STATEMENTS BY PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ON RMT

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RECOVERED MEMORY THERAPY (RMT)

STATEMENTS BY PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: BEFORE 1997

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Statements after 1996 are recorded elsewhere

We are unaware of any professional psychiatric, psychological or medical organizations which have endorsed the reliability and accuracy of all or most recovered memories. Many have urged caution in their interpretation. Early statements on recovered memory therapy tended to be rather cautious; they indicate that recovered memories may or may not be true. However, later reports appear to lean more towards dismissal of RMT as a dangerous and essentially useless technique. For example, the 1997-JUL report of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in particular seems to go well beyond the cautionary notes of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation.

It is our hope that some of the professional groups that made early statements on RMT will revisit the topic and update their recommendations so that the public can be warned of the hazards of this risky therapeutic method.

The following statements are arranged in chronological order:

1993:

The American Medical Association stated in 1993, that recovered memories are "of uncertain authenticity which should be subject to external verification. The use of recovered memories is fraught with problems of potential misapplication." ₁

The American Psychiatric Association stated in 1993 that it is impossible to distinguish accurately between true and false memories. ₂ They stated "Memories also can be significantly influenced by a trusted person (e.g., therapist, parent involved in a custody dispute) who suggests abuse as an explanation for symptoms/problems, despite initial lack of memory of such abuse." In addition, they stated "While aspects of the alleged abuse situation, as well as the context in which the memories emerge, can contribute to the assessment, there is no completely accurate way of determining the validity of reports in the absence of corroborating information." This statement has since been replaced.

1994:

The report of the Council on Scientific Affairs of the AMA concluded and recommended on 1994-JUN-16: "1. That the AMA recognize that few cases in which adults make accusations of childhood sexual abuse based on recovered memories can be proved or disproved and it is not yet known how to distinguish true memories from imagined events in these cases."

The Australian Psychological Society Ltd. stated in its Guidelines Relating to the Reporting of Recovered Memories on 1994-OCT-1: "Given that the accuracy of memories cannot be determined without corroboration, psychologists should use caution in responding to questions from clients about pursuing legal action." They also cautioned: "The available scientific and clinical evidence does not allow accurate, inaccurate and fabricated memories to be distinguished in the absence of independent corroboration."

The American Medical Association revisited the topic in 1994, and stated: "It is well established for example that a trusted person such as a therapist can influence an individual's reports, which would include memories of abuse....The AMA considers the technique of 'memory enhancement' in the area of childhood sexual abuse to be fraught with problems of potential misapplication."

The American Psychological Association created an APA Working Group On Investigation of Memories of Childhood Abuse to investigate recovered/repressed memories. It was composed of 3 memory researchers and 3 clinicians (including 2 who practice recovered memory therapy). They concluded in a 1994 interim report:

	Most people who were sexually abused as children remember all or part of what happened to them.
	However, it is possible for memories of abuse that have been forgotten for a long time to be remembered. The mechanism(s) by which such delayed recall occur(s) is/are not currently well understood.
	It is also possible to construct convincing pseudo memories for events that never occurred. The mechanism(s) by which these pseudo memories occur(s) is/are not currently well understood.

The APA Board of Directors enlarged upon the Working Group's interim statement by stating:

	"There is no single set of symptoms which automatically means that a person was a victim of childhood abuse."
	Therapists must take a neutral position on childhood abuse memories.
	The public should beware of a therapist who diagnoses childhood abuse at the start of therapy in the absence of evidence and memories
	Beware of therapists who "dismiss claims .... of sexual abuse without exploration."
	Select a licensed practitioner with "with training and experience"

The British Psychological Society has issued a booklet "Recovered Memories" which mentions:

	Complete or partial memory loss of childhood sexual abuse is frequently reported
	Recovery of such memories is frequently reported
	All adult memories of childhood events may contain errors
	"Sustained pressure" by a therapist could lead to recovery of "memories of events that never actually happened."
	People no longer debate whether therapy-induced false memories and recovery of memories from total amnesia actually occur. Debate is currently directed at how often they occur. ₃

1995:

