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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)
May/June 2006 Vol. 15 No. 3
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ISSN #1069-0484. Copyright (c) 2006 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
Pankratz
Campbell
Legal Corner
From Our Readers
Pope
Bulletin Board
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Dear Friends,
Are we experiencing a mini-resurgence of the beliefs that fueled the
recovered memory phenomenon? A reader sent us the following:
"Last night (April 7, 2006) I turned on CNN looking for news and
there was a youngish woman telling the story of how she had been
depressed all her life and didn't know why -- she had no memory of
ever being abused -- then, when her oldest daughter reached a
certain age, terrible memories of the abuse she had suffered at the
same age came flooding back. It turned out to be The Larry King Show
. . .Someone needs to set the record straight." (See box below)
The reports below, "Can of Worms" and "Victoria Inquiry", are
discouraging. Former American Psychiatric Association President, Paul
Fink, M.D. was recently quoted as saying, "I wasn't going to let these
bastards win," [1] and the reporter stated he was referring to the FMS
Foundation. Eighteen-year-old Ryan Ferguson was convicted of murder
based on a memory recovered from a dream [2].
But this is not the early 90s. A Kentucky man who had been convicted
only on recovered-memory evidence has been released. Great articles
and books continue to appear. Families continue to reconcile. [see
below} Scientifically accurate information about memory abounds. If
the science collects dust on shelves, however, the roots of recovered
memories will again spread. The drama of recovered memories is easier
and more fun than the reality of science.
The remake of Sybil is an interesting challenge. Will the movie and
media coverage be grounded in fact or will they perpetuate the myths
that are at the root of the recovered memory problem? In response to
our request for help with educating media about the facts behind
Sybil, some readers took the initiative to contact local reviewers and
interest them in the situation. They asked us to follow up by sending
information. Other readers wanted us to send information to the
colleges and universities in their area. Obviously, we will use
available media lists, but personal local contact is the most
effective way to increase interest and awareness.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the movie Sybil, and a special
DVD edition of the original is also scheduled for release. Of interest
is the description of the DVD:
The DVD will have Nancy L Preston, author of the book Life After
Sybil -- long time personal friend of Mason's. Based on a true
story, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur (Joanne Woodward), an experienced
psychiatrist, is faced with one of her most stressful cases: Sybil
Dorsett (Sally Field) a 20-year-old school teacher, who suffered
such a harrowing upbringing, she consequently developed over 16
different personalities. (See Amazon.com)
How true is the story? Perhaps there is enough "wiggle room" to
justify "based on." Were Sybil's multiple personalities the result of
a "harrowing upbringing?" There is no evidence for that claim.
In April, a powerful new tool in the effort to educate people about
false memories and the facts behind Sybil's personalities became
available. The Bifurcation of the Self by Robert Rieber includes
information never previously available: 75 pages of transcripts of
tapes of conversations between the author of Sybil, Flora Rheta
Schreiber, and Sybil's psychiatrist, Cornelia Wilbur.
Rieber features the story of Sybil. (The book is broader and will be
reviewed in a future issue.) An entire section of the book is titled:
"Sybil: A case of multiple personalities and the natural history of a
myth." Rieber reminds readers that Sybil likely had a powerful effect:
before 1973, the year in which the book was published, there were
fewer than 50 known cases of multiple personality disorder in the
history of the world. By 1994 over 40,000 cases had been diagnosed.
(The author offers some explanations for the story's appeal; for
example, it appeared in a time of great social change, especially in
the role of women, and multiplicity was appealing to the broader
female culture.)
"From all that I have discovered, I concluded that the three women
-- Wilbur, Schreiber, and Sybil -- are responsible for shaping the
modern myth of multiple personality disorder. A psychological
oddity, so bizarre and rare that it did not merit much publicity in
most textbooks before 1973, multiple personality disorder had
acquired a sudden respectability and acceptance. " (p. 109)
"Sybil. . . just didn't make multiple personality disorder a
fashionable illness in North America and abroad. With its emphasis
on childhood sexual abuse it also spawned two other related
obsessive phenomena: one was the belief that people were being
poisoned by buried memories and the other was that only by
reawakening those memories through hypnosis was recovery possible."
(p. 111)
Sybil's true identity had actually been revealed on August 27, 1975 by
the Minneapolis Star but "disappeared from collective memory" until
rediscovered in 1998. Sybil (Shirley Mason), an only child, was born
and lived in Dodge Center, Minnesota, about 80 miles southeast of
Minneapolis. Her parents, Walter and Martha Mason, were in their 40s
when she was born, and they were strictly observant Seventh-Day
Adventists. Walter was a hardware-store clerk and carpenter, and her
mother had had several miscarriages before Sybil was born.
The family seemed a bit unusual: Shirley's mother walked her to school
each day, even through high school, but no one in town knew of any
instances of the sexual and physical abuse ascribed to the mother in
the book. Shirley was described by people in the town as a withdrawn,
slender girl with a talent for painting. Evidence indicates that she
had a normal IQ although the Sybil-myth places it in a very high
range. In 1945 she had a breakdown and experienced severe anorexia.
Wilbur treated Shirley for 11 years, but their relationship was far
closer and continued after treatment.
Schreiber visited Dodge Center, perhaps in an effort to authenticate
some of Sybil's stories. In a letter to Wilbur she wrote that she
could not locate the woods where so many terrible things were supposed
to have taken place, and she never found anyone to corroborate the
stories of the horrible maltreatment. (Schreiber explained this by
saying that the neighbors really knew, they just would not tell her.)
Rieber provides an analysis of the tapes, dividing them into 10
sections.
"1. Labeling Sybil as a multiple personality."
"2. Assigning the multiple personalities their personal
characteristics and planting [a personality] rather than probing
her."
"3. Inventing the primal scene, the grand illusion of an explanatory
principle, and making the punishment fit the crime."
"4. Projecting the creators' guilt about perpetrating a fraud onto
others; there is a madness in their method and method in their
madness."
"5. Manufacturing Sybil's memories."
"6. Shaping the rationale for Sybil as an honest liar."
"7. Sybil becomes confused about her personalities."
"8. Creating the cause -- "The Abuse Excuse."
"9. Admitting to a false confession; Sybil's amnesia wears off."
"10. Teaching Sybil to hate and then explaining it."
Following are some excerpts relating to the manufacturing of memories:
Sybil's reaction to being told she was MPD:
Wilbur: She was relieved because this put a name on it. And this
also assured her that she was not the only one that this had ever
happened to. And that she had a bona fide condition....
Schreiber: And she had read Martin [Morton] Prince's book about the
faintest trace of recognition.
Wilbur: Yeah (p.217)
.....
* * *
Wilbur used sodium pentothal and hypnosis to get "memories"
Uh, the first time we got any memories back was, when, I gave her
pentothal and then because what happened was this. Now I had given
her the pentothal and oh I hadn't thought about that in years. I've
forgotten all about that. And so she talked about it, and I also
said, what you also talked about so and so and so and so, ___. So I
decided that I lost too much ... trying to tell her what she said
and then I played the tapes back (p. 241)
Wilbur teaches Sybil to hate her family. Rieber says it is "what
happens when a therapist becomes too emotionally involved." Wilbur and
Schreiber became surrogate parents.
"You know mother did lots of things to make you angry and
frightened, and I know most of them. . . I know she gave you
medicines that hurt you, and I know she filled your bladder up with
cold water and hurt you, and she used the flashlight and so on and
hurt you. I know she stuffed the washcloth in your mouth and cotton
in your nose so you couldn't breathe, I know about all those things.
What else did she do that made you angry? Sweetie, hmmm? Dear heart?
What else did she do? It's all right to talk about it now." (p. 126)
Was Sybil a fraud? Rieber writes that it "depends upon your personal
definition of that term. No matter what you wish to call it, it was a
conscious misrepresentation of the facts. A fine line between
self-deception and the deception of others is an important issue here.
