FMS Foundation Newsletter Vol 4 No. 10, November 1, 1995 November/December issue ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For more information, visit www.fmsfonline.org ********************************************************************** 3401 Market Street suite 130, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (215-387-1865) ********************************************************************** The FMSF Newsletter is published 10 times a year by the False Memory Syndrome Foundation. A hard-copy subscription is in- cluded in membership fees (to join, see last page). Others may subscribe by sending a check or money order, payable to FMS Foundation, to the address above. 1994 subscription rates: USA: 1 year $30, Student $10; Canada: $35 (in U.S. dollars); Foreign: $40; Foreign student $20; Single issue price: $3. ISSN #1069-0484 ********************************************************************** INSIDE: Feld Recent Articles Dawes Piper Legal Corner Make a Difference From Our Readers ********************************************************************** Dear Friends, "Why didn't you come last year? Where have you been?" seven-year old "Ann" asked her grandmother. The setting was Grandparents Visiting Day at her school. This is the kind of question grandparents whose families are reuniting from FMS are being asked. Grandparents are answering in ways that bring families closer. "Where have you been?" That is the same question that grandparents and families ask of the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association and every mental health professional in the country after the showing of the shocking Frontline documentary,"The Search for Satan" on October 24. As nothing else has yet done, this program, directed by Ofra Bikel and Rachel Dretzin, documents patient abuse and mental health fraud. "Where have you been?" "The Search for Satan" shows once and for all that recovered memory therapy (RMT) is not just something that can be blamed on "fringe" therapists or talk shows. RMT in its most extreme form -- belief in Multiple Personality Disorder allegedly caused by sexual abuse in intergenerational satanic family cults -- is at the very heart of some of the most prestigious teaching hospitals in the country, such as Rush Presbyterian in Chicago. The documentary focuses on two Chicago-area women who entered therapy for depression: Pat B's therapy cost her insurance company three million dollars, and convinced her that she was a satanic high priestess in a nine-state region; Mary S's therapy cost 2.5 million dollars, and convinced her that she was a fifth-generation cultist. Even Pat's five- and three-year old children endured several years incarcerated in Rush Presbyterian hospital for alleged cult programming and MPD. Many would consider this child abuse. "The Search for Satan" is told by Mary and Pat and their doctors and nurses. Medical records are shown. We even see a doctor's notation of "stickers" given to Pat B's child as a reward for coming up with bizarre stories. The therapy scenes show shackled women being interrogated. Further documentation comes from the public words of Bennett Braun, M.D., Roberta Sacks, Ph.D., Cory Hammond, Ph.D. and others as they spoke at meetings or on commercial training videos. Viewers hear these professionals speak about how their patients have been programmed by satanic cults to torture, murder and cannibalize. Viewers also see Bennett Braun being honored by his professional colleagues and by Gloria Steinem. Where have you been?" The information in this documentary has been available for years. The American Psychiatric Association responded to the previews of this program with a release that they have no position on satanism. Neither does the American Psychological Association. Why don't they? Major reports by the FBI, the British Government and the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect have all concluded that there is no evidence for the existence of such intergenerational satanic conspiracy cults. Families are concerned that professional organizations have sanctioned the destruction of families by remaining silent on this topic. Raymond and Shirley Souza represent those families. This couple, who are in their mid-sixties, may be separated for the first time in their forty-year marriage. They could possibly be sent to prison for nine years after a hearing on November 8. Judge Dolan, who was also the judge in the Amirault case, will preside over the hearing. Ray and Shirley were accused by a daughter of operating a satanic cult, escalating to other charges involving children. "Where are you going?" A recent past president of the American Psychological Association, a believer in the satanic cult conspiracy stories, is quoted in the October APA Monitor. He states, "A few scientists also harm the profession by publicly criticizing clinicians for relying on an evidence base that cannot yet be proved according to rigidly conceived definitions of what constitutes scientific evidence." Evidence gets to the heart of the false memory problem. If mental health professionals are willing to accept third party payments that are based on a medical/scientific model, then they should be willing to be accountable to the public on these same terms of scientific evidence. There is no scientific evidence for an intergenerational satanic cult conspiracy. There is no scientific evidence to support the use of the therapy techniques that lead patients to believe in them. The kind of abuses that have been documented at Rush-Presbyterian, and that continue elsewhere, have not occurred in a vacuum. They exist because there has been a "professional code of silence." Is there really such a code of silence among clinicians? The past president of the American Psychological Association who was mentioned above actually recommended a change for the APA ethics code so that charges could be brought against psychologists who criticize clinicians. (See page 3 of this newsletter.) We are optimistic that more professionals will end their silence now that they can see the tragedy that has resulted because of the silence. We are optimistic because