They experienced one or more emotional problems, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, relationship problems, eating disorders, etc.

They selected a psychologist, psychiatrist or other therapist who used RMT techniques.

The therapist would often use a checklist of symptoms which allegedly indicated that the client had been the victim of serious abuse of which the memories had been repressed. None of these checklists had ever been verified in a study. They were so generally worded that almost every client would get sufficient points to indicate that they had been victimized in the past.

The focus of the therapy was on recovering abuse memories which the therapist believed had been repressed. Little or no effort was made to treat the client's presenting problems.

As a result of hypnosis, guided imagery, relaxation exercises, dream analysis, or merely imagining what might have happened to them, the therapist's beliefs were transferred to the client without either being aware of the process.

If the therapists believed in widespread sexual abuse of children, the client grew to believe it as well. If the therapist believed that society was rife with inter-generational, underground, cult members who practiced Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA), the client gradually accepted SRA as a serious social problem. So too with therapists who believed in abuse onboard UFOs, or abuse in former lifetimes.

More therapy led to a conviction by the patient that they had themselves suffered sexual abuse (or SRA, or UFO abuse, or abuse in a former lifetime) and had repressed the memories.

The therapist might recommend that the client read a book on recovered memories. "The Courage to Heal" is by far the most popular book in this genre.

The client might be encouraged to join a self-help, mutual support group of clients who are at various stages in their "memory" recovery.

The client is urged to look upon their childhood years negatively.

Gradually, fragmentary images of abuse formed in their mind. These gradually coalesced into images that appeared indistinguishable from actual memories. Their emotional state degenerated.

In most cases, the abuse "memories" showed that their father was the perpetrator, perhaps with the acquiescence or actual involvement of their mother.

They were urged to break all contact with their parents. The therapist recommended that the client drop any friends who were not supportive of RMT. This left the client totally dependent on the therapist and other RMT believers for emotional support.

Frequently, their siblings felt that they had to choose sides: some supported their parents; others supported the client.

Many therapists arranged for both clients and parents to meet in a joint therapy session. This would often be the first time that the parents would hear of the accusations.

Beyond this point, most of the clients followed one of three paths. They became a:

	Retractor: They recognized that their "memories" were unrelated to real events, and attempted to rejoin their family of origin.
	Returner: They attempted to rejoin their family, while still believing in the validity of their recovered abuse memories. They family agreed to not discuss the memories and accusations.
	Refuser: They continued to believe in the accuracy of their recovered memories and continued to have no contact with the alleged perpetrators.

"The positions of families on the topic of reconciliation span a continuum, and individual families may bounce back and forth with time."

Most families of origin are unanimous in their desire for reconciliation.

More families of returners and retractors:

	Had someone acting as a mediator.
	Had no legal action taken against them.
	Confronted their alleged perpetrators in a therapy session.

More refusers:

	Had some family members supporting their position.
	Were told by their therapists to break contact with the family.
	Actually had no contact with their family.
	Had their alleged abuse known to the pubic.

The mean age of the client at the time they made their first accusation was 32 years.

The mean age of the earliest alleged abuse was four. Thus, much of the abuse allegedly happened during the time of childhood amnesia, at a time when most experts believe memories are impossible for an infant or young child to retain. ₂