Unquestionably, Schreiber and Wilbur wanted to make Sybil a multiple
personality case no matter what."
Will a new generation of vulnerable people be influenced by the remake
and rerelease of Sybil? You can help determine that.
PAMELA
Rieber, R.W. (2006). The Bifurcation of the Self: The History and
Theory of Dissociation and Its Disorders. New York: Springer.
[1] Biele, K. (2006, April 20). Politics, Dangerous Notice, A Philly
organization takes on Utah's abortion law. Salt Lake City
Weekly. Retrieved from
www.slweekly.com/editorial/2006/politics_2006-04-20.cmf.
[2]. http://www.showmenews.com/Heitholt/
+------------------------------------------------------+
| SPECIAL THANKS |
| |
| We extend a very special `Thank you' to all of |
| the people who help prepare the FMSF Newsletter. |
| |
| EDITORIAL SUPPORT: Janet Fetkewicz, Howard |
| Fishman, Peter Freyd |
| COLUMNISTS: Members of the FMSF Scientific advisory |
| Board and Members who wish to remain anonymous |
| LETTERS and INFORMATION: Our Readers |
+------------------------------------------------------+
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| FMSF Advisor Elected to the National Academy of Sciences |
| |
| We are pleased to announce that FMSF Advisory Board member Rochel |
| Gelman, Ph.D. has been elected to the National Academy of |
| Sciences. Gelman is a professor of psychology and cognitive |
| science at Rutgers University. Her work has included causal and |
| quantitative reasoning and the role of informal environments in |
| cognitive de velopment |
| |
| The FMSF Scientific and Professional Advisory Board now lists a |
| total of eight members of the NAS and IOM (Institute of Medicine): |
| Aaron T. Beck, Rochel Gelman, Lila Gleitman, Ernest Hilgard, |
| Philip S. Holzman, Elizabeth Loftus, Paul McHugh and Ulric |
| Neisser. All but one of these distinguished scientists were on the |
| founding FMSF Advisory Board of just 15. |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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CAN OF WORMS
In December 2005, the Scottish Ministry of Health launched A Can of
Worms -- Working with Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse a booklet to
"encourage staff to feel more confident when working with adult
survivors who disclose abuse." It has caused great consternation to
families affected by the problems of recovered memories. The booklet
reads like something from 1992, even to recommending The Courage to
Heal. It lists organizations that deal with survivors of "ritual
abuse," and it has a list of 13 "subtle signs" of abuse such as the
way people hold their bodies or if they have difficulty sleeping. In
response to criticism that the booklet lacked scientific credibility,
the authors admitted that it was not an academic paper, and that it
was not based on any formal research.
A Can of Worms is more than enough to worry about, but in the barrage
of letters that appeared both criticizing and defending it, another
concern arose. Dr. Tom Brown, a representative of the Royal College,
said that the College currently has a "working party to revise the
Royal College guidelines on memory, trauma and psychotherapy." He said
that "The College's previous guidelines were criticized because some
of the members of that working party were advisers to the BFMS
[British FMS]." He noted that the current chair of the working group,
Dr. Chris Freeman, has "been scrupulous in having no links or
association with that organization so that any future college advice
can be seen to be unbiased." Not mentioned was that the chair of the
present group is a member of the psychotherapy section of the College.
More letters, both published and private, have followed in response to
the slur and in an effort to learn more about the working group's
composition and direction. Of some concern is the collaboration
between the current president of the Royal College and Valerie
Sinnason who is a proponent of satanic ritual abuse. When there is
more conclusive information, it will appear in the Newsletter.
Brown, T. (2006, March 9). Letters: Royal College haven't asked for
withdrawal of 'Can of Worms.' The Herald, 2480.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| A childhood is what anyone wants to remember of it. It leaves |
| behind no fossils, except perhaps in fiction. |
| |
| Carol Shields, The Stone Diaries |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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VICTORIA GOVERNMENT RELEASES
INQUIRY INTO THE PRACTICE OF RECOVERED MEMORY THERAPY
In 2004, FMS families in Victoria, Australia felt that they had
achieved a victory when the Minister for Health agreed to have an
inquiry into the therapy practices that had harmed so many families.
Last month, the report was released. Sadly, it is a disappointment.
The report indicates that recovered memory therapy is no longer a
problem, and it fudges important research findings. It does, however,
have good recommendations for professional bodies about training and
professional practice.
The report is long, and entire sections are duplicated. There are
significant omissions in both the literature review and the legal
cases cited. Little more needs to be said beyond the fact that
Remembering Trauma by Richard McNally was not cited, even though this
book was specifically suggested by a group of scientists who responded
to an earlier report draft. Nor was there any mention of the Sydney
mother, father and grandmother who were recently awarded $165,000 in
damages for wrongful arrest after one of their daughters accused them
of abuse.
The report can be accessed at
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/pracreg/memory.htm Arndt, B. (2006,
March 17). Peeling away a therapy onion. Herald-Sun.
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SEEKING THE TRUTH IN BOOKS:
IS IT THE TASK OF THE PUBLISHER OR THE READER?
Loren Pankratz, Ph.D.
Bantam Books, a division of Random House, recently published Sickened:
The memoir of a Munchausen by proxy childhood.[1] Some child-abuse
experts praised the book, but Brian Morgan, an investigative reporter
in Cardiff, Wales, produced documentation that substantial claims were
false. When he provided his evidence to Random House, they refused to
acknowledge the problems.
Munchausen by proxy is a disorder in which a mother creates an
illness, or describes symptoms of an illness, in her child. She does
this to receive attention, by proxy, from the medical profession or to
engage in the drama of illness. Because of my experience in deceptive
disorders, I was asked to interview some of these accused mothers.
After the first eleven assessments, it struck me that most were false
accusations. The mothers were usually well meaning but inappropriately
concerned about the health of their children, or their behavior was
problematic in other ways. Their difficulties should have been solved
by the pediatricians, but instead the exotic label of Munchausen
Syndrome by Proxy entangled them in a destructive web with no apparent
escape.
The problems with Munchausen by proxy became front-page news in the
United Kingdom after some mothers were released from prison once the
accusations against them were shown to be false. The government
experts had failed to consider alternative explanations for the
children's disorders, misrepresented statistical probabilities, and
presumed evil intentions of the mothers without adequate assessment.
The syndrome had taken on a life that did not need facts to sustain
it. Mothers were being separated from their children because the
warning signs of the syndrome were confused with the diagnostic signs.
The situation is no better in the United States. I have now assessed
over 40 accused mothers, and from this experience I published an
article suggesting that the label was more destructive than
helpful.[2] Exactly how prevalent is this disorder? Most experts have
suggested that it is widely missed, but I believe that it is widely
over-diagnosed. Innocent mothers have been forced into contentious
struggles with legal professionals and child protective services,
trying to prove their innocence.
In an attempt to stop the mythology, Brian Morgan decided to
investigate whether author Julie Gregory was abused by her mother and
inappropriately taken to doctors. The results will not surprise
readers of this newsletter. Her mother provided every document
requested and responsibly answered all questions. Her life has been
seriously disrupted by her daughter's degrading accusations, and she
was amazed that someone was finally checking the facts.
Ms. Gregory, on the other hand, responded to questions about the facts
in her book with sarcasm and rage. Her personal lawyer threatened Mr.
Morgan and refuses to answer his e-mail questions. However, the claim
that she earned a master's degree in psychiatry has been removed from
her website.
Mr. Morgan is currently addressing his findings with some of the
professionals who endorsed her book. At this point, Random House
claims that there is no evidence to cause doubt about the veracity of
the book. Let's hope that behind the scene they are negotiating a
resolution to their blunder. Acknowledging the facts might in turn
control the unfortunate popularity of this disorder. As we know, books
have consequences. In the meantime, caveat lector.
[1] Gregory, Julie. (2003). Sickened. NY: Bantam Books.