	The Michigan Psychological Association approved a Position Paper titled "Recovered memories of sexual abuse". It was adopted by the Executive Council on 1995-MAY-17; it reads in part: "In summary, given the meager and conflicting scientific data regarding the validity of reported recovered memory of sexual abuse, the Michigan Psychological Association at this time does not support the modification of any existing statutes of limitations in respect to civil and criminal complaints stemming from such reported recovered memory. Given the nature of the scientific evidence to date, there is substantial potential for harm in treating claims of recovered memories of sexual abuse presumptively valid. We must await the accumulation of pertinent and scientifically valid research on this issue before recommending the routine or uncritical acceptance of recovered memory in the absence of corroborative evidence."
	Mel Sabshin, MD, the Medical Director of the American Psychological Association condemned "past life therapy" as quackery: "The American Psychiatric Association believes that past life regression therapy is pure quackery. As in other areas of medicine, psychiatric diagnosis and treatment today is based on objective scientific evidence. There is no accepted scientific evidence to support the existence of past lives let alone the validity of past life regression therapy.", quoted in the Chicago Tribune 1995-JUN-21.
	The American Psychological Association prepared a brochure in 1995 titled "Questions and Answers about Memories of Childhood Abuse". ₄ They report that some clinicians believe that repression and recover memories of traumatic childhood events is possible. But they also say that "Many researchers argue, however, that there is little or no empirical support for such a theory." The APA states that recovered memories are possible, but rare. They state: "there is a consensus among memory researchers and clinicians that most people who were sexually abused as children remember all or part of what happened to them."

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1996:

The American Psychological Association's "Working Group On Investigation of Memories of Childhood Abuse" issued an a final report on 1996-FEB-14. ₅As expected, the committee was deeply split. They were able to agree that:

Controversies regarding adult recollections should not be allowed to obscure the fact that child sexual abuse is a complex and pervasive problem in America that has historically gone unacknowledged.
Most people who were sexually abused as children remember all or part of what happened to them.
It is possible for memories of abuse that have been forgotten for a long time to be remembered.
It is also possible to construct convincing pseudo memories for events that never occurred.
There are gaps in our knowledge about the processes that lead to accurate and inaccurate recollections of childhood abuse.

In the body of the report, the committee recommends that the therapist avoid endorsing "retrievals" (i.e. recovered memories of trauma) "as either clearly truthful or clearly confabulated. Instead, the focus should be on aiding the client in developing his or her own sense of what is real and truthful. Clients can be encouraged to search for information that would add to their ability to find themselves credible..., and to carefully weigh the evidence..."

The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Ad Hoc Committee on Adult Delayed Recall states that "solid scientific evidence demonstrates that in the absence of third-party corroboration, there is no reliable way to tell real memory from the product of suggestion." They recommend against the use of hypnotism and other suggestive techniques because of the ease with which elaborate, believable but false memories can be implanted.

The Canadian Psychiatric Association approved a position paper to its members in 1996-MAR-25. ₆ The report included the following statements concerning the reliability of recovered memories:

	"Developmental psychology casts doubt upon the reliability of recovered memories from early childhood" This presumably refers to people who believe that they remember events that occurred before the age of, say, 36 months
	"Reports of recovered memories of recovered memories from early childhood may be true, but great caution should be exercised before acceptance in the absence of solid corroboration."
	"The controversy over recovered memory has been compounded by certain therapists who use a list of symptoms that are said to indicate the likelihood of individuals having been abused. Common symptoms such as depression, anxiety, anorexia or overeating, poorly explained pains, and other bodily complaints have all been used as proof of alleged sexual abuse. There is no support for such propositions."
	"Increases in self-injury and suicide attempts have been reported in some patients given recovered-memory treatment".
	"Psychiatrists should take particular care, however, to avoid inappropriate use of leading questions, hypnosis, narcoanalysis, or other memory enhancement techniques directed at the production of hypothesized hidden or lost material."

They also commented on the widespread disruption to families when recovered memories lead to false accusations of childhood sexual abuse. They warn of therapists being sued for malpractice.

The Canadian Psychological Association issued a report in late 1996. They mentioned:

	"...there is serious concern that some professionals may unintentionally create false memories of childhood abuse and thus cause harm to both clients and families. "
	"...it is important for psychologists to retain a balance in which they recognize that the objective reality of memories of [childhood sexual] abuse may vary considerably.
	"...there is no constellation of symptoms which is diagnostic of child sexual abuse." ₇

The Royal College of Psychiatrists in England created a Working Group on Reported Recovered Memories of Child Sexual Abuse". They issued their report in 1996-SUMMER.

