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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 2002 Vol. 11 No. 5
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ISSN #1069-0484. Copyright (c) 2002 by the FMS Foundation
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The FMSF Newsletter is published 6 times a year by the
False Memory Syndrome Foundation. The newsletter is
mailed to anyone who contributes at least $30.00. Also
available at no cost on www.FMSFonline.org
1955 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-5766
Phone 215-940-1040, Fax 215-940-1042
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Mak
Pendergrast
Feld
Conference Information The next issue will be
Legal Corner November/December
From Our Readers
Cool
Bartha
Bulletin Board
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Dear Friends,
It's been a hot summer in many ways. The appointment of FMSF
Advisor Paul McHugh, M.D. to a Catholic Church panel related to clergy
abuse generated lots of heat. His appointment was considered by some
to be controversial because of his stand on recovered memories and his
role with the Foundation. The function of the bishops' panel, however,
is to ensure that there is a change in the way in which the church
deals with sexual abuse by priests, not to ascertain the merits of
individual cases. For some, however, the notion that a person can be
in total support both of preventing child abuse and punishing
offenders while at the same time be in total support of preventing
false accusations seems a difficult concept.
Apparently we added to the heat. In September a conference on
family violence will be held in San Diego with a multitude of
impressive federal and state government agencies as sponsors and
collaborators.[1] Surely everyone is against "family violence," and it
is a topic to support. However, included in the preconference
workshops were two sessions on "ritual abuse." Several of the people
giving the workshops have, in the past, expressed belief in the
existence of an intergenerational satanic conspiracy.
Where are we now as a nation in terms of belief in ritual abuse?
[2] There have been studies published by the FBI (Lanning, 1992),
National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (Goodman et al. 1994),
British Government (La Fontaine, 1994) and others, all with the same
conclusion: no credible evidence for organized satanic cults. By 2002,
most of the people imprisoned for "satanic" crimes in the early 90s
have been released. Indeed, San Diego was the site of one of the most
notorious cases, the trial of Dale Akiki.
My concern was that these preconference workshops represented
outdated and discredited information that could reignite the zeal for
belief in satanic conspiracies. In addition, and perhaps this is
unfair, I was also concerned because one of the conference hosts was
the very same institute in which the highly suggestive interviews of
the McMartin children took place.
We wrote to the conference sponsors and collaborators of our
concern [3] and included an article by Kenneth Lanning. Replies to our
letter show a range of belief on the subject. One group was disturbed
and told us they were unaware of the presence of the workshops. The
Attorney General of California noted that his office's "participation
in this conference should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any
panelist's point of view," and "As the conference is next month, there
is nothing that I can do to `correct' this situation."
A representative for the National Board of Certified Counselors
was clearly upset with us and said that the existence of abuse of
children by cults was beyond dispute "since Janet Reno cited ritual
and sexual abuse of children as the primary reason for the action
taken... in Waco." The Director of the Centers for Disease Control
wrote that "the CDC views ritualized child abuse as an area in need of
systematic empirical research and evaluation to clarify unresolved
issues relative to definitions, measurement, and methods of
assessment." [4] She also said that the CDC does not have an official
position on ritual child abuse" and she noted that the sessions of
concern were preconference workshops and that the CDC "does not
sponsor or endorse these workshops."
The primary organizers of the conference sent out a letter to all
sponsors and collaborators saying that the FMSF was a "fringe advocacy
organization" and "mostly composed of those accused of abusing their
own children." They wrongly interpreted my letter as "an organized
effort to shut down our conference by urging co-sponsors,
collaborators, and others to withdraw support and not to attend."
It seems that we were naive to think that the topic of ritual
abuse had been resolved. Let us hope that the general climate is such
that we don't need to fear a return of the hysteria about ritual abuse
and recovered memories of the early 1990s. Indeed, we can do more than
hope; we can ensure it though our collective efforts. After all, we
are still wiping up the mess from that period in which families were
destroyed and some people unjustly imprisoned. In this issue there are
articles about two cases in which people have received significant
amounts of money for the false accusations against them. The
Lillie/Reed case (below) is particularly revealing for the role played
by hysteria. It is also revealing for what it shows about how an
accusation of sexual abuse lives on even if a person is exonerated in
court.
The legal cases have been the playing field on which the balance
between prosecuting wrongdoers and protecting people from false
charges has been tested. This month we report on a retractor case in
which the defense prevailed and also a case in New Jersey in which an
unusual attempt to bypass the statute of limitations failed. In a
recent paper, Elizabeth Loftus wrote eloquently of this balance:
"We're a nation that developed a legal system based first and
foremost on due process. Of course we believe that it is important
to punish evildoers, but we also have to balance that with the need
to protect the innocent. If we ever lost that core element of our
justice system, we will lose something that will ultimately cause us
a grief far greater than we have ever known." [5]
Offsetting the heat of this summer are the cool and careful
scientific studies about the long-term effects of abuse and about
memory that continue to appear. There are two important ones mentioned
on page 4. As Elizabeth Loftus recently noted "If there was anything
good that came out of this decade of vitriolic contoversy, it was a
body of scientific research on memory that could leave a lasting
positive contribution, at least in terms of its ability to help our
understanding of the malleable nature of our memories."[5]
The FMS Foundation is now working for another good to come from
the family tragedies of the past decade: a far greater understanding
of the processes of family reconciliation and the roles that mental
health professionals or others might play in those processes. The
conference in October will be a forum for sharing what we have learned
so far and for determining where we need to go from here.
We look forward to seeing many of you there.
PAMELA
[1] 7th International Conference on Family Violence: Working Together
to End Abuse. September 25-28, 2002; Hosts: Family Violence & Sexual
Assault Institute, San Diego; Children's Institute International,
Los Angeles; California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant
International University.
[2] A little history: Much of the spread of the belief in "satanic
ritual abuse" can be traced to conferences organized by the
International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality and
Dissociation (ISSMP&D). After Ken Lanning's 1992 report, skeptical
of the existence of this phenomenon, the term "satanic" was dropped
in conference programs. Articles and talks have since referred to
"ritual abuse." But the belief in SRA did not die and and continues
to be found in personal testimonials and in therapists reports of
their patients. There are many places on the web where the beliefs
in intergenerational satanic abuse cults and conspiracies are
expressed.
In 1994, after the genesis of multiple personality was called in to
question, the ISSMP&D dropped the "multiple personality" part of its
name and became the ISSD. But belief in independent alters abounds
and can be found almost daily in news articles, especially in legal
defenses. In like manner, the term "repression" was dropped when it
became clear that there was no scientific evidence for it. The term
"dissociation" replaced it, but the notion has remained essentially
the same.
[3] Letter sent from FMSF
Dear Organization Director:
The __Organization is listed as a Co-Sponsor of the 7th
International Conference on Family Violence to be held in San Diego
in September 2002. Everyone is against family violence.
Unfortunately, this program includes two sessions on Ritual
Abuse (SRA). There is absolutely no evidence for any organized
ritual abuse conspiracy as these sessions state and their presence
undermines the credibility of the conference. There is tremendous
evidence of the damage that has been caused to individuals and
families because of belief in a non-existent satanic ritual abuse
conspiracy. Patients have died. Families and reputations have been
destroyed. Enclosed is a copy of the two workshop descriptions. Also
enclosed is a copy of a paper by FBI Investigator Ken Lanning about
the lack of evidence for a satanic ritual abuse conspiracy. He
notes:
"Because of the highly emotional and religious nature of this
topic, there is a greater possibility that dissemination of
information will result in a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy."
