Sexual Abuse Reading Centre

Questions About Repressed Memory

What is repressed memory?
Repression is the main defense used by victims of childhood abuse.¹ When a person experiences something that frightens them, or that they don't want to remember, they may subconsciously force the memory of it from their minds and may not be able to remember the experience.² Repression of memories is most common in cases of violent or incestuous sexual abuse,3 or in abuse cases with younger victims.²

Do most people who were abused as children repress the abuse?
Studies suggest that it is common to repress memories of childhood sexual abuse. A large proportion of those sexually abused in childhood have had periods when they did not remember the abuse, and a large proportion of women who were sexually abused in childhood have no recall of the abuse, according to research studies.¹ Many women, however, never repress the abuse and do have memories of it.

What makes repressed memories surface later in life?
Many people enter therapy for problems other than the abuse, such as depression or self-esteem problems. While addressing these problems, awareness of the repressed memories returns. Repressed memories can also surface spontaneously in response to "triggers." For example, certain physical sensations, emotional feelings, or watching a television program about abuse may remind the victim of the abuse and cause them to remember repressed memories. Significant life events such as giving birth, the death of the offender, or having a child reach the age of the ones' own abuse may all trigger memories.

Do repressed memories come to recollection all at once?
No. When repressed memories surface, they often surface in bits and pieces, or in "flashes," rather than having the complete memories surface in their entirety.

Why is there such current public concern about repressed memory?
Some people believe that repression of memories does not exist, and that memories of alleged child abuse that surface later in a person's life must be fabricated. They also believe that suggestions made by therapists can lead a person to believe that he/she has been abused in childhood and has forgotten the abuse for several years, when in fact no abuse has taken place. They allege that people are being falsely accused of child abuse, many years after the alleged abuse has happened.

How often are these memories false?
So-called "false" memories of child abuse is a phenomena that has yet to be verified.⁴ There is no data to support claims that there is a national epidemic of false memories surfacing, except anecdotal, second-and third-hand stories.⁵

Is it possible that suggestions made by therapists can create false memories in the patient?
The few studies that suggest that false memories can be implanted in people examine only generic, non-traumatic memories with which most people could identify. It has not been proven that a traumatic memory, such as a memory of sexual abuse and the emotional effects of that trauma, can be created in a person's mind merely by suggestion.⁴

If there is no evidence that repressed memories of abuse are false, why are we questioning the victims?
Throughout history, our society has denied the reality of sexual abuse and incest by labeling its victims as crazy or as liars. Some are still attempting to continue this trend in the face of growing awareness of sexual abuse, making it more difficult for victims to find justice.

Article written by Beth Lovejoy, published by Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, used with permission

References

1 Williams, L.M. (1994). Recall of Childhood Trauma: A Prospective Study of Women's Memories of Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

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