[2] Pankratz L. (2006). Persistent problems with the Munchausen
syndrome by proxy label. Journal of the American Academy of
Psychiatry and the Law, 34, 90-95. [text available at:
http://www.jaapl.org /cgi/content/full/34/1/90
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| "When I got calmer and I was able to, you know, find a peaceful |
| place inside myself, I was able to, you know, go to my family and |
| make amends and ask their forgiveness and they mine and we've |
| mended that one too. That one I'm so happy about. My mother and I |
| and my siblings we have a great relationship." Roseanne |
| |
| CNN Larry King Live |
| March 2, 2006 |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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INNER HEALING IN THE CHURCH
Eunice Campbell
Review of Abusing Memory: The Healing Theology of Agnes Sanford
Jane Gumprecht, M.D., Canon Press: Moscow, Idaho (1997)
Many FMSF families have mentioned that their problems began when their
children went to church counselors who excavated memories. I read
Abusing Memory because I hoped it would help me understand how this
kind of counselling took hold in the churches.
According to this book, the roots of Inner Healing as practiced by
many Christian counselors such as John and Paula Sandford (Elijah
House) and Ed Smith (Theophostic Ministry) or as Prayer Healing
(Cornerstone Christian Counselling Centre in Ontario, Canada) can be
found in the work of Agnes White Sanford who was born in 1897 and died
in 1983. Abusing Memory documents the manner in which Mrs. Sanford
developed "inner healing" out of Jungian psychology, the occult, and
Emmet Fox's New Thought and then brought her ideas into the Christian
church. The author argues that the foundations of Agnes White
Sanford's theories fail, when measured by biblical doctrine.
Agnes White was born into a distinguished Virginia family. Her father
was a Presbyterian missionary who was sent to China where she spent
her early years. She was known for her independent spirit and early on
became disenchanted with Bible-based Christianity. She married Ted
Sanford, an Episcopalian priest, and after the birth of her third
child became very depressed. When a young minister named Hollis
Colwell tried to help her during a bout of depression, he laid his
hands on her head and prayed a "prayer of faith." Agnes related that
she felt miraculously healed. According to Gumprecht, Agnes's search
to understand why she felt better led to the development of her Inner
Healing theory.
Abusing Memory describes Agnes White Sanford as very unhappy in her
marriage and in her role as wife and mother. She regarded herself as
gifted in the arts and felt that she became a new person when
encouraged by Colwell to develop her artistic talents. At the same
time she was increasingly disillusioned by the inability of
established religion to solve either her problems or the larger
problems of suffering in the world. Agnes came to believe that she had
been sent to earth by God with a special mission. She wrote "We come
into life, I am quite sure, with sealed orders. Even at this time the
Lord was preparing me to be an explorer and a way-shower along the
paths of healing and of miracles." [1]
Agnes explored other religions, mysticism, the New Thought movement
and even the occult. She was also greatly influenced by Carl Jung.
Quoting extensively from Sanford's writing, Gumprecht argues that
Sanford was a pantheist with very mystical beliefs that were not
compatible with biblical doctrine. She claims that Sanford
conceptualized God as energy and referenced herself as a channel of
this energy into another person. The author says that Sanford
encouraged relaxation and that her techniques have "an uncanny
resemblance to Therapeutic Touch."
Agnes embarked on her own ministry as a faith healer and founded the
School of Pastoral Care in 1958 that continues its activities today.
Although her Episcopal minister husband was unhappy with the direction
of his wife's beliefs, as the years passed she modified her emphasis
to healing the soul rather than the body. Her beliefs became more
acceptable, and he joined her in the school. The culmination of
Agnes's belief system was the Healing of Memories.
"Something is troubling the deep mind...some old unpleasant
memory...What are these 'roots of bitterness' and how can they be
drawn out of us? ...Jesus is our time-traveler...entering the
subconscious and finding His way through past years to every buried
memory in order to touch it with His healing power and set us free.
I ask Jesus to enter into him, and go back through time and heal the
memories of fear and resentment -- even those he had forgotten...
Imagine Him walking back with you through time and finding the small
person who was agonized and torn apart." (Healing Gifts, pp. 108,
116, 119)
In Sanford's 1966 book Healing Gifts of the Spirit [2] she outlines
the seven steps of her method. I will take time to deal with only one
of them. She states: Know the patient's childhood. If a patient said
they had a very happy childhood, she asked three basic questions. When
did you start being unhappy? Why were you so unhappy? What happened
that made you feel that nobody loved you?" Dr. Gumprecht was appalled
at her leading questions that planted doubts in the minds of those who
had a happy childhood.
"He [Jesus] can enter below the level of consciousness. He can
project His life back through time in me and heal my oldest and most
hidden memories, so that as His power works in the submerged mind,
my outer reactions and my conscious thoughts more and more conform
to the image of His joy and light". (Healing Touch, pp. 83-84.)
The "small person who was agonized and torn apart" is that 'inner
child' that lives within us, she believed. The memories of unjust hurt
experienced by the 'inner child' needed to be brought to light. Once
those memories are liberated from the unconscious, she used
visualization to imagine Jesus walking towards that small child and
introducing the patient to the child. The patient is to ask this inner
child for forgiveness for rejecting and hurting it. Jesus puts his
arms around the child and loves and comforts it. A variation of that
scene takes place in Theophostics and prayer counselling. The 'inner
child' was not just symbolic. She believed, as Jung did, that the
child had a psychic life before it had consciousness. She asked her
readers to pray:
"And if even before birth the soul was shadowed by this human life
and darkened by the fears and sorrows of the human parents, then I
pray that even those memories or impressions may be healed, so that
this one may be restored to Your original pattern, the soul as free
and clean as though nothing had ever dimmed its shining." (Healing
Gifts, 122.)
Dr. Gumprecht comments that "to go within oneself to the inner child,
is akin to self-worship because the person is looking inward to
himself rather than outward to God for comfort, healing and
forgiveness." (p. 118) She points out the research done by Doctors
Roger Pittman of Harvard and Paul McHugh of John Hopkins University
Hospital showing that important traumas are remembered all too well.
She mentions Dr. Elizabeth Loftus' research demonstrating that
individuals are easily induced to remember events that never happened
to them. Memory is malleable. She writes: "Those who claim to be
Christians and use Healing of Memories in their counselling stand on a
shaky foundation which is not of God." (p. 131)
Agnes's ideas spread through the pastors who attended her schools and
through her many books. At the same time, similar ideas were spreading
in the secular community. John Sandford, no relation to Agnes, is her
most influential disciple. He and his wife, Paula, acknowledge her
contribution to their ministry, Elijah House. They emphasize healing
of memories, even those as far back as in the womb. They use
suggestion in their questions about early childhood and minister to
the "child yet living in the heart." They in turn have influenced
others and great damage has been done in many Christian churches. I am
encouraged that there are websites that expose this dangerous
practice. [3] Sometimes poison can come in very deceptive packages.
[1].Sanford, A. (1972). Sealed Orders. Plainfield, NJ: Logos International.
[2] -- (1966). Healing Gifts of the Spirit. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
[3]. See, for example,
www.deceptioninthechurch.com/divinationfindsfurtherexpression.html
www.psychoheresy-aware.org/inner82.html
www.lyingspirits.com/news2006.html#sandford
Books by Agnes Sanford
(1959). Behold Your God. St. Paul, MN: Macalester Park Publishing Co.
(1966). Healing Gifts of the Spirit. Philadelphia: Lippincott
International.
(1971). Lost Shepherd. Plainfield, NJ: Logos.
(1972). Sealed Orders. Plainfield, NJ: Logos International.
(1976). Healing Power of the Bible. New York: Pillar Books.
(1983). The Healing Touch of God. New York: Ballantine Books.