And "Until hard evidence is obtained and corroborated, the public
should not be frightened into believing that babies are being bred
and eaten, that 50,000 missing children are being murdered in
human sacrifices, or that Satanists are taking over America's day
care centers.' Lanning, "Ritual Abuse: A Law Enforcement View or
Perspective" Child Abuse and Neglect Vol 15, pp 171-173, 1991.
I trust that the__ Organization can help to correct this
unfortunate situation.
Yours very truly
[4] (This could be applied also to alien abduction.)
[5] Loftus, Elizabeth .F. (2002) Memory Faults and Fixes. Issues in
Science and Technology (Magazine of the National Academies of
Science) Vol 18 (4) Summer) p 41-50.
Goodman, Gail S. et al "Characteristics and Sources of Allegations
of Ritualistic Child Abuse. Washington, DC: National Center on Child
Abuse and Neglect, 1994.
LaFontain, J.S. The Extent and Nature of Organized and Ritual Abuse.
London: HMSO, 1994.
Lanning, Kenneth V. Investigators Guide to Allegations of "Ritual"
Child Abuse, Jan. 1992, FBI Academy, Quantico, VA 22135.
+----------------------------------------------------+
| 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 |
+----------------------------------------------------+
______________________________________________
Nursery Teachers Regain Reputations in England
(A description of this case can be found at
www.richardwebster.net/cleared.html)
On July 30, after a 72-day trial, two British former nursery school
workers were awarded $310,000 (the maximum legal award) each in their
libel suit against Newcastle City Council and the authors of a
damaging report about them.
The case began in 1993 when Dawn Reed, now 31, and Christopher
Lillie, now 37, were accused of abusing dozens of children at the
Shieldfield nursery school in Newcastle. The case fell apart because
of a lack of credible evidence and the two teachers were cleared of
the accusations in criminal court the next year. Not long after,
however, the Newcastle City Council established a review committee
including a psychologist and three social workers to examine sexual
abuse in the school. The Newcastle City Council published the
completed report in 1998.
Reed and Lillie were not notified about the report, were not
notified of the charges, and were not given any opportunity to
respond. They were not warned by the police who had told the authors
of the report that there were people in Newcastle "who are going to
kill these people." Reed and Lillie learned about the report from
front page sensational headlines. For example, the Sun appealed to its
readers to "Help us find these fiends. Do you know where perverts
Lillie and Reed are now? Phone us."
Reed and Lillie, fearing for their lives, went into hiding. No one
questioned the Newcastle report until journalist Bob Woffinden and
writer Richard Webster found Reed and Lillie and helped the teachers
find lawyers. Parents and others connected to the school had come to
revile Reed and Lillie because of the original false charges.
"Now demonized as members of a sinister pedophile ring who abused
children behind black doors, Reed and Lillie became the evil
protagonists in a mythology whose grip became stronger as it grew more
fantastic, commanding belief not only from parents but from social
workers, local council members, pediatricians and therapists. The myth
was so powerful it survived the criminal case. People kept saying and
writing terrible things about them. Their only course of action was to
sue for libel." (Guardian July 31)
Reed stated that they had been "branded with what is probably the
worst that anyone could be branded with -- to be labeled as a
pedophile." The trial began on January 11, 2002 and was the longest,
most expensive and most important libel case ever fought in the
British courts on a no-win, no-fee basis.
Judge Justice Eady commented: "With the possible exception of
murder, it is difficult to think of any charge more calculated to lead
to the revulsion and condemnation of a person's fellow citizens than
that of the systematic and sadistic abuse of children."
The main focus of the trial was the question of whether the review
team had concealed and misrepresented evidence that pointed to the
innocence of Reed and Lillie. The reputations of two top sex abuse
experts are in tatters. The Judge was highly critical of Dr. Richard
Barker who was the leader of the inquiry team saying the evidence was
"rambling and defensive." He noted: "The issue of whether any given
individual has raped or assaulted a small child -- or, for that
matter, upwards of 60 small children? is not a matter of impression,
theory opinion or speculation. It should be a question of fact." And
during cross examination, Dr. Lazaro, a consultant pediatrician and
senior lecturer who had examined more than 50 children, admitted that
her reports to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board had been
exaggerated and overstated. Her role as an advocate for children's
compensations claims compromised her professional independence and
integrity.
Maggie Bruck, Ph.D., co-author of "Jeopardy in the Courtroom" was
one of the experts for Reed and Lillie.
Professor William Friedrich of the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota was the
main expert witness for the review team. He wrote in his report that
he had reviewed "the documents and videotapes" and he believed that
Lillie and Reed had sexually abused the 28 children cited in the libel
trial. However, it later emerged that he had not seen any of the
video interviews or even the transcripts when he wrote that report.
Lillie and Reed will try to get on with their lives. A mother of
one of the children at the school said "this decision has shattered
us," The families seeking compensation from the council for their
children may now find the judge's dismissal of the allegations working
against them.
Rozenberg, J. "Nurses cleared of child abuse win libel battle." Daily
Telegraph (London) July 31, 2002.
Dyer, C. "I'm angry for the children, for us, for a lost nine years"
Guardian, July 31, 2002, page 1.
Evening Chronicle "Review Team Slammed by Judge" August 1, 2002.
The complete Lillie Reed report is available at:
http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/judgments/judg_frame.htm?OpenDocument'.
C. on : 30/07/2002 Queens CHRISTOPHER LILLIE & DAWN REED Bench
Division
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| "It isn't so much that I feel that some people, despite how I have |
| been vindicated, will never quite trust me around children. It is |
| that I can never, ever afford to be put in that situation again: |
| to go through the agony of not being believed, being maligned. I |
| almost ended my life over this: no one has the strength to go |
| through it twice." |
| Dawn Reed |
| Craig, O. "They bayed for our blood..." Sunday Telegraph (London) |
| Aug 4, `02. |
\____________________________________________________________________/
______________________________
Policeman Awarded $1.3 Million
Ten years ago, John Popowich, a Saskatoon police corporal, was
convicted of child abuse that supposedly occurred as part of a satanic
ritual in a day care center in Martensville, Saskatchewan. The case,
referred to at the time as the Scandal of the Century, was conducted
under a press blackout. The charges later fell apart after a Royal
Canadian Mounted Police task force took over the investigation and
concluded that the original investigation had been motivated by
"emotional hysteria." A judge declared Popowich innocent in 1993 after
three of the accusing children could not pick him out of a lineup.
That was after the reputations and the lives of eight others convicted
in the case were ruined.
Popowich sued the prosecutors and the government for malicious
prosecution, violation of his charter rights, and conspiracy and
negligence. The case was in the court most of the 1990s as the
government sought to have the case dismissed. Most of those who were
wrongfully convicted in this case have also brought lawsuits.
"Policeman gets $1.3 million in Martensville Settlement," CBC News
Online, June 18, 2002. See FMSF Newsletter Vol 2 (6), June 1993.
______________________________________________
Childhood Victimization and Pain in Adulthood:
A Prospective Investigation
Raphael, K.G., Widom, C.S. & Lange, G.
Pain Vol 92 (1-2) May 2001, 283-293
Comments by Adriaan Mak
This study questions the common assumption that child abuse causes
unexplained pain in adulthood.
Since the mid eighties many studies, based on reports from
survivors, claimed links between (1) childhood physical / sexual abuse
or neglect and (2) all manner of mental and physical problems,
including an inability to remember the abuse, all appearing decades
later at mid-life. Indeed many people entered therapy to seek help in
dealing with many mid-life problems prior to recovering allegedly
hidden memories of childhood trauma.
