The Debate Over Repressed and Recovered Memories

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsForgotten TraumaHow Memory WorksDebate Over Memories

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Forgotten Trauma

How Memory Works

Debate Over Memories

There is still a fairly heated controversy in the field ofpsychologyabout whether or not repressed memories can or should be recovered, as well as whether or not they are accurate. The clearest divide appears to be between mental health practitioners and researchers.

In one study, clinicians had a much greater tendency to believe that people repress memories that can be recovered in therapy than the researchers did. The general public, too, has a belief in repressed memory. Clearly, more research is needed in the area of memory.

Trauma Can Be Forgotten

Most people remember the bad things that happen to them, but sometimes extreme trauma is forgotten. Scientists are studying this, and we are beginning to understand how this occurs.

When this forgetting becomes extreme, a dissociative disorder sometimes develops, such as dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, depersonalization disorder, anddissociative identity disorder.These disorders and their relationship to trauma are still being studied.

Childhood Trauma and Dissociation

Memoryis not like a tape recorder. The brain processes information and stores it in different ways. Most of us have had some mildly traumatic experiences, and these experiences sometimes seem to be burned into our brains with a high degree of detail.

Scientists are studying the relationship between twoparts of the brain, the amygdala and thehippocampus, to understand why this is. Here’s what we know at this time:

Debate Over Recovered Memories

Some therapists do seem to have persuaded patients that their symptoms were due to abuse when they did not know this to be true. This was never considered good therapeutic practice, and most therapists are careful not to suggest a cause for a symptom unless the patient reports the cause.

There is some research suggesting that false memories for mild trauma can be created in the laboratory. In one study, suggestions were made that children had been lost in a shopping mall. Many of the children later came to believe that this was a real memory. It is important to note that it is not ethical to suggest memories of severe trauma in a laboratory setting.

False Memories and the Misinformation Effect

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Patihis L, Ho LY, Tingen IW, Lilienfeld SO, Loftus EF.Are the “memory wars” over? A scientist-practitioner gap in beliefs about repressed memory.Psychol Sci. 2014;25(2):519–530. doi:10.1177/0956797613510718National Alliance on Mental Illness.Dissociative disorders.van Marle H.PTSD as a memory disorder.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27633. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27633Davis RL, Zhong Y.The biology of forgetting: A perspective.Neuron. 2017;95(3):490–503. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2017.05.039Radulovic J, Lee R, Ortony A.State-dependent memory: Neurobiological advances and prospects for translation to dissociative amnesia.Front Behav Neurosci. 2018;12:259. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00259Strange D, Takarangi MK.False memories for missing aspects of traumatic events.Acta Psychol (Amst). 2012;141(3):322–326. doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2012.08.005Brewin CR.Memory and forgetting.Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2018;20(10):87. doi:10.1007/s11920-018-0950-7Crook LS, McEwen LE.Deconstructing the lost in the mall study.J Child Custody. 2019;16(1):719, doi:10.1080/15379418.2019.1601603Additional ReadingAPS.Scientists and Practitioners Don’t See Eye to Eye on Repressed Memory.International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.Dissociation FAQs.

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Patihis L, Ho LY, Tingen IW, Lilienfeld SO, Loftus EF.Are the “memory wars” over? A scientist-practitioner gap in beliefs about repressed memory.Psychol Sci. 2014;25(2):519–530. doi:10.1177/0956797613510718National Alliance on Mental Illness.Dissociative disorders.van Marle H.PTSD as a memory disorder.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27633. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27633Davis RL, Zhong Y.The biology of forgetting: A perspective.Neuron. 2017;95(3):490–503. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2017.05.039Radulovic J, Lee R, Ortony A.State-dependent memory: Neurobiological advances and prospects for translation to dissociative amnesia.Front Behav Neurosci. 2018;12:259. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00259Strange D, Takarangi MK.False memories for missing aspects of traumatic events.Acta Psychol (Amst). 2012;141(3):322–326. doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2012.08.005Brewin CR.Memory and forgetting.Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2018;20(10):87. doi:10.1007/s11920-018-0950-7Crook LS, McEwen LE.Deconstructing the lost in the mall study.J Child Custody. 2019;16(1):719, doi:10.1080/15379418.2019.1601603Additional ReadingAPS.Scientists and Practitioners Don’t See Eye to Eye on Repressed Memory.International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.Dissociation FAQs.

Patihis L, Ho LY, Tingen IW, Lilienfeld SO, Loftus EF.Are the “memory wars” over? A scientist-practitioner gap in beliefs about repressed memory.Psychol Sci. 2014;25(2):519–530. doi:10.1177/0956797613510718National Alliance on Mental Illness.Dissociative disorders.van Marle H.PTSD as a memory disorder.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27633. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27633Davis RL, Zhong Y.The biology of forgetting: A perspective.Neuron. 2017;95(3):490–503. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2017.05.039Radulovic J, Lee R, Ortony A.State-dependent memory: Neurobiological advances and prospects for translation to dissociative amnesia.Front Behav Neurosci. 2018;12:259. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00259Strange D, Takarangi MK.False memories for missing aspects of traumatic events.Acta Psychol (Amst). 2012;141(3):322–326. doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2012.08.005Brewin CR.Memory and forgetting.Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2018;20(10):87. doi:10.1007/s11920-018-0950-7Crook LS, McEwen LE.Deconstructing the lost in the mall study.J Child Custody. 2019;16(1):719, doi:10.1080/15379418.2019.1601603

National Alliance on Mental Illness.Dissociative disorders.

van Marle H.PTSD as a memory disorder.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27633. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27633

Davis RL, Zhong Y.The biology of forgetting: A perspective.Neuron. 2017;95(3):490–503. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2017.05.039

Radulovic J, Lee R, Ortony A.State-dependent memory: Neurobiological advances and prospects for translation to dissociative amnesia.Front Behav Neurosci. 2018;12:259. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00259

Strange D, Takarangi MK.False memories for missing aspects of traumatic events.Acta Psychol (Amst). 2012;141(3):322–326. doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2012.08.005

Brewin CR.Memory and forgetting.Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2018;20(10):87. doi:10.1007/s11920-018-0950-7

Crook LS, McEwen LE.Deconstructing the lost in the mall study.J Child Custody. 2019;16(1):719, doi:10.1080/15379418.2019.1601603

APS.Scientists and Practitioners Don’t See Eye to Eye on Repressed Memory.International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.Dissociation FAQs.

APS.Scientists and Practitioners Don’t See Eye to Eye on Repressed Memory.

International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.Dissociation FAQs.

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Trauma Can Be Forgotten#

Debate Over Recovered Memories#

Trauma Can Be Forgotten

Debate Over Recovered Memories