Peter
Ellis Org : Seeking Justice for Peter Ellis
The
Books Ç return to index
O - Authors
Ofshe, Richard; Watters, Ethan Making Monsters,
Ofshe, Richard;
Watters, Ethan
Making Monsters, 1994
False memories, psychotherapy, and sexual hysteria
Reviews
Synopsis
In the last decade, reports of incest have exploded into the natural
consciousness. Americans, primarily women, have come forward with graphic
memories of childhood abuse. Making Monsters examines the methods of therapists
who treat patients for depression by working to draw out memories or, with the
use of hypnosis, to encourage the fantasies of childhood abuse which patients
are told they have repressed.
Gabrielle St.
An Unscientific Polemic
This book is based on anecdotal evidence, and ignores completely the scientific
evidence that traumatic events can be forgotten, only to be remembered years
later. The author is a founding member of the "False Memory Syndrome
Foundation". There is no scientific evidence whatsoever for "false
memory syndrome"... in fact, there is not even a scientific *definition*
of this "syndrome". Please balance your reading with scientific
literature on memory and abuse, such as those by Kenneth S. Pope or Jennifer
Freyd.
A reader,
STRONG case against Memory Repression
My review can't do this book justice. You'd do best to simply buy it and read
Ofshe/Watter's case for yourself. This book is not an attack on the terrible
crime of sexual abuse, but on the methodology used to verify the accuracy of
SOME of these claims -- generally, those resulting from repressed memory
restoration.
The authors offer actual evidence to show how: 1. Even normal memories are
highly unreliable and malleable. 2. Therapists lead the patient, imposing their
own sexual abuse storyline over the patient's feelings and experiences. 3.
There is no proven mechanism by how, specifically, sexual abuse trauma would be
forgotten -- and not even leave a gap! -- while other extreme trauma (including
violence) would be remembered. 4. Many therapists have no concrete evidence for
the veracity of their claims, and leaders in the movement actively ignore
evidence contrary to their "theories" and therapies. ("If I had
to wait for science to catch up, there'd be no way I could practice this!"
asserts one movement leader.) 5. Many people who go through this therapy are in
worse shape than they were before therapy.
This book is not speculative. Instead, it deals concretely with the claims of
memory restoration therapists, evaluates their methodology and mindset and
therepeutic practices, and gives credit where it is due, if necessary. Ofshe
and Watters have come to see much of this sort of therapy as destructive and
dishonest, rather than as validated through standard scientific practice --
possibly a response to the social devaluation of women.
Note again that the authors' point is not to dis-empower women who have been
honestly victimized. They want to empower women to not be victimized by
egotistical (albeit sometimes well-meaning) therapists, and help them find
solutions for their real problems, rather than these sometimes fabricated ones.
These authors have opened the dialogue on this brand of pseudo-therapy. The
strength of their case will be shown or disproved as proponents of memory
restoration therapy counter their evidence (if they can). They've certainly
laid out an objective and documented argument, in any case.