While no one should doubt that abuse indeed harms children, there
is more than considerable doubt about the claims of adult victims who,
in the absence of any corroboration at mid-life, report not only to
have endured years of sexual abuse during childhood, but who also for
decades on end had no memories of the abuses. Many of the studies
based on such retrospective self-reporting of abuse perpetuate
dangerous heresies. Therapists on the basis of these studies felt even
more encouraged to believe that their clients' symptoms indicated
childhood trauma as the cause.
Raphael, Widom and Lange looked at one specific complaint: reports
of unexplained pain, by many believed to be of psychological origin
and most likely an indicator of childhood abuse. Rather than relying
on retrospective self-reporting, Raphael et al. undertook a much more
difficult task. They first located information from 676 well-
documented cases of early childhood victimization occurring between
1967 and 1971, matching these with a control group of 520 individuals.
They then did a follow-up from 1989 to 1995 to see whether indeed the
victims of childhood abuse reported in significantly larger numbers
complaints of medically unexplained or psychogenic pain.
For those who have studied the findings of Hudson and Pope (1992,
1993, 1994, 1995) who examined possible links between childhood sexual
abuse and adult symptoms of bulimia nervosa, as well as fibromyalgia,
and found that none existed, the results of the Raphael et al. study
should not be a surprise. The latter conclude:
"Our prospective results using court documented cases of childhood
sexual and physical abuse and neglect do not provide support for
. . . a relationship between early childhood victimization and pain
symptoms assessed in young adults."
Pope HG Jr, Hudson JI. Is childhood sexual abuse a risk factor for
bulimia nervosa? Am J Psychiatry 1993; 150:357-358.
Hudson JI, Pope HG Jr. Does childhood sexual abuse cause
fibromyalgia? Arthritis Rheum 1995;38:161-163.
Rimsza, M.E., Berg, R.A. and Locke, C., 1988. Sexual abuse: somatic
and emotional reactions. Child Abuse Negl 12, pp. 201-208.
_________________________________________________________
Memory Distortion in People Reporting Abduction by Aliens
Clancy, S.A., McNally, R., Schacter, D.L.,
Lenzenweger, M.F., Pitman, R.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology Vol 111(3) August 2002, p 455-461
In a previous study, Clancy et al. (2000) found that people reporting
recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse were more prone to show
memory distortion than people who always remembered their abuse or
than control subjects. However, the researchers could not be sure
whether the recovered memories were false or genuine, and thus could
not tell if memory distortions were a result of cognitive impairment
related to abuse or a function of cognitive characteristics making
them susceptible to developing false memories. Because alien abduction
is unlikely to have occurred, this study diminshes the problem.
In this study the authors measured false recall and false
recognition of semantically associated words with the Roediger and
McDermott (1995) paradigm in people who reported recovering memories
of alien abduction, people who believed they had been abducted and
people who denied abduction. They found that people reporting
recovered and repressed memories of alien abduction were more prone
than controls to show false recall and recognition. Hypnotic
suggestibility, depressive symptoms and schizotypic features were
significant predictors of false recall and false recognition.
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B O O K R E V I E W
THE MEMORY ROOM
Mary Rakow (Counterpoint Press, 2002).
Mark Pendergrast, Reviewer
This book has no redeeming qualities. Many reviewers have praised The
Memory Room, a novel by Mary Rakow, for its compelling, poetic style.
The Los Angeles Weekly, for instance, called the book "an
idiosyncratic, often beautiful tour de force." I didn't even like the
overwritten, pretentious writing style. Nor were there any fully
developed characters, including Barbara, the self-absorbed central
character. Her parents, in particular, are unbelievable cardboard
stereotypes of evil.
But the main problem with the novel is its message. Yes, I know
this is a work of fiction, but unfortunately sometimes people believe
in the plots and messages of novels more than they do nonfiction. And
The Memory Room is a classic if unintended presentation of how
recovered memory therapy can ruin someone's life. The novel rests on
the idea that memories of horrendous traumatic events can be
"repressed" or "dissociated," and that people can then recall them
years later as adults -- a concept that is contrary to the science of
memory or common sense.
A typical sample of the writing style from page 15:
But now it comes into this room!
"Why aren't you dressed?"
She doesn't tie my sash.
Bright print of the chintz.
The breeze that tries to lift it from the sill.
I loosen the hairs of the bow. Fold the metal stand.
Slam the door. Sit on the stairs.
Outside, the oblivious moon.
She tosses my head between her palms.
Back and forth. Back and forth.
"I'm making you pretty for Daddy."
"Hold still!"
You get the idea. Apparently she is flashing back here. It is
ominous, and eventually (after many painfully dull foreshadowing
passages like this one) Rakow delivers with the really gross stuff.
In The Memory Room, Barbara's life falls apart as she supposedly
remembers how her mother held her down while her father stuck hot
dental tools into her vagina when she was four years old. With her
unnamed but heroic therapist's help and support in the "memory room"
that gives the book its title, Barbara comes to believe that she
recalled being burned by her mother on a stovetop when she was a
preverbal toddler. She also recovers memories of her father raping her
7-year-old sister Cheryl and forcing fellatio on her younger brother
Georgie and burying her, Barbara, in a hole under the house, allowing
her to breathe through straws. She only remembers all of this as an
adult. Not only did Barbara repress the memory of all these horrors,
but so did her father! He apparently doesn't remember any of it
either.
This sort of Sybil-wannabe book would not have been surprising if
it had been published ten years ago, but it is alarming that a
reputable publisher known for good fiction has come out with it in
2002 -- and that most reviews in mainstream media have been positive.
Few reviewers seem to blink an eye at the absurd premise of the book.
It doesn't seem to disturb the reviewers that this is not how
memory works, and that therapists who believe in such massive
repression are dangerous. People do not usually forget years of
traumatic events, other than through organic brain injury -- they
remember them all too well. "It must be that infants come equipped
with a code," Rakow's heroine observes on page 413. "Locked in the
chromosomes.... Ready to record the marks of a predator. Timeless.
Infallible." This is Rakow's version of so-called "body memories," a
pseudoscientific concept that assumes that people can recall events
from the time of infantile amnesia, prior to the age of three, through
bodily sensations. On the contrary, memories are not held "infallibly"
in one's mind or body from any age. Memory is subject to
reconstruction and distortion, particularly in suggestive therapy (and
especially under hypnosis). We do not remember everything that ever
happened to us.
It is difficult for me to believe that this endorsement of harmful
pseudoscience was published now that recovered memory therapy has been
thoroughly debunked. The only realistic thing about the book is how
this kind of therapy harms instead of heals. Barbara becomes an
agoraphobic who destroys her beloved cello, cuts off all her hair, and
cannot work. I am surprised she didn't begin to cut herself, which is
often a consequence of such therapy. Instead, the book has a
purportedly triumphant ending, when Barbara actually makes herself get
on a train to go to see an art exhibit in Philadelphia. She asks her
therapist if she can take an object from his office with her to make
her feel safe. "He holds out the small round rock from the corner of
the end table...It warms quickly in my hand." After wading through
over 500 pages of this dreadful narrative, I found the ending
anti-climactic, to say the least. It is sad that Barbara has become
so paranoid and tentative that, like a child, she clutches her
therapist's rock in order to brave boarding a train.