(1983). The Healing Light. New York: Ballantine Books.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| Remember the McMartin child abuse case of the 1980s? Children |
| prompted and goaded by law enforcement accused daycare workers of |
| bizarre satanic cult activity and sexual abuse. Similar incidents |
| were reported coast-to-coast in what appeared to be a sudden |
| epidemic of baby-killing and molestation by mysterious covens of |
| devil worshippers. But it wasn't true. Cases later were dismissed |
| for lack of evidence and convictions were overturned when it was |
| shown that the shocking details of sexual perversion and cult |
| activity were false memories planted by prosecutors and |
| investigators. Those events made for much smaller headlines, of |
| course. |
| Liner, E. (2006, April 13) |
| Devil's Playground; |
| With The Crucible new insights into an old attempt |
| at faith-based initiatives |
| Dallas Observer |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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CLARIFICATION
In the March/April newsletter, the following quote appeared:
"As to the question whether or not the Sybil case was an out and out
fraud, that of course depends upon your personal definition of the
term. No matter what you wish to call it, it was a conscious
misrepresentation of the facts...there is a fine line between
deception of self and deception of others...In the final analysis
Sybil is a phony multiple personality case at best."
Rieber, RW (1999). Hypnosis, false memory and multiple personality:
A trinity of affinity. History of Psychiatry, X, 3-11.
Dr. Rieber asked to add:
"The quote. . . is a position that I still maintain. However, some
people may assume that I deny the existence of DID. This of course
is made clear in my article that I do not deny the existence of DID,
but I do believe that it is an extremely rare disorder, and Sybil's
story was a phony representation of that case. For the record, I
would like readers to be aware of that."
Rieber's article is available at www.FMSF.org.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| "The medical field has simply not established the validity of |
| repressed memory... If the psychological community continues to be |
| divided as to the veracity of recovered memories, used as proof of |
| past sexual abuse, then the legal system should prohibit the |
| introduction of such memories as evidence against non-perpetrators |
| of sexual abuse [that is, those not already convicted of sexual |
| abuse]. It is apparent that relying on unsubstantiated theories of |
| recovered repressed memories can result in devastating |
| consequences for victims and alleged defendants. However, it is |
| inherently more unfair to subject non-perpetrators to this type of |
| medical theory.... Perpetrators are far better prepared to defend |
| themselves against allegations by victims than are |
| non-perpetrators." |
| |
| "The term "false memory syndrome" was first used by the False |
| Memory Syndrome Foundation. The Foundation defines the syndrome as |
| a condition where a person has a strong belief in something that, |
| although the belief is objectively false, the person's identity is |
| based on the belief. False memory syndrome is not recognized by |
| the American Psychiatric Association, but it has been widely used |
| as a way to describe the unreliability of so called recovered |
| repressed memories." |
| Smith, P.E. (2004) |
| The Massachusetts discovery rule and its application |
| to non-perpetrators in "repressed memory" child abuse cases |
| 30 N.E.J. on Crim. & Civ. Con. 179 |
\____________________________________________________________________/
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L E G A L C O R N E R
____________________________________________________
Kentucky Judge Overturns Recovered Memory Conviction
Timothy Smith v. Commonwealth of Kentucky
Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kenton Circuit Court,
Case No. 00-CR-00669
On March 29, 2006, Kenton, Kentucky Circuit Judge Patricia Summe set
aside the conviction of Timothy Smith who had served five of his
20-year sentence for abusing his daughter.
Tim Smith's daughter, Katie, accused him of child sexual abuse in 2000
and he was convicted in 2001. In 2004, the Kentucky Supreme Court
affirmed Smith's conviction saying that it could do nothing about his
case because Smith's attorney had failed to object at trial to the
many errors that occurred.
It was not until 2005 when the unfortunate death of 22-year-old Katie
brought his case to attention and serious problems with the conviction
became apparent. Smith's daughter Katie was murdered when she
apparently attempted to cut an unborn baby from the womb of a pregnant
woman. (See FMSF Newsletter, 14(6) (December 2005). The bizarre
circumstances of her death pointed out that Katie had been a seriously
disturbed young woman.
The Kentucky Innocence Project and attorney Patrick J. Lamb of Chicago
filed an appeal for Smith. The Innocence Project director Marguerite
Thomas said: "The lack of evidence used to convict [Tim Smith] is
shocking and troubling." There was no physical evidence in the case
and little investigation. For example, Katie had claimed that the
memories of abuse came to her when she was having sexual relations
with her boyfriend. Neither the police not the prosecution ever talked
to the "boyfriend," however. If they had, they would have learned that
he denied having sexual relations with her. He also said that Katie
was not his girlfriend. Katie Smith had a long history of telling
lies, and neither that nor her emotional problems were brought out
during the trial.
Much of the prosecution's case had been based on the testimony of
"Doctor" Kimberly Wolfe who supported Katie Smith's story. She
testified that Katie suffered from "repressed memory syndrome." Wolfe,
however, is not a doctor of any kind, but is, rather, a registered
nurse. She obtained her Ph.D. from an unaccredited school through the
Internet. Under Kentucky law, she was not entitled to use that title,
and it is likely that its use during the trial by both the prosecution
and Wolfe enhanced her credibility. Tim Smith's lawyer did not
challenge Wolfe's credentials and was unaware of the U.S. Supreme
Court ruling through which he could have done so. After her ruling,
Judge Summe noted: "allowing the commonwealth's expert to go virtually
unchallenged" was "outside the range of acceptable trial practice."
Kentucky prosecutor William Crockett has 30 days in which to appeal or
he may elect to retry the case. Crochett said that even though the
facts about Katie Smith's death are troubling, it is possible that it
was the sexual abuse that caused her to become delusional. Attorney
Lamb said he doubted that the case would be retried. "It would be a
defense lawyer's dream to try this case," because of the lack of
physical evidence and Katie Smith's death.
Patrick J. Lamb, pro bono counsel, is a partner in the Chicago firm
of Butler Rubin.
Dunbar, E. (2006, April 1). Sex abuse conviction overturned.
Lexington Herald-Leader, C1-2.
Wolfson, A. (2006, March 31). Man's sodomy conviction thrown out.
Accuser later attacked pregnant woman. Retrieved March 31, 2006 from
http://www.courier-journal.com.
_____________________________________
Toledo Ritual Murder Trial Begins [1]
State v. Robinson, Case No. 2004 1915,
Court of Common Pleas, Lucas County Ohio
National media, including Court TV, are focusing attention on the
trial of Father Gerald Robinson in Toledo, Ohio accused of murdering a
71-year-old nun in 1980. The great attention is probably because the
case involves claims of recovered repressed memories, ritual murder,
and satanic cults. Heightening the charged atmosphere around this
trial is the claim that the heavily Catholic police department
colluded with the clergy to cover up the case in 1980. The police say
that there was not enough evidence to bring a case in 1980; there were
no fingerprints, no footprints, no witnesses and DNA technology was
not available then. The investigators who reopened the case say that
they have found evidence that some bloodstains on an altar cloth match
a letter opener that was found in Father Robinson's home.
The old case was brought back to life in 2003 after a woman came
forward claiming that she had recovered memories that as a child she
had been sexually and physically abused for years by Catholic priests
during satanic rituals. One of the priests she named was 68-year-old
Father Gerald Robinson. The woman said that she had been placed in a
coffin filled with cockroaches, had been penetrated with a snake, had
participated in killing an infant, and had committed other horrible
acts. No evidence was presented. Perhaps, in part, as a result of
pressure from groups representing people abused by clergy, the police
decided to reopen the 24-year-old murder case in which Father Robinson
had been questioned.
Judge Thomas Osowik is presiding. Jury selection began on April 17 and
the trial is expected to last three to four weeks. Because there are
no witnesses to the crime, the trial is expected to focus on forensic
evidence. Among the witnesses will be a forensic expert who has
written a book on bloodstains, and forensic anthropologist Kathleen
Reichs who is an author and the inspiration behind the television
program "Bones."
