wife and me a great deal. Thankfully our daughters returned in 1995;
one year before my wife passed away from cancer.
Since then, I have remarried. Before we were married, I informed
my fiance abut this issue and she went with me to an FMS meeting in
Sacramento. However, she informed her four children about this issue,
which created quite a stir. To this day she warns me to be careful
whenever we visit with any of her 8 grandchildren. In most cases I
feel accepted; however, the mother of one of the spouses is making it
very difficult.
Two years ago daughter A moved from LA to about 10 miles from me.
Daughter B, still in LA, visits her sister and me every month or two.
On one occasion about a year and a half ago, my wife confronted them
about the FMS issue. Daughter B confirmed her belief that her
grandfather had raped her and her sister. Daughter A just cried and
said, hugging me, "I don't want to lose you again." They are still
sharing a loving relationship with me but they haven't retracted.
A Dad
_______________________
We Have Put This Behind
I want to thank you for all you've done for us, for your dedication to
the lives lost over this horrible injustice. My family and I have put
this behind us now, though whenever the topic of memory/abuse comes up
we speak up. I no longer want to continue to fight this battle. We
won. I don't mean to be inconsiderate, but the devastation is not
something I want to keep reliving. I guess that's the way it is with
true abuse. You wish you couldn't remember!
A Mom and a Retractor
**********************************************************************
* N O T I C E S *
**********************************************************************
* *
* Annual Meeting of Ontario and Quebec *
* Families, Friends and Professionals *
* *
* RECONCILIATION AND EXONERATION: *
* Where do we stand? What can be done? *
* *
* Saturday November 3, 2001, *
* Edwards Gardens, Toronto *
* *
* For details call John at 905-432 2468 or *
* Mavis at 450-537 8187 *
* *
**********************************************************************
* You Are Invited *
* ILLINOIS-WISCONSIN FMS SOCIETY *
* Meeting *
* *
* Saturday October 13, 2001 *
* 1:00PM - 5:00PM *
* Bloomington, Illinois *
* *
* KAREN and CHARLES JOHNSON *
* "History of 3rd-Party Lawsuits" *
* *
* KEN MERLINO, FMS attorney *
* "Current Litigation in *
* Illinois and Texas" *
* *
* For information: 847-827-1056 *
**********************************************************************
* *
* FROM RUMOR TO REASON: *
* ACCUSATIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE: CURRENT SCIENTIFIC, LEGAL, *
* AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES *
* *
* A One-day seminar offering continuing education credit to Social *
* Workers, (Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and Attorneys, pending) *
* *
* November 17, 2001 *
* University of Vermont *
* *
* MARK PENDERGRAST *
* Memory Creation and Science *
* TERENCE W. CAMPBELL, Ph.D. *
* Children, Suggestibility and Autobiographical Memory *
* JACK QUATTROCCHI, Esq. *
* The Roles of the Legal System and Experts *
* *
* Students and interested non-professionals are welcome. *
* *
* FOR INFORMATION *
* Kathy Begert, 1134 Rathburn Road, Wooster, OH 44691, *
* phone: 330-263-7798. E-mail: KBegert846@aol.com *
* *
**********************************************************************
* CHILD ABUSE ALLEGATIONS IN THE COURTS: *
* SCIENCE & REASON vs. MYTH & EMOTION *
* Reno, Nevada *
* October 17-19, 2001 *
* Sponsored by the National Child Abuse Defense & Resource Center*
* *
* This is the 10th NCADRC conference for legal professionals who *
* defend people accused of child abuse. The focus is on children, *
* child suggestibility and special laws applying to children. *
* *
* Among the many outstanding speakers: *
* *
* CAROL TAVRIS, Ph.D. *
* Science vs. Pseudoscience in Expert Testimony: *
* How to tell the difference. *
* WILLIAM FRIEDRICH, Ph.D. *
* Normative Behaviors Found in Children *
* DEBRA POOLE, Ph.D. *
* Children's Suggestibility *
* MELVIN GUYER, Ph.D., J.D. *
* Uses and Misuses of Psychological Testing *
* in Child Abuse Related Cases *
* PHILLIP ESPLIN, Ed.D. *
* Assessing the Statements and Testimony of Teenage Complainants, *
* NANCY DIEHL, J.D. *
* Questioning Children in Court *
* RICHARD OFSHE, Ph.D. *
* Improper Interrogation Techniques *
* *
* FOR INFORMATION *
* NCADRC, P.O. Box 638, Holland, OH 43528. FAX 419-865-0526 *
**********************************************************************
* *
* 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.) *
* *
**********************************************************************
* WEB SITES OF INTEREST *
* *
* http://www.tmdArchives.org *
* The Memory Debate Archives *
* *
* www.francefms.com *
* French language website *
* *
* www.StopBadTherapy.com *
* Contains phone numbers of professional regulatory boards *