I am afraid that it is no accident that Mary Rakow holds a
master's degree from Harvard Divinity School and that her main
character is a theological student. It appears that many well-meaning
liberal theologians are as gullible about recovered memories as those
who believe that Jesus is revealing their memories directly to them
through Theophostic counseling. It is extremely disturbing to me that
people who truly believe in a loving God would embrace this harmful
therapy and its belief system.
Mark Pendergrast is the author of Victims of Memory and other
books. He can be reached at markp@nasw.org.
_______________________________
Ostracism: The Power of Silence
Kipling D. Williams
Guilford, 2001
This book begins with the following observation: "Few events in life
are more painful than feeling that others, especially those whom we
admire and care about, want nothing to do with us. There may be no
better way to communicate this impression than for others to treat you
as though you are invisible -- like you didn't exist." p.1
"Ostracism" was a method of temporary banishment without a trial
used in ancient Greece. It is now generally used to mean exclusion
from a group by common consent. Ostracism is a powerful tool for
social influence. Giving another person the "silent treatment" or
giving a child "time out" are forms of ostracism.
Although this is a scholarly book, Williams' engaging style
ensures that the material is accessible to a wide audience. He begins
by developing a model in which ostracism can be examined and its
consequences on individuals and groups can be studied. He presents the
results of many experiments that examine the effects of ostracism both
in the short and long terms. Williams notes: "Within minutes,
ostracism chips away at our senses of belonging, control, self-esteem,
and meaningful existence. As a consequence, we grasp for opportunities
to rebuild what ostracism removed. If we fail to do so, repeated
exposure to ostracism may leave us defenseless. We may accept our
fate; we may feel alienated and marginalized, helpless, depressed and
worthy of no better treatment." p. 258
The author notes that the book just scratches the surface of what
is a very common behavior. Among the topics he would like to examine
is disowning a child.
"Another topic we hope to examine is the phenomenon of being
disowned or disinherited. How do people react after their parents say
to them, `You are no longer my child' or `You are not a member of our
family?' Only a few articles have been written on this potentially
devastating form of ostracism, so we hope to conduct structured
interviews with both targets and sources.....Being disowned, perhaps
more than any other form of ostracism, deprives individuals of their
strongest, most permanent bonds, and the roots to which their
existence is tied."
The refusal of most of the FMS accusers to speak to those they
accused or to any people who refused to support them can be viewed as
a form of ostracism. FMS families would likely suggest that being
ostracized by one's child is as devastating as being disowned.
___________________________________________________
Book About Day-Care Case Wins Top New Zealand Award
The prestigious New Zealand Montana Medal for non-fiction has been
awarded to Lynley Hood, for A City Possessed: The Christchurch Civic
Creche Case. It was also the winner of the Reader's Choice Award.
The 600-page book investigates the controversial Christchurch
Civic Creche (day-care) case, which led to the jailing of Peter Ellis
in 1993 on child abuse charges. Hood shows how such a case could
happen and analyzes the social and legal processes leading to the
Ellis conviction. The book has far-reaching implications and be of
value to any person interested in understanding the day-care and
sexual abuse hysteria in any country.
The Dominion Post, Wellington, New Zealand., Monday, July 22 2002.,
P A9. See FMSF Newsletter Vol 11 (1), Jan/Feb `02.
This book may be purchased from Pacific Island Books:
http://pacificislandbooks.com/nzcultsoc.htm#city
1-888-49-BOOKS (in the USA)
City Possessed: The Christchurch Civic Creche Case By Lynley Hood
Longacre Press ISBN 18 77 13 56 23
_________________________
FMSF Advisors Included in
List of 99 Most Eminent Psychologists of the 20th Century
A new study by S. J. Haggbloom et al. appearing in the Review of
General Psychology Vol 6 (2) ranks the eminent psychologists of the
20th Century. The rankings were based on three variables: journal
citation, introductory psychology textbook citation and survey
response. Surveys were sent to 1,725 members of the American
Psychological Society, asking them to list the top psychologists of
the century, and researchers also evaluated whether the psychologists
were members of the National Academy of Sciences, elected as APA
president or had received the APA Distinguished Scientific
Contributions Award.
Haggbloom observed that "there are some notable names not on the
list." The reason the list has 99 rather than 100 is so that the
100th spot might be filled by the "many great psychologists that
someone could make a compelling case to include."
The three FMSF Advisors on the list are Ernest R. Hilgard,
(29)(deceased), Ulric Neisser, (32) and Elizabeth F. Loftus, (58).
Elizabeth Loftus is the highest ranking woman on the list.
The list of 99 psychologists most often cited in text books
includes five Advisors: Elizabeth Loftus, Ernest Hilgard, Martin Orne
(deceased), John Kihlstrom and Aaron Beck.
Reported in The Monitor Vol 33 (7) July/August 2002
+------------------------------------------------+
| The palest ink is better than the best memory. |
| Chinese Proverb |
+------------------------------------------------+
**********************************************************************
MY DEEPEST APPRECIATION
Allen Feld
The magnitude of my feeling and admiration for various people and
groups involved with the Foundation has no doubt seeped into many of
the writings that have been included in the Newsletter. Although this
essay will focus on False Memory Syndrome Foundation parents, my
expressions of appreciation would be incomplete without mentioning
other groups that were important to me:
* A highly effective staff, who made the work environment
comfortable and inviting.
* The many wonderful scientists and therapists, who helped falsely
accused families and were so instrumental in helping the Foundation
aspire to its goals.
* That brave group of retractors, who had the courage to admit
they were in error when they accused parents of abuse. Their parents'
happiness will be forever etched in my mind. So too is the recognition
that their retractions gave hope to many and helped create public
recognition that false memories were a societal problem.
* The small number of families, along with several professionals,
who had the vision that an organization such as FMSF was needed. Their
vitality and commitment were so complete and sincere that, in addition
to the extensive time devoted, they made personal resources available
to develop a place where falsely accused families could turn. Sadly,
in droves did they turn to the Foundation!
Because of the many families who were willing to publicly share
their stories, the public and media came to understand false memories,
the reconstructive nature of memory and the anguish produced by false
accusations. So many of these parents, in spite of their devastation
(or, perhaps in some cases, because of) came ready to help in their
own communities. When we called people to help as volunteers with some
necessary activity of the Foundation, the reply was virtually always
YES. (In previous situations, I had grown accustomed to having to
cajole or even beg people to help.) Yes, they readily agreed to talk
to other families; yes, they would serve as state or local contacts;
yes, they would plan local meetings; yes, they would speak or get
people to speak to the various media in their state. In so many ways,
these and other efforts of members contributed to the changing
nationwide attitude toward newly created "memories" by adults of child
sexual abuse. The many families who called and became actively
involved with the Foundation spawned the significant changes that
transpired. It is impossible for me to catalogue the many individual
and small group contributions parents made which helped to turn the
corner on this false memory fiasco. It is to you I bow my head and
express heartfelt thanks. I dedicate these reminiscences to you who
made the important changes possible.
The large number of falsely accused families contributed to the
growing public awareness of the reconstructive nature of memory and
the slowly evolving societal recognition that repression was
scientifically uncertain, and this quite possibly generated more
research into false memories. As a result, the early courageous
research pioneers who were willing to risk the possible ire from some
of their "colleagues" have been joined by a small yet continually
growing number of other researchers interested and involved in the
study of false memories. In well-designed studies, this research has
demonstrated the ease with which false memories can be created in a
substantial number of people. For obvious ethical reasons, the false
memories created were not similar to the possible trauma of sexual
abuse. But neither was the effort by the researchers as intense,
repetitive and prolonged as would be found in a therapeutic
relationship. As a result, the relationship and the potential
influence of a therapist in the creation of false memories could be
expected to be significantly stronger and more important to the
patient than the relationship and impact of a researcher or member of
the research team to her/his subject.