Johnson Thebes, Father Robinson's attorney, said: "There's a reason
these cases are cold and sit for 24 years -- because the evidence is
not good to begin with. I've had two of these so-called 'cold cases'
before, and they both ended in acquittal."
[1] See FMSF Newsletter, 13(5), September/October.
Ewinger, J. (2006, April 12). Priest's trial in death of nun will
include talk of rituals, cults. Plain Dealer, A1.
Yonke, D. & Reiter, M. (2006, April 12). Space worries force judge
to shift priest's courtroom. The Blade (Toledo, OH), B1.
For more information about this case see:
http://www.theisticsatanism.com/asp/cases/GRobinson.html
____________________________________________________________________
Louisiana Repressed Memory Case Against Michael Jackson is Dismissed
Bartucci v. Jackson, Case 2:04-cv-02977-EEF-ALC,
U.S. Dist. Ct. Eastern Dist. of Louisiana, Filed 04/13/06.
On April 13, 2006, United States District Judge Eldon Fallon dismissed
with prejudice the case of Joseph Thomas Bartucci, Jr. against Michael
J. Jackson. Bartucci had sued Jackson for child sexual abuse based on
the recovery of repressed memories. Jackson's attorney, Charles Gay
filed a motion to dismiss arguing that there was no verifiable
corroboration of the events, that repressed memory is highly
controversial and not generally accepted, that plaintiff's expert
lacked credentials to support the theory, and that it was plaintiff's
burden of proof to establish repressed memory as a valid scientific
principle so as to be admissible under the rules of evidence. The
judge dismissed because Jackson was shown to be elsewhere at the time
of the alleged abuse.
__________________________________________
Statutes of Limitations in Sex Abuse Cases
One consequence of the clergy sex abuse scandals has been a renewed
effort across the nation to extend the statutes of limitations so that
those abused long ago may prosecute. Since 2002, six states have
extended the legal deadlines for filing abuse cases. In at least nine
states, legislators have proposed bills that would suspend statutes of
limitations. Most of the proposals have been based on a 2003
California law that provides a one-year window during which suits
could be filed. Over 800 cases were filed in California with a
potential value of 1 billion dollars. Washington and Arizona also
enacted "window" legislation.
Currently, the Catholic Church is vigorously fighting proposals in
Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. The arguments used by the Church have varied
by state. In some, the claim is that it would be unfair and dangerous
to change long-standing legal rules (e.g. Maryland). In others, the
argument is that such a law would provide for a systematic dismantling
and pillaging of the Catholic community by a peculiar kind of
anti-Catholicism (e.g. Colorado).
Willing. R. (2006, April 13). Church battling plans to ease abuse
lawsuits; bills would suspend statutes of limitation. USA Today, 2A.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| "It is singular how soon we lose the impression of what ceases to |
| be constantly before us. A year impairs, a luster obliterates. |
| There is little distinct left without an effort of memory, then |
| indeed the lights are rekindled for a moment -- but who can be |
| sure that the Imagination is not the torch-bearer?" |
| Lord Byron |
\____________________________________________________________________/
**********************************************************************
LETTER TO FMS FAMILY MEMBERS FROM A SURVIVOR
Three years have passed since FMSF helped me escape my ordeal of
"therapy." Seeking help on the Internet, I found FMSF and a site
created by one who had lost a sibling to FMS. Those sites saved my
life. With more time, maybe I could have sued or prosecuted, but I was
too damaged to act.
Before therapy, I was happy, employed and proud of family. I'd been
sexually assaulted in college, but I went to a therapist only after
three years of undiagnosed hypothyroidism that led to quitting work
and moving nearer my folks did I enter therapy. After my diagnosis I
rallied. But my psychotherapist disregarded my very real medical
problem and treated me as if I were mentally ill saying: "Only drugs
and psychiatric hospitals are for people like you." For the next five
years, I protested, saying, "I feel brainwashed, like I'm being
inducted into a cult." He said that was because my parents had abused
me, and I could not accept real love.
I believed that I might lessen burdens on my family if I consulted a
therapist as I reasserted my adult self, but the usual happened: the
therapist encouraged loss of family contact and a breakdown of the
morals I'd lived by. I even changed religions. I begged to understand
his methods, but was told, "It's about feeling, not thinking." He
coerced regression while using unwanted full body contact during all
sessions for years. When I protested, he diagnosed me as "schizoid,"
which meant, "without the usual human core." Tearful, terrorizing
sessions were spent accepting my new "identity." I was told I "was
highly dissociative and barely missed having DID," but he hadn't
wanted to tell me, since "the truth might destabilize" someone as
mentally ill as me. Previous successes only showed that I'd
compartmentalized my "true" [dissociated schizoid] self. But I was in
my thirties, had attended college and grad school, didn't smoke,
didn't drink, had worked until my illness. His published papers, I
found, argue that disorganizing the personality is necessary for
"healing." He was good at it!
I was made to feel I couldn't have a baby, since my mother hadn't
bonded with me. If she had, he said, I would have understood love,
seen my assault coming, and would have had a child. When I tried to
commit suicide -- a first for me and prompted by a session -- he said
he couldn't help because he was, "inured to suffering."
He still took my $90.00 checks. Family contact ended. My grandmother
died. When my mother became ill, and I should have helped her, I was
being "re-birthed" as his child. He convinced me that my loving
memories of my mother were wrong; she really hated me. I finally wept,
saying, "You're my family now!" It was a total perversion of my former
self. He said he loved me, "even though I was a child of neglect and
violence."
On my birthday, in a terrorized fog, I took my "birthday meal" to his
office, then paid to watch him eat it. But I remembered family
birthdays. I want families to know that every day I was desperate to
escape. But how could I? I was terrified things would get worse if I
tried another "respected professional." He had convinced me that only
hospitals, which he made sound unsafe, were for me. Before therapy,
I'd been working and happy. When I fled, I was destitute and did not
even know how many years I'd gone there! How could I file a formal
complaint in such confusion?
It was 2003. I thought a rape crisis center would help, since he'd
coerced unwanted physical touching and I had his publications in hand,
showing he had done it to others. The people at the crisis center
didn't even react. There was a waiting list for private counseling, so
I went to 13 "free public information sessions." At "Understanding and
Managing Dissociation: From Daydreaming to DID," I completed forms
devised with the assumption that I had DID: Had I lost time? Found
clothing I didn't remember buying?
We -- about twenty of us -- were told not to be ashamed. Dissociation
was "natural" after rape. So was desire for lesbian and
sado-masochistic sex: the victim "internalizes her aggressor," then
her own sexual need becomes violent. Self-injury was normal, and you
could buy a "self-injury workbook." For an hour, one of the counselors
described her own "Satanic ritual abuse," then "shifted alters." We
met our personalities, and she told us how her family reacted to her
condition with loving tolerance.
The center "community" had art shows, drumming sessions, and crafts
classes, and it was tempting to be involved, since I was scared and
alone. We could paint "grounding rocks." (Treatment involves holding
rocks when trauma symptoms trigger MPD /DID.) "Wellness programs"
included yoga, creative journaling and meditation. In "The Body
Connection," we were shown slides of ads, since they created
"idealized images of women that make us feel bad about ourselves."
This prompted counselor-led dialogue about our body inferiority.
Meanwhile, on the center website, were pictures of their own fashion
show, complete with 250 attendees and thin, barely-clad models. The
show was a benefit "honoring survivors of sexual assault."
One handout said we "deserved choice and informed consent," but The
Courage to Heal was used and quoted in the "mission statement," and no
one informed us of any controversy. Repeatedly, we were told that rape
is forever. It "comes up" over and over, "often at every new phase of
life," and needs treatment. Counselors saw themselves as feminists,
but what kind of feminists would make raped women do crafts instead of
helping them prosecute?
A counselor called the place, "Our educational center." It was quite
an education! So were private sessions, offered me -- months later.
