Has anyone here had any experiences with False and/or Repressed Memories? How does one determine if repressed memories are not just false memories based upon an over active imagination or thoughts injected by a well meaning but over zealous T? Have you ever had so-called repressed memories surface, then believe them and later feel like they weren't true? This issue plagues me a lot. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Go to jimhopper.com there is a lot of info there.

Mostly the idea of "false memory syndrome" is a concoction of the insurance industry.

Thank you. I checked it out and it is huge. It will take me a long time to get through this all, but I appreciate the info.

I know what I remembered was real. What I question sometimes if is I every truly repressed or forgot it. But it seems like that is what happened.

Thank you. It is great to hear from someone who has experienced this. I appreciate your thoughts.

LW

That opinion is my own by the way not something I got from reading anyone's research. I come to it from experience of watching things play out and knowing the truth.

Here is my take on it;

It's like losing your keys. You eventually find them sometimes a long way down the road, Maybe so long you don't remember losing them, or you don't remmeber how they got where they are but the keys are still keys. They aren't "false" keys.

Very good thought and perspective on this. I guess with my last therapist,I felt like he would go too deep into my mind. He did this sort of relaxed visualization, almost hynotic, but not quite,although sometimes I wouldn't remember anything when he was through. He would talk to me in this relaxed state and then I would tell him stories about me and things I did that I didn't remember. Most of the time I would remember telling him the stories, but I never remembered these stories actually happening directly to me. I wonder if he could have made suggestions that my mind took over and came up with these stories. These stories were very disturbing to me and still are.

I've never had an experience like that. It sounds to me very likely that you were influenced.

My memeories which have come to me on their own after being traumatized/triggered and unable to get therapy for it. It took over a year of great suffering, for the memories to start coming up. I see now that this year of suffering was triggered pain. It was the deep humiliation and feeling abandoned that I had been made to foeget the source of by ECT. I had always thought it my personal defect whenever I felt that way before.

I personally think that any returning memories happen on their own with or without a therapist. I don't see any decent therapist asking you to forget anything done under hypnosis or even asking you to be dissociative of what is being dug up.
I don't think things can be dug up. In my view you talk about what you do remember and try to gain access to whatever information is available. If there is anything ready to come up it will. Otherwise you must go on as if there is no more.
Of course if you know there is more, but cannot access the details of it for lack of facts of the situation then.. Well I'm pursueing those facts myself.

When I know the surrounding facts of anything I was present for I can recall it.
I would never allow a T to work on my memory I'd look for him to help me cope. Yet I know how deeply the desire to recall it all so you can process away the pain and damage it has left behind can be. It won't go away no matter how much you try to move on.

LW

When I was remembering stuff from my childhood, I sometimes wondered whether I had made up something or if it was a genuine memory.

I came up with a few tests as to how to determine if they are real. I think they worked for me. A real memory is not ephemeral (pardon me for using a 2-bit word). That means that it almost has a life of it's own. Let me explain. It is not like vapor which seems to just disperse on it's own but is persistent. It will still be there a week later with the same force and details.

A real memory will fit in with the details of other things that you remember. In talking about memories to a T or another responsible person they will be better able to tell if it is real than you are. They will watch for cues such as details and corroborative information.

But the real thing I want to say to you is that I remember some of what you told a few years ago about what you experienced. I don't want to be the one to reveal these things so I won't be specific. BUT I found similar memories in a book I was examining in Amazon dot com. I examined several books and so far I haven't been able to locate which one tells the same details that you reported. But the fact that someone else reported almost the same stuff as you did leads me to think that the author of that book and you went through the same stuff. Please forgive me for not remembering what the name of the book is. I think it will come to me and then I will report it to you immediately. But for now I wanted to tell you that much. Yes there was some weird stuff but it was almost identical to what you reported. (so you could say, how could you remember those details and not remember the title of book? duh? I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy). I'll try to come up with the name and author of the book for you.

Allen

pufferfish

When I was safe safe safe
The memories started to unfold-I had no wish or desire or idea untilthey spilled out and all the pieces started to come together-random snapshots from years gone by-all part ofthe same story that finally got told.

I had already worked through a lot of the issues stemming from my csa-so I had nothing to blame-I trust my body and my feelings.

I now see more isuesmclearly in my life such as my fear of confrontation, of other men, and of being raped. Why would I make this up? I'm 45, sober, sexually sane, financially secure, have a great wife and two beautiful daughters-and going through recovery the past fifteen months from csa has threatened everything-but also made me stronger.

Inam struggling with facing the darker part of me that has hurt people in A misdirected attempt to lash out and have power over others.

These are great responses. I don't remember reading a book that would have influenced my memories. I remember reading several books, but I deliberately didn't read many personal accounts, only the clinical parts because I was worried I would be influenced. I wonder now if I doubt certain things because I don't remember them or because they are too awful to want to remember or I don't want to accuse any one either. I guess I should forget it, but it's hard to move on if I am living a lie and believing things that really didn't happen. I'm going to read all the advice given and really think about this. Thank you!

Puffer - Are you suggesting that I read a book and then made them into my own memories? At this point, I wouldn't doubt anything. I tried not to do that, but even just skimming over stuff I might have done that. I look back and I realize that I shouldn't have had anyone put me in that sort of discociated state of mind making me very suggestable. I'm pretty scared over this. thanks for taking the time