this week a past president of the American Psychiatric Association came to the FMSF office to discuss ways we might work together. We are optimistic because many more professionals are speaking out on this matter, and we are pleased to include some quotations from them in this newsletter. "The Search for Satan" is another wake-up call to the profession. To date, professional organizations have been unable or unwilling to monitor their members. That can change. That must change. PAMELA ______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________ / \ | The more that one sees and reads of these cases, the harder it | | becomes to have much confidence in the psychiatric profession. If | | the Freuds of today don't step forward and put an end to the | | abuses documented in this and other Frontline programs, they are | | putting their entire profession at risk. | | | | Boston Globe, Oct. 24, Ed Siegel | \____________________________________________________________________/ ********************************************************************** NOTABLE PROFESSIONAL QUOTATIONS "The current controversy over false memory syndrome is as damaging to reputable dynamic psychotherapy as it is harmful to families and to patients. Among psychotherapists there seem to be two underlying justificatory arguments. There are those who think that to question a literal interpretation of repression poses a threat to psychotherapy per se, which must be refuted at all costs. There are others whose concern is to support abused women and who believe false memory syndrome is part of a backlash to discredit them. Caught in the midst are families whose lives have been devastated, and patients who have been misled. Regrettably the psychoanalytic world has on the whole remained reluctant to tackle this issue, although some individuals have stated unequivocally that there are no current psychanalytic theories to support either massive forgetting of traumatic experiences or their accurate recall after a prolonged period." Janet Boakes, M.D. Commentary The Lancet, Vol 346 October 21, 1995. "Psychologists recognize an obligation to use our assessment and therapeutic techniques in a way to prevent harm to our clients and to others affected by our actions." "In summary, given the meager and conflicting scientific data regarding the validity of reported recovered memory of sexual abuse, the Michigan Psychological Association at this time does not support the modification of any existing statutes of limitations in respect to civil and criminal complaints stemming from such reported recovered memory. Given the nature of the scientific evidence to date, there is substantial potential for harm in treating claims of recovered memories of sexual abuse presumptively valid. We must await the accumulation of pertinent and scientifically valid research on this issue before recommending the routine or uncritical acceptance of recovered memory in the absence of corroborative evidence." "Recovered memories of sexual abuse." Michigan Psychological Association Position Paper Adopted by Executive Council, May 17, 1995 "The mental health world doesn't understand their legal obligations. There isn't any evidence that people repress memories of trauma that is scientifically acceptable. The fact that clinical people believe that looking for such memories may be therapeutic is a clinical belief. The basic fundamental legal issue is that the patient must decide if they are willing to take the risk of engaging in a form of treatment that everyone agrees is very controversial when there are already treatments for depression and anxiety that are safe and effective and that work very well. That's the bottom-line legal issue that everyone continues to miss." Christopher Barden, Ph.D., Esq quoted in Psychiatric Times October 1995, Vol XII No 10. page 1 "...I refuse to be intimidated into not confronting the increasing troubles in our field. We are 'in it,' so to speak, deep. If you don't believe me, check recent adjudications, not to mention multimillion dollar settlements, against therapists. The trouble we need to address, which is how to serve not only our own interests but also those of our clients, does not stem solely from the efforts of our major detractors in the false memory syndrome movement; it has been lurking in our field from the beginning. There is an urgent need for therapists to become sophisticated enough to provide treatment without presupposing that clients' reports or 'memories' are in accordance with fact, and without assuming that only one (or even several) interpretation(s) can explain even the most suggestive symptoms or dreams." Nancy Hornstein, M.D. 'President's Message' ISSD News, August/September 1995 (International Society for Study of Dissociation) "Persuading adult women that their fathers were incestuous is understandably tearing families apart, thousands of which have sought advice from the 'False Memory Syndrome Foundation, established in 1992. Without questioning the professionalism of most therapists, the skeptics say that the uncorroborated accusations suggested by some therapists are a 1990s reenactment of the Salem witch trials. The trouble with working from symptoms to cause, notes Carol Tavris (1993), is that the symptoms list is 'general enough to include everybody at least sometimes. Nobody doesn't fit it.' Moreover, people feel unworthy, ashamed, and perfectionistic for so many reasons that the symptoms hardly prove any one cause." David G. Myers Psychology - 4th Edition 1995, page 318 Worth Publishers "Scientist-practitioners and others who prepare, train, and supervise therapists, especially, have an obligation to balance exploratory use of experimental or unproved but seemingly promising techniques with skilled application of treatment methods that conform to accepted community standards and responsible interpretation of evaluation findings. Moreover, practitioners who themselves lack the skills to evaluate the effects of controversial or unproved treatments have an obligation to assure that appropriate evaluation of treatment effects occurs. We suggest that such obligations are inherent in the relationship of