An intake counselor said, "Your therapist became your perpetrator." By
then, I was clearer but still very scared. I said, "No. He was
himself." She told me that she felt I was protecting a perpetrator
from my past. This counselor had existentialist philosopher, Sartre's,
book Being and Nothingness on her desk. She said she was "going to
take me back to the existential crisis and do character
interventions." Eyeing the toys in her floor, I asked if she used
regressive techniques, since I'd been abused that way. She said, "This
isn't going to work unless you open up," (meaning regress and play
with toys).
She did "body-work," involving physically holding clients, too, and
had graduated from the same college program as the therapist I'd just
fled. She said, "We have to explore what's back there that made you
stay in an abusive situation [with her colleague whose lectures she
attended]." By "back there," she was implying childhood sex abuse. She
ignored the abuse of my previous therapist. That I was still
terrorized and destitute meant nothing, nor that I'd been able to
periodically fight the abusive treatment aggressively even though I
had been sick, confused, and isolated. When I remarked on this, she
said, "Nobody is ever going to be able to help you!" And, "those
people [abuse victims] just get re-victimized by law enforcement." On
the center's website, that information is in boldface. Meanwhile my
first therapist had called, assuring me that my appointment was open.
When I threatened to complain, I received a letter saying to contact
his lawyer. I was scared to death. He had much more money than I did.
Today, my early memories are like memories of memories. All the
memories were re-formed while I was unclear and suffering from years
of underactive thyroid, linked to depression and suicide. I remember
as I once did, and I remember the way the therapist re-framed things.
My attitudes and values are more rigid. Things more black and white. I
used to share easily. No more. I learned "might is right." Power wins.
Frequently, I look at a shopping bag full of family pictures that I
took to his office, to prove my family was nice, only to hear him say,
"Pictures lie." Survivor stories and web pages of the rape center have
been crucial to healing. I track my therapist's career, reading what
he publishes. I hate to buy his books and articles, but anytime I
doubt, I own proof that my therapist was a monster.
I can only hope someone starts editing the books that taught my
therapist his techniques. Outside therapy, it would be criminal. After
therapy, other non-responding professionals undermined my faith in
helping systems. Overseas wartime interrogations are discussed in
national media, but not the sex abuse and reckless endangerment people
survive on domestic soil as "health care." My abusers continue
practicing.
I hope the Foundation will stay involved. I know many patients want to
come home, but they live in the shadows and confusion that I fled.
Leaving is hard. Publicizing FMS is essential. Victims are able to
simply say, "I got caught in one of those sick therapies," and others
just say, "Sorry." One thing I'll never forget is finding your stories
and the FMSF newsletter as I escaped. I want to thank you now. It
saved my life.
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| FMS Beliefs Are Still With Us |
| |
| "I didn't know that I was sexually abused until like I don't know |
| about 14 years ago. I had been plagued with an eating disorder and |
| had long time problems with depression and anxiety. And it wasn't |
| until my eldest daughter, who is now 15, reached the age when I |
| was abused that I started to have memories "And first they came |
| back in dreams and then they came back in full body memory so I |
| relived the experience. And, I thought I was crazy at first |
| because I knew that, you know, I had some forms of abuse but I |
| never, ever suspected that I had been sexually abused. |
| |
| "And subsequent to finding out what was the root cause of my |
| addictions and problems with depression many of the symptoms went |
| away and the need to hurt myself and find other ways to self |
| destruct kind of just disappeared." "I believe that when you heal |
| a wound like child abuse it gives you the equal capacity to sense |
| it in others and almost, it is like a sixth sense." |
| Catherine Oxenberg |
| CNN Larry King Live, April 7, 2006 |
| "Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Speak Out" |
\____________________________________________________________________/
**********************************************************************
F R O M O U R R E A D E R S
________
Thoughts
Although I am still very sad about the death of my husband, I continue
to have a good relationship with my accusing daughter, even though she
still thinks that "something" happened. Unfortunately, there is a rift
with her elder sister who feels that the wonderful memories she had of
her childhood became tainted by the accusations. I sometimes wonder if
this is the end of the story or if she will realize in my lifetime
that she made a mistake. My husband probably wondered the same. When
she gets to heaven, she'll know the truth and that's what she says
too. My husband and I had lost a 4-year-old child to illness in 1964.
When our daughter first made her accusations I remember saying that
being falsely accused was more difficult to go through and that there
was more than one way to lose a child. In retrospect, they were
equally devastating experiences. To me, having my daughter back in our
lives is more important than trying to prove that her memories were
false ones.
I continue to pray for people who are still separated from loved ones
because of false beliefs. Oh, that we could by some Divine
intervention make the world know what a terrible plague this was and
is!
A mom
________________________
Cruelty to Good Families
In December, 2005, our forty-year-old daughter called her father and
retracted the accusations that a therapist had made in December 1999.
This brought to an end seven years of a lost relationship with our
beautiful daughter because of wrongful so-called professional therapy.
This daughter is the oldest of our three adopted children and is a
pediatric cancer survivor. Her victory over the cancer is a part of
medical history. She grew up in a loving family, extended family and
community support system. After graduation from high school she became
a nurse, an extraordinary one at that. It was in her early working
years that depression became obvious and led to her vulnerability. The
trauma that she actually experienced was that of her fight through the
long months of cancer treatment. In the hands of those not acquainted
with that kind of childhood experience, she was led away from her
family and the realities of her life.
It was of special interest to find False Memory Syndrome in the
college textbooks. We looked in particular at Chapter 9 in David
Myers' Psychology text. He talks about a person's identity and
relationships centering on "a false but strongly believed memory." The
students who read those paragraphs must be informed about the reality
of sadness and damage to individuals and their relationships in
family.
We hope that the phenomenon continues to be studied and reported. We,
parents and siblings, never spent a day without grieving the lost
treasure of our daughter. It is difficult to believe that this kind of
human cruelty to good families and fragile people can take place.
A mom and dad
_____________________
I Almost Gave Up Hope
I have not seen my oldest daughter or her two sons since 1991. I had
not seen my youngest daughter (except in passing) since 1996 when she
cut ties with me about a year after her father and I separated. I had
never seen her 5-year-old daughter, my granddaughter.
A few days before Thanksgiving 2005, I called my youngest daughter and
told her I was baking pumpkin pies and asked if I could send her one.
My new husband would deliver it to her at her work place. She agreed.
While on the phone I told her that most of my husband's family would
be at our house on Thanksgiving and that she was welcome to come. She
didn't say anything. The next day my husband went by her work place to
deliver the pie and talked with her for a few minutes. He invited her
to come for dinner and again she did not say anything.
Neither one of us thought that there was a chance she would come, but
on Thanksgiving evening, the front door bell rang and there she stood
with my little granddaughter. What a blessing and a miracle! She said
when she left that she had photo albums that she would bring back
later and show us. That gave us hope that there would be another get
together. We both want to take is slow and easy. We have been through
so much hurt and neither one of us wants to go through it again. I
keep praying that the oldest daughter will also come around. Her two
sons are almost grown now. We have all missed out on so much.
There were times over the years that I had almost given up hope. I now
thank God for giving me the strength to endure all these hurtful
years; for supportive family and friends; for the miracle of the
reconciliation; and for the FMSF and all it has done to educate the
public and to help victims.
A hopeful mom
__________________________
In My Life-Better than Not
My accusing daughter is coming to visit this spring. There is still no
recanting, but having her in my life is better than not. I guess
admitting that she made a mistake (a BIG one) is more than she can do
at this time -- maybe forever. She doesn't want to discuss the issue
and, for now, that is OK with me. I thank the Foundation for seeing us
through this difficult situation and I hope for the best for all of us
parents.
A mom
_________
Thank You
You do and have done such an amazingly super job. There are no words
on this planet that would adequately describe the impact of your
excellent work.