The public awareness created by falsely accused families also may
have contributed to the courts and juries being more heedful in cases
involving false memories. The resources and information made available
to attorneys through the Foundation's efforts may have allowed for
more effective representation in cases involving false memories. The
Foundation's direct participation in several Amicus Briefs attempted
to inform the courts of the scientific inadequacies of repression, the
scientific mechanics of memory, the power of therapeutic suggestion
and other areas important in representing those falsely accused.
Again, families who called the Foundation, told their stories and
worked in their communities were important to every falsely accused
family member.
One of the attributes of so many FMSF families that continues to
impress me is the demonstration of strength and resilience, a lesson
for the helping professions and a model of courage. In spite of being
accused of the vilest societal crime and the personal anguish that
they were experiencing, families persevered, and in many cases fought
back.
Far too many who read this know their journey to reconciliation is
incomplete. Some report they don't anticipate that their family will
reconcile. So this sad episode may fade away without what society
would call a "happy" ending for many. A small number of parents state
that it doesn't matter. Even if there is a retraction, they don't
envision the family reuniting and feel that they don't need a
retraction or reunification to have a fulfilling life. Again, these
alternate paths and choices made about moving on might be other
aspects from which professionals can learn.
The enormous appreciation that I feel for families is without
qualification. Thank you for all you have done for other families.
Thank you for helping to short-circuit the dangerous practice of
therapist-induced false memories. One could only guess how many people
might have been spared the pain that you endured. Thank you for the
positive legacy about the basic strength of people that you have given
to society. Thank you for making my time with FMSF such a positive,
productive and rewarding experience.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PROGRAM SCHEDULE |
| All sessions in Glenbrook Ballroom unless otherwise indicated. |
| |
| FRIDAY OCTOBER 4 |
| 7:00-9:00 Hospitality Suites hosted by |
| Illinois-Wisconsin FMS Society |
| 7:00-9:00 Registration |
| |
| SATURDAY OCTOBER 5 |
| 7:30-8:30 Registration and coffee in Ballroom lobby |
| 8:30-9:00 Welcome |
| PAMELA FREYD, Ph.D. |
| Executive Director, FMS Foundation |
| MARY SHANLEY, LARRY KOSZEWSKI, Ph.D., |
| Presidents, Illinois/Wisconsin FMS Society |
| 9:00-10:00 A Natural History of Reconciliation |
| PAUL R. McHUGH, M.D. |
| 10:00-10:15 Break |
| 10:15-11:30 Different Paths to Reconciliation: Retractor Panel |
| Moderator: JANET M. FETKEWICZ |
| 11:30-12:30 Reconciliation: A Social Psychiatric Perspective |
| HERZL R. SPIRO, M.D., Ph.D. |
| 12:30-1:30 Lunch in the Atrium |
| 1:30-2:15 Navigating the Road to Reconciliation |
| HAROLD I. LIEF, M.D. |
| 2:15-3:30 How therapists can be part of the solution: |
| Professional Panel |
| Moderator: HAROLD I. LIEF, M.D. |
| Panel Members: TERENCE W. CAMPBELL, Ph.D.; |
| CAROL MARKS, MFCC; MARY KAY PRIBYL, Ph.D. |
| 3:30-4:00 Break |
| 4:00-5:00 Round Tables |
| 6:00-7:00 Reception -- cash bar (Atrium) |
| 7:00-9:00 Dinner in the Ballroom |
| Special Acknowledgements: |
| PAMELA FREYD, Ph.D. |
| Evening Hosts: JOHN and AUDREY WILSON |
| |
| SUNDAY OCTOBER 6 |
| 9:00-10:00 Illusions of Memory and the |
| Hazards of Case Studies |
| ELIZABETH LOFTUS, Ph.D. |
| 10:00-10:15 Break |
| 10:15-11:30 Working with Professional Organizations and |
| Religious-Affiliated Counselors: Professional Pane |
| Moderator: CAS KOTOWSKI, Ed.D. |
| Panel Members: GARY ALMY, M.D.: |
| CAROL NORTH, M.D.; PAUL SIMPSON, Ed.D. |
| 11:30-12:30 Third-party cases: An Alternative or |
| Means to Reconciliation |
| WILLIAM SMOLER, J.D. |
| 12:30-12:45 Wrap-Up |
| PAMELA FREYD, Ph.D. |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| REGISTRATION |
| |
| Please return promptly and no later than September 1st. |
| Capacity limited. First come first served. |
| |
| Send with check made out to: |
| Illinois-Wisconsin FMS Society, |
| and mail to: Illinois-Wisconsin FMS Society, |
| P.O. Box 3332, Joliet, IL 60434. |
| |
| Name(s): ______________________________________ |
| |
| ______________________________________ |
| |
| ______________________________________ |
| |
| Address: ______________________________________ |
| |
| ______________________________________ |
| |
| ______________________________________ |
| |
| Phone: _______________ |
| |
| No. of persons attending: ______ $_______ |
| ($60 per person, includes lunch) |
| |
| __Yes, I (we) will stay for dinner |
| No. of persons:___ $_______ |
| ($25 per person for optional dinner) |
| |
| Indicate dinner entres desired, by putting number of |
| people wanting each entre: |
| |
| __ Chicken Wellington |
| |
| __ Broiled white fish w/ lemon dill sauce |
| |
| __ London broil |
| |
| Voluntary contribution to support conference: |
| |
| __$50 Sponsor __$100 or more Patron $_______ |
| |
| Total check amount $_______ |
| |
| ROUND TABLE SELECTION: Because we need an estimate of the relative |
| interest in various round table topics, use the numbers of the |
| Round Tables, listed below, that you are most likely to attend: |
| |
| 1st choice: _______ 2nd choice: _______ |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ROUND TABLE TOPICS |
| 1. The future of the FMS Foundation (Pamela Freyd, Ph.D.) |
| 2. When siblings are caught in the middle (Sibling) |
| 3. How to reach church counselors practicing RMT |
| (Paul Simpson, Ed.D. and Robert Lovell) |
| 4. The part parents play in retractions (Retractor and Parent) |
| 5. Special concerns in welcoming retractors back to |
| the family (Family) |
| 6. Returnee Families: Living with Ambiguity |
| 7. Mediation by professionals, families or friends |
| 8. When only one parent has contact (Family) |
| 9. Risks and Benefits of Going Public |
| (Larry Koszewski, Ph.D.) |
| 10. Legal Matters (Ken Merlino, J.D.) |
| 11. Problems of recently accused families |
| 12. Many forms of reconciliation (Mark Pendergrast) |
| ADDITIONAL ROUND TABLE TOPIC SUGGESTED BY READERS |
| 13. Living with Possible Permanent Estrangement (P.T.) |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
**********************************************************************
L E G A L C O R N E R
________________________________________________
Jury Finds Clinic and Doctors Were Not Negligent
Daly v Monroe Clinic
Cir. Ct, Green County, WI #98CV17
On July 31, 2002 after more than six weeks of trial, a Wisconsin jury
of nine women and three men found that Monroe Clinic psychiatrists
Wendell Bell and Rachel Long and psychologist Robert C. Beck had not
been negligent in their treatment of Marilyn Daly.