professionals to society at large, and not simply confined to those disciplines with ethical codes containing explicit provisions to this effect. Practitioners must offer both appropriate treatment and protection from inappropriate care. They need the skills to know the difference." Jacobson, Mulick, & Schwartz History of Facilitated Communication American Psychologist,September 1995, p 762 ______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________ / \ | FRONTLINE - "The Search for Satan" available from Journal Graphics | | 1-800-825-5746 x 322, Rebecca Larson. Broadcast October 24,1995. | | Video ($78.45). Transcript ($12.00). | \____________________________________________________________________/ ********************************************************************** INCREDIBLE PROFESSIONAL QUOTATIONS "A few scientists also harm the profession by publicly criticizing clinicians for relying on an evidence base that cannot yet be proved according to rigidly conceived definitions of what constitutes scientific evidence," ... "To improve psychology's standing, psychologists should:...consider revising the ethical code to be more definitive about psychologists who undermine the public's trust in the discipline. While the current code encourages psychologists to not bring disrespect on the profession, there are no enforceable standards that address the issue." Ron Fox, Ph.D., APA Past President Summary of Presidential Address October 1995, APA Monitor Editor's Comment: It was stunning to find the above comment and recommendation in a speech that otherwise had many thoughtful and responsible recommendations for psychologists. The comments, however, go to the heart of the false memory problem and to the larger issue of whether psychology is to be based in science or not. It can't be both ways. Either clinicians ground their practice in science or they do not. To suggest that those psychologists who criticize the profession should be subject to ethical discipline is just plain anti- intellectual. If this recommendation were enacted it would have the effect of a gag order, but it would resolve the discussion between those who claim the APA is a professional organization and those who claim it is a guild. "Before they come for analysis the patients know nothing of these scenes...We must not believe what they say; we must always assume, and tell them, too, that they have kept something back because they thought it unimportant or found it distressing. We must insist on this, we must repeat the pressure and represent ourselves as infallible till at last we are told something." Sigmund Freud quoted in Anthony Clare's book review of "Why Freud Was Wrong" by Richard Webster. The Sunday Times, September 17, 1995 (London) "...Faced with any female client, we can assume some degree of childhood abuse...A major reason for this phenomenon [saying nothing about sexual abuse] is that women have repressed the abuse so successfully that they have no or almost no reflective awareness of it. In many cases successful repressing means repressing all incidents that might trigger memory of the abuse...Whenever we encounter a woman who has such large gaps in her memory of childhood, we can usually conclude that she experienced ongoing and severe trauma as a child." Bonnie Burstow p114, Radical Feminist Therapy: Working in the Context of Violence, Sage, 1992 ********************************************************************** HELP US COMPLETE THE WORK Wonderful progress has been reported in this newsletter during the past year; yet, our educational work is not finished. We still receive calls informing us about the continued use of suggestive therapeutic techniques. We still receive a steady flow of anguished calls for help from families affected by false memory syndrome. Most importantly, while we get encouraging reports of families coming together, most families remain broken. We need your help to complete the work of the Foundation. Membership dues and subscriptions only cover about 1/3 of our operating budget. Please support our work. Lee Arning and Charles Caviness, Co-chairman Fund Raising Committee Sometime during the next few weeks members of the FMS Foundation will receive a Pledge Card. If you are not a member but would like to support the Foundation work, please cut out or Xerox the sample below. __________________________________________________________________ FMS FOUNDATION ANNUAL PLEDGE DRIVE 1996 The pledge drive is only for _donations_in_excess_of_membership_ _dues/newsletter_subscription-fee_. With this in mind, I/we pledge to donate a total of $_____________. My/our pledge will be paid as: [ ] A single lump sum payment herewith. [ ] A single lump sum payment to be made on _________________. [ ] Four quarterly payments. [ ] Twelve monthly payments. [ ] Other. Please specify: ________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Name(s) ______________________________________________________________________ Street Address or P.O.Box ______________________________________________________________________ City State (_____)___________________________ __________________________________ Telephone Date __________________________________________________ Signature The FMS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible. ********************************************************************** AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION APPROVES FMSF AS A SPONSOR OF CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS The Foundation's application to become an approved sponsor of continuing education programs for psychologists was recently reviewed and approved. This will allow psychologists to receive continuing education credits for Foundation-sponsored programs. Two psychologists from the Professional and Scientific Advisory Board, Terence Campbell, Ph.D. and Rochel Gelman, Ph.D., along with psychologist Joseph deRivera, Ph.D., have agreed to serve as advisors to the program. There is other exciting news about continuing education. The programs we are cosponsoring with Johns Hopkins are taking final shape. Three programs are planned: San Diego, March 30, 1996; Boston, April 