A grateful but grieving father
_________________________
Rebuilding A Relationship
In June of 1987 I was separated from my ten-year-old daughter. In the
midst of a divorce, her mom and step-mom, both deeply involved in
repressed memory retrieval therapy, intuited that my daughter had been
abused by me. She was examined by a doctor and told him she had no
memory of abuse. The doctor proceeded to declare "within medical
certainty" that she'd been abused (in the face of no medical data to
support his declaration), but added that if she didn't remember abuse,
his findings were less certain. Thus, the requirement was set in
place: my ten-year-old must remember her abuse to confirm the beliefs
of her mother, step-mother, and sex abuse medical expert.
She was immediately placed in memory-retrieval therapy with a
therapist who also proclaimed that she had been abused, but simply
hadn't remembered. My daughter was surrounded by the cult of belief, a
kidnap victim of righteous, ignorant do-gooders. What followed was
pure tragedy.
Three years later, after a lengthy civil trial, a criminal trial, and
appeal to the Supreme Court, I plea-bargained for a class D sexual
misconduct misdemeanor. My finances were utterly depleted. My
professional life gone. Dr. Underwager and a team of experts across
the country testified to my innocence and to the very real container
of suggestion and brainwash that my daughter had been trapped in.
Fifteen years later I reunited with my daughter. If not for the work
of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation and the courageous men and
women who put forth outstanding scientific work, I would have given
up. It has been three years and my daughter and I are slowly but
steadily building a relationship. I have had a huge, enormous weight
lifted from my shoulders. Thank you. Miracles do happen.
A grateful father.
__________________________
A New Generation for Sybil
I am sending a letter to my middle-aged returner children to be wary
of the Sybil movie, as their children could be caught up in the likely
ensuing hysteria just as their parents were, since their kids (my
grandchildren) are now adults. This new generation will remember the
accusations and trauma of mom or dad accusing their grandparents, as
well as the loss of their grandparents in their lives. If a new
generation has not been fully informed of the hoax of MPD, they could
accuse their own parents (the original FMS accusers). Since these
adult grandchildren are now in the helping professions, or in college
studying the same, with armament of being realistically and fully
informed, they can use their knowledge of the truth about MPD hoax to
stop any further Sybil hysteria from spreading across the land.
A grandparent who loves them.
_________________
Worthy of Support
Have you or others viewed ABC's new weekly television program called
"InJustice"? It has been shown on Friday evenings. It is the only
television program that I know of that consistently makes a great
effort to prove the innocence of false convictions. It deserves
support.
A dad
___________________
Thoughts From A Dad
I read the two requests for help in the Jan./Feb. 2006 FMSF
Newsletter. In each, grieving parents anguished over the refusals of
their grown children to return to the fold and the hurtful things
their children continue to do. Within these painful letters seemed a
hidden "What did I do wrong?"
If it is any consolation, very likely you did nothing wrong. Don't
take the guilt burden that your children are attempting to lay upon
you. If they want to close their doors, perhaps you should let them
and get on with your lives. You really don't have much control of the
situation, and the more you beg and plead, the more you hurt and the
more they are in control. Maybe they even enjoy your pain.
I know I may sound harsh, but doing the opposite is even more painful.
My sister once gave me sage advice: "Deal from strength." Always. Even
if you don't feel it. It's possible that you will gain some respect,
even if it is only self-respect.
Turn the tragedy into something positive. Explore. It is a new phase
in your life. Even if you are close to each and every one of your
children, you can't live your life through them. If you focus all your
hopes on this end, you will be miserable.
No one can control another individual, unless, perhaps, that person is
a young child. Adults are on their own.
A father
____________________
A Different Scenario
For 15 years, the FMSF position has cast repressed-memory therapists
in the role of villain, our accusing daughters and sons as "victims,"
and accused fathers and mothers as innocent bystanders who got hit
when the you-know-what hit the fan.
Here is a different scenario. Instead of viewing the accusing daughter
as the "victim," let's see her for what she is -- a willing
co-conspirator who, along with a smug therapist, has intentionally
made her father or mother the scapegoat for her personal problems.
That being the case, it's sensible to say to her: "You made your
decision so... Good riddance."
A not-so-grieving father
_________
Thank You
A special "Thank you" to all who sent beautiful cards, letters and
e-mails. I can't put into words how much these condolences have helped
me get through this terrible time. I know Herman's soul is watching
over us.
Linda Harrison Ohme
______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________
/ \
| Repressed Memory' Challenge |
| By Harrison G. Pope, Jr. and James I. Hudson |
| |
| $1000 reward to anyone who can produce a published case of |
| "repressed memory" (in fiction or non-fiction) prior to 1800 |
| |
| Our research suggests that the concept of "repressed memory" or |
| "dissociative amnesia" might be simply a romantic notion dating |
| from the 1800s, rather than a scientifically valid phenomenon. To |
| test this hypothesis, we are offering a reward of $1000 to the |
| first person who can find a description of "repressed memory" in |
| any written work, either nonfiction or fiction (novels, poems, |
| dramas, epics, the Bible, essays, medical treatises, or any other |
| sources), in English or in any work that has been translated into |
| English, prior to 1800. We would argue that if "repressed memory" |
| were a genuine natural phenomenon that has always affected people, |
| then someone, somewhere, in the thousands of years prior to 1800, |
| would have witnessed it and portrayed it in a non-fictional work |
| or in a fictional character. |
| |
| To qualify as a bona fide case, the individual described in the |
| work must: 1) experience a severe trauma (abuse, sexual assault, a |
| near-death experience, etc.); and 2) develop amnesia for that |
| trauma for months or years afterwards (i.e. be clearly unable to |
| remember the traumatic event as opposed to merely denying or |
| avoiding the thought); where 3) the amnesia cannot be explained by |
| biological factors, such as a) early childhood amnesia -- in which |
| the individual was under age five at the time of the trauma, or b) |
| neurological impairment due to head injury, drug or alcohol |
| intoxication, or biological diseases. Also, the individual must 4) |
| "recover" the lost memory at some later time, even though the |
| individual had previously been unable to access the memory. |
| Finally, note 5) that the individual must selectively forget a |
| traumatic event; amnesia for an entire period of time, or amnesia |
| for non-traumatic events does not qualify. |
| |
| There are numerous examples of "repressed memory" in fiction and |
| nonfiction after 1800. A literary example that fulfills all of the |
| above criteria is Penn, in Rudyard Kipling's 1896 novel, Captains |
| Courageous, who develops complete amnesia for having lost his |
| entire family in a tragic flood. He later goes to work as a |
| fisherman on a Grand Banks schooner. On one occasion, after a |
| tragic collision between an ocean liner and another schooner at |
| sea, Penn suddenly recovers his lost memory of the flood and the |
| death of his family, and recounts the story to other members of |
| the crew. |
| |
| At present, we have been unable to find any cases of "repressed |
| memory," meeting the above criteria, in any work prior to 1800. We |
| offer a prize of $1000 to the first person who can do so. Please |
| contact us with any questions or candidate cases at |
| harrisonpope@mclean.harvard.edu |
| |
| The first successful respondent, if any, will receive a check for |
| $1000 from the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, and the |
| successful case will be posted on this website. In the event of |
| any dispute (i.e., a respondent who disagrees with us as to |