Marilyn Daly, her husband and son had sought almost $6 million for
medical expenses, lost wages, and suffering. They claimed that the
doctors at the clinic had implanted false memories during hypnosis and
had misdiagnosed Mrs. Daly with multiple personalities. Mrs. Daly had
gone to the Monroe Clinic in 1990 for a weight-loss program and had
lost more than 100 pounds by 1991. Marilyn Daly was referred to Beck
because she became overly distressed that she would gain the weight
back. Mrs. Daly met psychologist Beck through the program in 1991 and
began seeing him on an individual basis. Daly testified that Beck told
her she needed to get into some past issues in her life to deal with
her weight issues. She then began recovering memories of sexual abuse
by neighbors, strangers and relatives.
According to testimony by Mr. Daly, a former teacher who is now
Chair of the County Board, Beck told him that weight loss could
trigger the mind to remember horrible childhood incidents.
Mrs. Daly grew progressively worse and psychiatrist Bell was
brought in. Bell said that Marilyn Daly had multiple personalities.
She was hospitalized in 1992. Defense attorneys pointed out that Mrs.
Daly continued to see Beck for years despite her allegations that he
made her worse.
By 1993, Marilyn Daly was not working, took no interest in
parenting, and was suicidal. She was tormented by memories. Defense
attorneys, however, showed a 10-minute tape of Mrs. Daly giving a
speech at a party for her husband in 1999. She appeared jovial,
playful and seemingly lucid.
One of the jurors is described as saying that the jury relied on
Reserve Judge Thomas H. Barland's "instruction that if there was any
doubt about the plaintiffs' claims, they had to find against the
plaintiffs." The usual standard in a civil trial is a preponderance of
evidence.
Many experts were called during the trial. Among those for the
plaintiffs was Paul McHugh, M.D. who expressed his opinion that there
had never been an evaluation. He wondered why doctors did not stop and
reexamine what was going on when the absurd memories of child murders
arose. Herzl Spiro, M.D. testified that doctors had a responsibility
to investigate alleged memories of ritualistic baby killings and a
woman being murdered and to dispute them if they were unfounded.
Instead the doctors appeared to tell Marilyn Daly that she should not
feel guilty, advice that he said would tear a mind apart. Dr. Spiro
refused to answer some questions put to him by the defense and was
reprimanded by the judge.
William Grove, Ph.D. noted that The Courage to Heal was "filled
with false and frightening information." He said that book encourages
readers to believe they were sexually abused. "Many people's lives
have been changed by reading a book," he said. "Try giving somebody
the Bible and see what kind of difference it might make in their
life."[1] Other experts for the plaintiffs were Dr. Bruce T. Adornato,
Steven Heymsfield, M.D, and Steven Jay Lynn, Ph.D.
One of the standard of care experts for the defense was Richard
Kluft, M.D. He stated that MPD is "an expression of an overwhelmed
child" who has been exposed to severe trauma.[2] He said multiple
personalities couldn't be created during therapy sessions. However,
during cross-examination, Dr. Kluft admitted hypnosis could create a
multiple-personality-like condition that would be hard to distinguish
from the real thing. Some of the other defense experts were James Chu,
M.D., Peter J. Clagnaz, M.D, Dr. Walter Davidson, and William Smith,
Ph.D.
Attorneys for the Daly family were Pamela and William Smoler of
Madison, WI. Attorneys for the defense were Jeremy Gill, Curtis
Swanson, David McFarlane and Bradway Liddle -- all of Madison, WI.
The plaintiffs intend to appeal the decision based on two
grounds. The first entails the judge's decision denying them the right
to call experts Richard Ofshe, Ph.D. and Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D. to
testify about what may cause false memories, since a defense expert
was allowed to testify about this. The other area for appeal involves
the way that questions were given to the jury relating to the fact
that all the defendants agreed that they had failed to obtain informed
consent from the patient.
Daily reports of the trial were written by Kareesa Wilson and
appeared in The Monroe Times.
[1] Wilson, K. Monroe Times, July 10, 2002
[2] Wilson, K. Monroe Times, July 26, 2002
_______________________________________________________
Court Rejects Claims of Decades Old Abuse in New Jersey
Smith, et al. V. McIntyre, et al.
Docket No: ATL 004059-94
After a three week trial in April and May, 2002, the Atlantic County
Superior Court of New Jersey ruled that the claims of brothers John
Depman and Mark Depman, M.D. were barred by the statute of
limitations.
The suit was originally filed for 38 plaintiffs in 1994 under
racketeering laws. In 1995, the racketeering counts were dismissed.
Both plaintiffs claimed that they never forgot the alleged abuse,
but that they did not label these events as wrong or as sexual abuse
as a result of their dissociative thinking following the trauma. The
brothers claimed that they were unable to retrieve their memories
properly and did not recognize that they had been harmed.
The court heard testimony from plaintiff expert Dr. Marylene
Cloitre. The Court rejected Dr. Cloitre's testimony about memory
retrieval, concluding that the plaintiffs' testimony that they
remembered the abuse did not validate the claims of a dissociative
reaction to the alleged abuse.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs were Edward Ross and Lewis Bornstein,
while David Lentz, Christopher Gengaro, Joseph Kenney and William
DeSantis represented the defendants.
"This case represented a slight change from the presentation by
other plaintiffs of repressed memory. Here the plaintiffs acknowledged
recollecting the events, but obtained expert opinions that they should
be excused nevertheless because of the consequences of memory
retrieval following a traumatic assault. However, the Court rejected
this testimony since the plaintiffs acknowledged that they always
recollected the events," stated Mr. Lentz.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| Excellent Website |
| |
| http://comp.uark.edu/~lampinen/read.html |
| |
| THE LAMPINEN LAB |
| FALSE MEMORY READING GROUP |
| |
| There's a wealth of information on this site about the psychology |
| of recovered/false memories. Many articles are summarized. |
| |
| The Lampinen Lab is run by Dr. James Lampinen of the Psychology |
| Department at the University of Arkansas. The Lab conducts |
| research on false memories, eyewitness testimony and psychology |
| and the law. |
\____________________________________________________________________/
**********************************************************************
F R O M O U R R E A D E R S
______________
Accountability
I have recently received information and printouts in regard to the
18th Annual Midwest Conference on Child Sexual Abuse. This Conference,
which takes place October 7-10 in Madison, Wisconsin, is cosponsored
by UW-Madison, Division of Continuing Studies and others. I attended
this Conference in 1987, and it was the catalyst that threw me right
into believing that what I was being told by my therapist, Dr. Olson,
was fact and not imagination. There it was in black and white:
pictures, films, and professionals teaching everyone there that your
mind is a powerful instrument that can repress and then recover hidden
trauma.
After reading through the conference literature, I became outraged
that one of the main speakers is Laura Davis, the co-author of The
Courage to Heal. I am outraged because Davis is still actively
spreading her "views" on therapy and teaching future therapists and
lay people that Recovered Memory Therapy is valid. I understand that
she is now talking about reconciliation. But how can there be real
reconciliation until there is acknowledgement of the damage done by
the book The Courage to Heal? Many of the people who have been
affected by this book, including me, cannot believe that after all the
lawsuits, media reports, and scientific and medical information
available, professionals have not acknowledged the harm done.
I am asking anyone interested in going to this conference and
handing out information in regard to false memories, brainwashing,
etc, to please contact me either by phone or email. I want to have a
"presence" there to represent those of us who have been forever
harmed, crushed, ripped apart, falsely accused, and of course anyone
who has been fortunate enough to come out of this nightmare alive. We
can make a difference.