* in all 50 states *
* *
* www.IllinoisFMS.org *
* Illinois-Wisconsin FMS Society *
* *
* www.ltech.net/OHIOarmhp *
* Ohio Group *
* *
* www.afma.asn.au *
* Australian False Memory Association. *
* *
* www.bfms.org.uk *
* British False Memory Society *
* *
* www.geocities.com/retractor *
* This site is run by Laura Pasley (retractor) *
* *
* www.geocities.com/therapyletters *
* This site is run by Deb David (retractor) *
* *
* www.sirs.com/uptonbooks/index.htm *
* Upton Books *
* *
* www.angelfire.com/tx/recoveredmemories *
* Having trouble locating books *
* about the recovered memory phenomenon? *
* Recovered Memory Bookstore *
* *
* religioustolerance.org *
* Information about Satanic Ritual Abuse *
* *
* www.geocities.com/newcosanz/ *
* Netherlands FMS Group *
* *
* www.werkgroepwfh.nl *
* New Zealand FMS Group *
* *
* LEGAL WEBSITES OF INTEREST *
* www.findlaw.com *
* www.legalengine.com *
* www.accused.com *
**********************************************************************
* *
* DID YOU MOVE? *
* Do you have a new area code? Remember to inform the *
* FMSF Business Office *
* *
**********************************************************************
_____________________________________
F M S B U L L E T I N B O A R D
Contacts & Meetings:
_____________
UNITED STATES
ALABAMA
Montgomery
Marge 334-244-7891
ALASKA
Kathleen 907-337-7821
ARIZONA
Phoenix
Pat 480-396-9420
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 415-984-6626 (am); 415-435-9618 (pm)
San Francisco & South Bay
Eric 408-245-4493
East Bay Area - (bi-MO)
Judy 925-376-8221
Central Coast
Carole 805-967-8058
Central Orange County - 1st Fri. (MO) @ 7pm
Chris & Alan 714-733-2925
Covina Area - 1st Mon. (MO) @7:30pm
Floyd & Libby 626-330-2321
San Diego Area
Dee 760-439-4630
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
Central Florida - Please call for mtg. time
John & Nancy 352-750-5446
Sarasota
Francis & Sally 941-342-8310
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 - 1st Sat. (MO) @11:30 am Lunch
Betty & Gayle 515-270-6976
KANSAS
Wichita - Meeting as called
Pat 785-738-4840
KENTUCKY
Louisville- Last Sun. (MO) @ 2pm
Bob 502-367-1838
MAINE
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. Apr,Jul,Oct @12:30pm
Tom 417-753-4878
Roxie 417-781-2058
MONTANA
Lee & Avone 406-443-3189
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Mark 802-872-8439
NEW JERSEY
Southern
Sally 609-927-5343
Northern
Nancy 973-729-1433
NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque -2nd Sat. (bi-MO) @1 pm
Southwest Room - Presbyterian Hospital
Maggie 505-662-7521 (after 6:30 pm)
Sy 505-758-0726
NEW YORK
Manhattan
Michael 212-481-6655
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
Tulsa
Jim 918-297-7719
OREGON
Portland area
Kathy 503-557-7118
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
Mark 802-872-8439
VIRGINIA
Sue 703-273-2343
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
MANITOBA
Roma 240-275-5723
ONTARIO, CANADA
London -2nd Sun (bi-MO)
Adriaan 519-471-6338
Ottawa
Eileen 613-836-3294
Warkworth
Ethel 705-924-2546
Burlington
Ken & Marina 905-637-6030
Waubaushene
Paula 705-543-0318
QUEBEC, CANADA
St. Andre Est.
Mavis 450-537-8187
AUSTRALIA
Roger: Phone & Fax 352-897-9282
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 November/December Newsletter is October 15
Meeting notices MUST be in writing
and should be sent no later than TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO MEETING.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Do you have access to e-mail? Send a message to |
| 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 |
| message need say is "add to the FMS-News". It would be useful, but |
| not necessary, if you add your full name (all addresses and names |
| will remain strictly confidential). |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
**********************************************************************
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, September 1, 2001
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., Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; 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., (deceased) University
of Pennsylvania, 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
California, Santa Cruz, CA; THOMAS A. SEBEOK, Ph.D., Indiana Univers-
ity, 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.
**********************************************************************
Y E A R L Y FMSF M E M B E R S H I P I N F O R M A T I O N
Professional - Includes Newsletter $125_______
Family - Includes Newsletter $100_______
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______________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________
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* FAX your order to 215-940-1042. Fax orders cannot be processed
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