| whether a case meets the above 5 criteria), Scott Lukas, Ph.D., |
| Professor of Psychiatry (Pharmacology) at Harvard Medical School, |
| has agreed to arbitrate. Dr. Lukas has no involvement in the |
| debate surrounding "repressed memory" and has never published in |
| this area; thus he represents an impartial arbitrator. We have |
| agreed to abide by Dr. Lukas' decision in the case of any dispute. |
| |
| Harrison G. Pope, Jr., M.D., M.P.H. |
| James I. Hudson, M.D., Sc.D. |
| Directors, Biological Psychiatry Laboratory |
| McLean Hospital |
| Belmont, MA 02478 |
\____________________________________________________________________/
**********************************************************************
* N O T I C E S *
**********************************************************************
* *
* WEB SITES OF INTEREST *
* *
* http://www.theisticsatanism.com/asp/ *
* Against Satanic Panics *
* *
* comp.uark.edu/~lampinen/read.html *
* The Lampinen Lab False Memory Reading Group *
* University of Arkansas *
* *
* www.exploratorium.edu/memory *
* The Exploratorium Memory Exhibit *
* *
* www.ctnow.com/memory *
* Hartford Courant memory series *
* *
* 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.sirs.com/uptonbooks/index.htm *
* Upton Books *
* *
* www.angelfire.com/tx/recoveredmemories/ *
* Locate books about FMS *
* Recovered Memory Bookstore *
* *
* www.religioustolerance.org/sra.htm *
* Information about Satanic Ritual Abuse *
* *
* www.angryparents.net *
* Parents Against Cruel Therapy *
* *
* www.geocities.com/newcosanz *
* New Zealand FMS Group *
* *
* www.werkgroepwfh.nl *
* Netherlands FMS Group *
* *
* www.falseallegation.org *
* National Child Abuse Defense & Resource Center *
* *
* www.nasw.org/users/markp *
* Excerpts from Victims of Memory. *
* *
* www.rickross.com/groups/fsm.html *
* Ross Institute *
* *
* www.hopkinsmedicine.org/jhhpsychiatry/perspec1.htm *
* Perspectives for Psychiatry by Paul McHugh *
* *
* www.enigma.se/info/FFI.htm *
* FMS in Scandinavia - Janet Hagbom *
* *
* www.ncrj.org *
* National Center for Reason & Justice *
* *
* www.lyingspirits.com *
* Skeptical Information on Theophostic Counseling *
* *
* www.ChildrenInTherapy.org/. *
* Information about Attachment Therapy *
* *
* www.traumaversterking.nl *
* English language web site of Dutch retractor. *
* *
* www.quackwatch.org *
* This site is run by Stephen Barrett, M.D. *
* *
* www.stopbadtherapy.org *
* Contains information about filing complaints *
* *
* www.FMSFonline.org *
* False Memory Syndrome Foundation *
* *
* LEGAL WEBSITES OF INTEREST *
* www.caseassist.com *
* www.findlaw.com *
* www.legalengine.com *
* www.accused.com *
* www.abuse-excuse.com *
* *
**********************************************************************
* ELIZABETH LOFTUS *
* we www.seweb.uci.edu/faculty/loftus/ *
**********************************************************************
* *
* The Rutherford Family Speaks to FMS Families *
* *
* The video made by the Rutherford family is the most popular video *
* of FMSF families. It covers the complete story from accusation, to *
* retraction and reconciliation. Family members describe the things *
* they did to cope and to help reunite. Of particular interest are *
* Beth Rutherford's comments about what her family did that helped *
* her to retract and return. *
* Available in DVD format only: *
* To order send request to *
* FMSF Video, 1955 Locust St. *
* Philadelphia, PA 19103 *
* $10.00 per DVD; Canada add $4.00; other countries add $10.00 *
* Make checks payable to FMS Foundation *
* *
**********************************************************************
* RECOMMENDED BOOKS *
* *
* REMEMBERING TRAUMA *
* by Richard McNally *
* Harvard University Press *
* *
* SCIENCE and PSEUDOSCIENCE in CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY *
* *
* S. O. Lilienfeld, S.J. Lynn and J.M. Lohr (eds.) *
* New York: Guilford Press (2003) *
* *
* PSYCHOLOGY ASTRAY: *
* Fallacies in Studies of "Repressed Memory" and Childhood Trauma *
* by Harrison G. Pope, Jr., M.D. *
* Upton Books *
* *
* ABDUCTED *
* How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens *
* Susan A. Clancy *
* Harvard University Press, 2005 *
* *
* A very readable book recommended to all FMSF Newsletter readers. *
* Chapter 3, "Why do I have memories if it didn't happen?" will be *
* of particular interest. *
* *
* In an article in the British press about her research, Clancy *
* wrote: *
* *
* "We've all been seeing aliens for more than 50 years....Preparing *
* this article, I showed 25 people a picture of an alien and Tony *
* Blair: all recognized an alien, fewer than half recognized Tony *
* Blair." *
* *
* "The trick to creating false memories is to get confused between *
* things you imagined, or read, or saw, and things that actually *
* happened." *
* *
* "For almost all abductees, the seed of their belief is a *
* question.... Why did I wake up in the middle of the night *
* terrified and unable to move?' 'Why are these odd moles on my *
* back?' 'Why do I feel so alone?' 'Why am I different from everyone *
* else?' 'Why are my relationships so bad?' Questions generally lead *
* to a search for answers...and our search is limited to the set of *
* explanations we have actually heard of." *
* *
* "For better or worse, being abducted by aliens has become a *
* culturally available explanation for distress-whether that *
* distress comes from work, relationships or insecurity." *
* *
* "Many of us have strong emotional needs that have little to do *
* with science-the need to feel less alone in the world, the desire *
* to be special, the longing to know that there is something out *
* there, something bigger and more important than you watching over *
* you." *
* October 22, 2005, The Express, p. 45 *
**********************************************************************
_____________________________________
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
Jocelyn 530-570-1862
San Francisco & North Bay
Charles 415-984-6626 (am); 415-435-9618 (pm)
San Francisco & South Bay
Eric 408-738-0469
East Bay Area
Judy 925-952-4853
Central Coast
Carole 805-967-8058
Palm Desert
Eileen and Jerry 909-659-9636
Central Orange County - 1st Fri. (MO) @ 7pm
Chris & Alan 949-733-2925
Covina Area
Floyd & Libby 626-357-2750
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 727-856-7091
GEORGIA
Atlanta
Wallie & Jill 770-971-8917
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
LOUISIANA
Sarah 337-235-7656
MAINE
Rumford
Carolyn 207-364-8891
Portland
Wally & Boby 207-878-9812
MASSACHUSETTS/NEW ENGLAND
Andover - 2nd Sun. (MO) @ 1pm
Frank 978-263-9795
MICHIGAN
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 - Quarterly, 4th Sat. of
Jan., Apr., Jul., Oct. @12:30pm
Tom 417-753-4878
Roxie 417-781-2058
MONTANA
Lee & Avone 406-443-3189
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Jean 603-772-2269
Mark 802-872-0847
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
Westchester, Rockland, etc.
Barbara 914-922-1737
Upstate/Albany Area
Elaine 518-399-5749
NORTH CAROLINA
Susan 704-538-7202
OHIO
Cleveland
Bob & Carole 440-356-4544
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma City
Dee 405-942-0531
Tulsa
Jim 918-582-7363
OREGON
Portland area
Kathy 503-655-1587
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 915-595-3945
UTAH
Keith 801-467-0669
VERMONT
Mark 802-872-0847
VIRGINIA
Sue 703-273-2343
WASHINGTON
Kathy 503-557-7118
WISCONSIN
Katie & Leo 414-476-0285 or
Susanne & John 608-427-3686
WYOMING
Alan & Lorinda 307-322-4170
_____________
INTERNATIONAL
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Vancouver & Mainland
Lloyd 250-741-8941
Victoria & Vancouver Island
John 250-721-3219
MANITOBA
Roma 204-275-5723
ONTARIO, CANADA
London
Adriaan 519-471-6338
Ottawa
Eileen 613-836-3294
Burlington
Ken & Marina 905-637-6030
Waubaushene
Paula 705-543-0318
QUEBEC, CANADA
Chertsey
Mavis 450-882-1480
AUSTRALIA
Evelyn
everei@adam.com.au
BELGIUM
werkgr.fict.herinneringen@altavista.net
ISRAEL
FMS ASSOCIATION fax 972-2-625-9282
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 July/August Newsletter is June 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, May 1, 2006
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., (deceased) 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., (deceased) 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., (deceased) 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., (deceased) 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., {deceased) 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
**********************************************************************
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