This conference begins on the Monday after the False Memory
Syndrome Conference on Reconciliation in Chicago. Madison is a couple
of hours from Chicago, and some of you attending this Conference might
be interested in taking a stand against the teaching and preaching of
this harmful therapy.
I am committed to doing what I can in any small or big way to
telling people my story about what this therapy did to my family and
me. My mother, who is turning 80 this year, is very supportive of my
being involved in any way, as is the rest of my family.
I express my heartfelt feelings of gratitude to everyone who has
helped me along the way in the last 10 years. If it weren't for the
False Memory Syndrome Foundation, my wonderful husband who first got
in touch with Katie Spanuello, the FMSF state contact in Wisconsin,
and all the people who led me to Bill Smoler (to whom I taught so much
about FMS -- really, he had no idea the day I walked into his office
what he was up against!!), I know I would not be alive today.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the FMS Conference
in Chicago. It will give me the opportunity to look into the faces of
friends I hold dear to my heart, and also to meet people that are
coming for the first time.
Please think about joining me and others at the Conference in
Madison and attempting to broaden the understanding of those present
about memory, false memories, and the harm that recovered memory
therapy can cause.
Nadean Cool, 920-687-1680
email: Deaniebean@aol.com
__________________
After Eleven Years
I thank all of the FMS parents who have shared their experiences about
their returning/retracting children with the rest of us. Rather than
feeling envious or disheartened, for me, such accounts have always
been encouraging and hopeful.
After eleven years, we also have a returner in our family. Our
daughter who asked if we could "agree to disagree" contacted us. It
seems that she still firmly believes in the validity of her "body
memories," but we felt that we could not turn down her overture. We
have been corresponding now for six months, and although we both avoid
the elephant in the living room, things look encouraging.
What is interesting is that from this experience, I think that I
finally understand the `mind set' of returners: they want to have it
both ways. They want to again enjoy the benefits of their supportive,
caring family, but at the same time, also want to retain their
privileged status as victim.
How wrong the RM therapists were to think that their clients could
simply wipe out all of the positive reinforcement that a birth family
provides and replace it with a manufactured family. It obviously just
does not work that way. Otherwise, why would the accusing child, in
the end, turn again to his/her own family? And when are therapists
going to wake up to the fact that their precious theory has been an
unmitigated failure?
The horror of repressed-memory therapy was bad enough, but can one
imagine having had to endure such an experience without the FMS
Foundation? Words fail me. All I can do is join the thousands of other
parents in giving thanks to the Foundation and all of its dedicated
people who have worked so tirelessly over the years to bring a close
to the insanity we have all had to endure.
A grateful Mom
_______________________
Sister Mediated Apology
I was beginning to think we would never be able to write this letter
to you, but finally we can. Our daughter, who told us in 1993 that I
had been a bad mother and that her father had sexually abused her, now
says she knows her father did not do this.
Ours is the typical story. Our daughter was particularly close to
us. Although she had lived in other states for many years, we usually
talked three or four times a week, sometimes more. These calls were
usually at her initiative. She loves to talk on the phone, and we love
to hear from her.
Our daughter started going to a psychotherapist for marital
problems at the end of 1992. She said she knew six months before she
started therapy that "something" had happened to her as a child.
During the therapy she had hypnosis and for a while, as I understand
it, she did not know "who" was responsible. With more hypnosis,
however, she "remembered" it was her father. She would never talk to
us about any details, and we were not permitted to ask any
questions. She divorced her husband in 1997.
For a few weeks before she called to accuse us, I felt something
was different with her. In that fateful call, she said her father
could talk to her child by phone but that she no longer wanted to talk
to him. Within six months she had broken all contact with both of us
and we were no longer allowed to talk to our grandchild.
One of her sisters kept in close touch with her during these years
but the other sister broke contact. In 1996 she told her sister she
missed me and wanted me to call her ? which I did. At the end of that
conversation she asked me to call again but I said next time it was
her turn. She did call in a couple of weeks and we continued to take
turns calling like this.
Once when she called I was not at home. Her father answered and
asked her if there was anything he could do for her. She immediately
talked to him as if nothing had ever happened. We continued like this
until the present.
Our daughter still lives in another state but whenever we saw her
or she came to stay with us, her sisters would ask me, "Did she say
anything?" The answer was always, "No." I am afraid that she would
never have brought up the subject of the accusation except for the
fact that her sister who is close to her told her that she felt it was
time for her to get it all settled. She said that something could
happen to one of us and the situation would never be resolved. In
fact, she told her that she did not want to talk to her until she
cleared up the situation.
On the same day that happened, she called her father. She told him
that being around him all this time she now realizes he could not have
done this. But she says she still feels that she was abused but she
had no idea who did it. I have no idea if such a thing happened. She
said it was ongoing from the ages of two to nine. If anything
happened, I was not aware of it. I feel guilty not believing her if
she was abused but I also wonder if it is too difficult for her to
accept that it could all have been fantasy. I suppose that we will
never know. She cried throughout her telephone call with her father
and kept saying she was sorry.
I talked to her the next day and said that she had made her father
very happy. She said, "I'm sorry." That was it. I doubt the subject
will be discussed again.
I always thought I would want to celebrate when and if an apology
ever happened, but when it did I just felt worn out. It is wonderful
to have her back in our lives. The phone calls are at the old
frequency. She is lots of fun to talk to and to be with. She comes
home once a year and we visit her once a year also.
The newsletter has been a great source of comfort to us. You are
welcome to print any part of this that might help others. But, you
know the old stigma is still there. I would want you to change the
signature.
A happy Mother
_________________________________________
Joining Forces: Recanters and the Accused
Jaye D. Bartha
Many recanters, like myself, were liberated from recovered memory
therapy a decade ago. Unlike many of the accused, our nightmare is
largely behind us. It is imperative to utilize the knowledge both the
accused and the recanter possess regarding memory distortion in an
effort to stop additional men and women from being indiscriminately
accused of sexual crimes that never occurred. By joining forces to
support the falsely accused, the public and the American judicial
system may come to understand that irresponsible psychotherapy lies
beneath the memory debate.
After placing my experience with repressed memory therapy in its
rightful place ? the past, it became imperative to assist the wrongly
accused, particularly those serving prison terms for crimes that never
occurred. These individuals remain casualties of psychotherapy while
the rest of us carry on our daily routines.
Unfortunately, incarceration based on recovered memories is an
appalling reality in America. Opinions coming from some leaders of our
legal establishment repeatedly demonstrate the need for education. For
example, in August 1999, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
denied Cheryl Amirault LaFave's third request for a new trial
declaring that new evidence, showing how interview techniques can
influence children to describe sexual acts they never experienced, was
admitted at trial, and not considered new. The evidence in question
was published after LaFave's trial. The court concluded: "We are
faced, however, with the conflict between the constantly evolving
nature of science and the doctrine of finality."[l] The court opted
for conclusion to a long case above the quest for truth.
Recanters know from experience that memory can be easily
manipulated during a psychiatric interview. We know that the sexual
abuse remembered under these circumstances was inherently false, but
during psychotherapy our emotional response to the information was
genuine. The emotional agony, and flashbacks to crime scenes were why
the content of memories was impossible to disregard. But if new
memories were indeed lies, why were we upset? Why? Because we believed
in our psychotherapists, in the integrity of new memories, and were
convinced that plowing through therapy would restore our health. We
were wrong. What we actually did was unwittingly perpetuate the myth
that recovered memories are always accurate.