An article, "Recommendations for Good Practice," was published in their association's journal Psychiatric Bulletin on 1997-OCT-1. ₈ According to an article in the newspaper The Mail some passages from the article are:

	"We can find no evidence that apparent memories of long forgotten and repeated child abuse have ever been proven to be true.
	"It is frequently observed that patients dream to fit the theoretical model of their therapist. Since dreams contain a residue of the day's events, it is at least plausible to assume that, if the day is spent in an attempt to prove or disprove sexual abuse, one's dreams may come to reflect that preoccupation."
	"There is a good deal of evidence that patients will produce the material the therapist seeks, but it is often a product of fantasy."
	"Some memories are so incredible that most clinicians would regard them as false."
	"We must conclude that, like abduction by space travelers, accounts of satanic abuse are false."
	"There is evidence that memory enhancement techniques are powerful and dangerous methods of persuasion."
	"Some therapists suggest that sexual abuse has occurred and that memories must be recovered for treatment to be effective."
	"Many of the memories relate to events in the early years which is incompatible with present knowledge of infantile amnesia."
	"The damage done to families is immense."
	"Where an individual's apparent improvement is based upon a false belief which has distorted relationships with the family there seems a serious possibility for further mental distress."
	"Psychiatrists are advised to avoid engaging in any 'memory recovery techniques' which are based on the expectation of past sexual abuse of which the patient has no memory...There is no evidence that the use of consciousness-altering techniques, such as drug-meditated interviews or hypnosis, can reveal or accurately elaborate factual information about any past experiences including childhood sexual abuse. Techniques of regression therapy, including 'age regression' and hypnotic regression are of unproven effectiveness."

The report itself, "Recovered Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Implications for Clinical Practice," was suppressed because of its explosive nature. A copy was obtained by The Guardian, a British newspaper in 1998-JAN. ₉ A revised version was peer-reviewed by an independent group and was scheduled to be published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 1998-APR. The original report states:

	these "dangerous and powerful tools for persuasion" have created hundreds of false allegations of sexual abuse against parents. This has destroyed many families and has undermined the credibility of genuine survivors of child sexual abuse. Recovered memory clients are more likely to be suicidal and engage in self-mutilation.
	Psychiatrists are urged to search through their notes and to contact patients who had recovered memories and had believed them to be accurate accounts of real events
	People do not repress memories of abuse; their main problem is that they cannot forget. "Despite widespread clinical and popular belief that memories can be 'blocked out' by the mind, no empirical evidence exists to support either repression or dissociation...No evidence exists for the repression and recovery of verified, severely traumatic events..."
	False memories of abuse are often dated to infancy - often much earlier than genuine memories of abuse are remembered
	"The very inability to recall abuse is taken as a sign that abuse has occurred but is being 'denied' through the process of repression. The therapist and patient embark together upon the process of recovering hidden memories."
	Psychiatrists are criticized for using checklists as a means for assessing the likelihood of a patient having been sexually abused. Often, these checklists are so general that they would indicated that most of the population were survivors of abuse.
	Drugs during therapy "produce material which is often a product of fantasy."
	Hypnosis "increases the confidence with which the memory is held, while reducing its reliability."
	Age regression results in accounts "at times so fantastic that they are beyond belief, and there is no evidence of [its] efficacy."
	Dream interpretations "usually reflect the training and personal convictions of the therapist."

Statements after 1996 are recorded elsewhere

References:

AMA Wary of Using 'Memory Enhancement'; AMA, Report of the Council (1993)
Statement on Memories, American Psychiatric Association (1993)
Recovered Memories, British Psychological Society, (#163 10), available from: The British Psychological Society, St. Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester, LE1 7DR, Great Britain.
"Questions and Answers about Memories of Childhood Abuse," Brochure by the American Psychological Association, http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/mem.html
The final report of the American Psychological Association's "Working Group on Investigation of Memories of Childhood Abuse", issued on 1996-FEB-14. Available from Paul Donnelly at the APA at 202 336-6055. Email: pzd.apa@email.apa.org
Canadian Psychiatric Association report of 1996. It was reprinted in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol 41, No 5, P. 305-306, "Adult Recovered Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse" See: http://cpa.medical.org/cpa/public2/papers/
Sharon Crozier & Jean Pettifor, "Guidelines for Psychologists Addressing Recovered Memories,", Canadian Psychological Association, 1996-AUG
"Reported Recovered Memories of Child Sexual Abuse," British Royal College of Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Bulletin, (1997), 21, Pages 663-665, 1997-OCT-1.
Article: "Psychiatrists Slam 'Repressed' Memory," The Guardian. Reprinted in the Globe and Mail, Toronto ON, 1998-JAN-13, Page A2.

Copyright 1996 to 2001 incl., by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
Latest update: 2001-NOV-5
Prepared by: B.A. Robinson

RECOVERED MEMORY THERAPY (RMT)

STATEMENTS BY PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: BEFORE 1997

Statements after 1996 are recorded elsewhere

1993:

1994:

1995:

This essay continues below.

1996:

Statements after 1996 are recorded elsewhere

References:

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