Ten years after leaving therapy, as I strive to right the wrong
done to families by the psychology industry, I ask myself: How can I
support those accused of crimes that never occurred? After reading
excerpts from transcripts of several cases, I wrote to an accused man
serving time in a Texas prison. This is the story of our friendship:
Bruce Perkins, 57, was convicted in 1993 of aggravated sexual
assault on his grandchildren based on recovered memories. Bruce began
serving his 30-year sentence less than a year after I left therapy.
During the past decade, I have been rebuilding my life; Bruce has been
surviving in a prison cell.
In this first letter to me, he wrote, "Our sons are still out
there in the dark... I will be interceding for them until my dying
breath. I would have stuck my head in a bear's mouth to save them when
they were babies and I still feel that obligation." I wondered if I
could be as loving after sitting in prison for ten years. Bruce's
integrity, and his commitment to accusing family members, inspired me
to remain active which includes supporting the falsely accused, and
educating the public about memory distortion.
Fear, along with misinformation about memory and the role
psychotherapists play in therapeutic interventions, has become more
powerful than the truth. Ignorance has become more powerful than
rational thought and deductive reasoning. Please join me in taking 5
minutes from your day to write a letter voicing your opinion about the
negative effects of recovered memories to your state legislators, or a
note of support letting a prisoner know he or she has not been
forgotten. Your efforts will both educate policymakers, and more
importantly, elevate the spirits of someone in need.
[1] Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. (August 1999). SJC-07529
Commonwealth v. Cheryl Amirault LeFave, [On-line]. Available:
http://www.masslaw.com/masup/1018099.htm For further information,
please contact the FMS Foundation.
____________________
Update from Missouri
At a recent meeting of the group in St. Louis, families reported that
their daughters are becoming increasingly attentive, even loving at
times. Two do not mention "it." One other has not retracted but has
apologized for any pain she may have caused. All three recovered their
"memories" in 1991. A half dozen or so families have left our group as
their daughters have returned. Much of this is thanks to the FMS
Foundation.
A Mom
__________________
This American Life
I heard a wonderful program on PRI, This American Life on June 14,
2002. The program, "Ask an Expert," was about people who turned to
experts and got horrible advice. It featured the Rutherford family and
a therapist who once focused on digging for traumatic memories, but
who stopped after realizing the harm she had done. Elyse Spiegel was
the producer.
The website for This American Life is www.thislife.org. Tapes can
be ordered by email: tapes@thislife.org
The tapes are $12 each. You need to give them your name, address,
e-mail address, phone number, show title, and a credit card number.
The program is # 215: "Ask an Expert" and dated 6/14/02. You will
enjoy it.
A Dad
**********************************************************************
* N O T I C E S *
**********************************************************************
* *
* EXPERT TESTIMONY and JUSTICE GONE ASTRAY: *
* TRAUMA, MEMORY, and CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE *
* *
* A One-day Conference Offering CE for Psychologists, Counselors, *
* Social Workers, Attorneys, and Law Enforcement Personnel *
* *
* FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2002 *
* BOSTON UNIVERSITY *
* *
* Co-Sponsored by Boston University Gerontology Center *
* and Education Plus+ *
* *
* 8:00 Registration *
* 8:30 PANEL I: WHAT IS AND WHAT IS NOT SCIENCE *
* *
* Expert Witnesses: Whores of the Court? *
* Science and Pseudoscience in the Courtroom *
* MARGARET A. HAGEN, Ph. D., Professor of Psychology, *
* Boston University *
* *
* Science and Folklore of Traumatic Amnesia *
* RICHARD J. McNALLY, Ph. D., Professor of Psychology, *
* Harvard University *
* *
* Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Harmony of Illusions *
* ALLAN YOUNG, Ph. D., Dep't of Social Studies of Medicine, *
* Anthropology & Psychiatry, McGill University *
* *
* Children as Witnesses -- *
* What Expert Witnesses Should Tell the Court *
* HOLLIDA WAKEFIELD, M.A., Inst. of Psychological Therapies, *
* Northfield, MN *
* 10:30 Refreshment Break *
* 10:45 Questions and Answers--Panel I *
* 12:00 Lunch *
* *
* PANEL II: DISCONNECT BETWEEN SCIENCE AND PRACTICE-- REPERCUSSIONS *
* *
* 1:00 Memory Creation and Science *
* MARK PENDERGRAST, Independent Scholar and Author *
* 1:30 Children, Suggestibility, and Autobiographical Memory *
* TERENCE W. CAMPBELL, Ph. D, Forensic Psychologist, Author *
* 2:00 The Roles of the Legal System and Experts *
* JACK QUATTROCCHI, Esq., Family Practice Attorney *
* 2:30 Questions and Answers--Panel II *
* 3:00 Refreshment Break *
* *
* 3:15 Wrongful Convictions of Child Sexual Abuse: What Can Be *
* Done? Claims of innocence and the role, after conviction, *
* of prosecutors, defense counsel, and the court system. *
* STANLEY Z. FISHER, Boston University Law School *
* 3:45 Questions and Answers--Panels I and II *
* MARGARET HAGEN, Moderator *
* *
**********************************************************************
* Now Available on Web *
* *
* "Recovered Memories: *
* Fact or Fiction?" *
* By Paul Simpson, Ed.D. *
* PHYSICIAN MAGAZINE *
* www.family.org/physmag/issues/a0015977.html *
**********************************************************************
* *
* Eleanor Goldstein and Mark Pendergrast request help with a book on *
* family reconciliation following recovered memory claims. Those *
* who might contribute their stories and insights (preferably *
* writing it themselves) should contact *
* Eleanor at: eleanor@sirs.com *
* or *
* Mark at: markp@nasw.org. *
* *
**********************************************************************
* WEB SITES OF INTEREST *
* *
* http://comp.uark.edu/~lampinen/read.html *
* The Lampinen Lab False Memory Reading Group *
* *
* 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 *
**********************************************************************
* *
* 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
Contacts & Meetings:
_____________
UNITED STATES
ALABAMA
See Georgia
ALASKA
Kathleen 907-333-5248
ARIZONA
Phoenix
Pat 480-396-9420
ARKANSAS
Little Rock
Al & Lela 870-363-4368
CALIFORNIA
Sacramento
Joanne & Gerald 916-933-3655
Jocelyn 530-873-0919
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
Palm Desert
Eileen and Jerry 909-659-9636
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
Date/Boward
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
Pat 260-489-9987
Helen 574-753-2779
KANSAS
Wichita - Meeting as called
Pat 785-738-4840
KENTUCKY
Louisville- Last Sun. (MO) @ 2pm
Bob 502-367-1838
MAINE
Rumford
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 734-439-4055
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. Jan,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
WYOMING
Alan & Lorinda 307-322-4170
_____________
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, 2002
AARON T. BECK, M.D., D.M.S., U of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA;
TERENCE W. CAMPBELL, Ph.D., Clinical and Forensic Psychology,
Sterling Heights, MI;
ROSALIND CARTWRIGHT, Ph.D., Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical
Center, Chicago, IL;
JEAN CHAPMAN, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI;
LOREN CHAPMAN, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 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 Medical School;
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., (deceased) 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, Philadelphia, PA;
ELIZABETH LOFTUS, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, CA;
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, NY;
RICHARD OFSHE, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, CA;
EMILY CAROTA ORNE, B.A., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA;
MARTIN ORNE, M.D., Ph.D., (deceased) U of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
LOREN PANKRATZ, Ph.D., Oregon Health Sciences Univ., 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., (deceased) U of Indiana, 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 Ctr, 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 University, Waco, TX
**********************************************************************
YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL HELP
Please Fill Out All Information
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**********************************************************************