20, 1996: Chicago, June 1, 1996. Paul McHugh M.D. from Johns Hopkins and Pamela Freyd, Ph.D. are among the major presenters. Other key presenters will be announced shortly for the various locations. Psychiatrists and psychologists will be able to earn continuing education (CE) credit at all three sites. Social work continuing education credits can also be earned in Illinois through a cosponsor arrangement with Loyola University's School of Social Work, which will be the site of the Chicago program. Social work CE credit is being explored in Massachusetts. (At this point, California does not require CE credit for social workers.) Certificates of attendance will be available and often these can be used by other professionals to meet their CE requirements. The Foundation expects to announce a late spring continuing education program for the legal profession. Watch the Newsletter (and your e-mail) for this and other programs. ______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________ / \ | PENCIL US IN | | Johns Hopkins and the Foundation reserved space at the Stouffer's | | in Baltimore, MD for MARCH 20-23, 1997. Save these dates for | | another major conference. | \____________________________________________________________________/ ********************************************************************** REACTIONS TO NASW CONFERENCE Allen Feld, M.S.W. At Social Work 95: NASW's Meeting of the Profession, the National Association of Social Workers' annual conference held October 12 -- 14 in Philadelphia, I was asked, "What exactly is your position?" The questioner was a colleague social worker and a fellow conference attendee. My reply was, "There's no way to tell a true memory from a false memory in a therapist's office. External corroboration is the only way you might be able to differentiate true from false memories." There were other such opportunities to explain my position on the issue of false memories and the harm that is being done. One was a presentation that Mary Hanlan, also a FMSF and NASW member, and I made to some 65 social workers on the significant harm done to families, clients, retractors and, because of lawsuits, to therapists. I will use only two examples from the conference to portray why my already very strong commitment to education was deepened. One presenter said in a casual way, "I am not going to get into the false memory debate. But think about it -- repression is logical." I thought about it. I concluded it is not logical. The logic of repression might be debatable, but the science is not. Repression is a theory without a scientific basis. Indeed, it might exist, but we just don't know. The presenter later asked those of us at the workshop to do a visualization, and this reaffirmed the power of this type of therapeutic technique to heighten suggestibility. She failed to recognize this in her remarks, in spite of a question from someone in the audience. The second example is from a full day workshop which included discussions of guidelines for practice by social workers in the area of recovered/false memories. Interesting and important content was presented by two of the speakers who made a strong attempt to be balanced, and largely succeeded in their efforts. These two presenters were open to informal discussion about some of the subject matter which I felt mischaracterized portions of the research. Two other speakers were less balanced about the clinical issues, at times were political in tone, and gave the audience written material that was distinctively anti-Foundation. It is important to emphasize that the presentations were not directly critical of the Foundation or its leadership. One of these presenters devoted significant time discussing a specific piece of legislation. This seemed essentially political in nature and to have no relevance to the topic. The second of these presenters dealt with her clinical experiences with Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) and MPD. She recommended books and other material which were congruent to her thinking and political point of view about the issues, and negative to the Foundation and some of its advisory board members. She turned aside attempts to raise questions about Kenneth Lanning's study and the lack of support for SRA. Since earlier she expressed disdain for those who question the incidence of MPD, discussion of that issue was avoided. However, someone in the audience told about a presentation the day before where a speaker claimed to have 10,000 personalities and identified what he thought would be a helpful therapeutic response. It was somewhat reassuring to hear a small number of those in the audience raise sound clinical and common sense questions about some of the more questionable content. Although the change in climate was apparent, the experience was disquieting in a number of ways, largely because the beliefs and practices that create false memories seemed to be widespread. I left the conference more convinced than ever that inadequate and incomplete education has been an ingredient leading some therapists to practices and beliefs which create false memories. I left the conference more firmly committed to the need for the Foundation to be involved in continuing education. There was an even stronger resolve that scientifically -- based educational programs are an essential element in preventing false memories and dealing with the problems associated with false memory syndrome. Allen Feld is an associate professor of Social Work at Marywood College in Pennsylvania. He heads the Continuing Education Program for the FMS Foundation. ********************************************************************** TRENDS IN ARTICLES ABOUT FMS The Foundation maintains a database of more than 6,000 professional and newspaper/magazine articles, videos and books. Categories of the articles include False Memory Syndrome, MPD/DID, SRA, Cults, Eating Disorders, Hypnosis, Therapy Issues, Child Testimony/Day Care, and Legal. There are additional collections of material that are not included in the database such as advertisements, catalogues and brochures that relate to recovered memory therapy. Researchers and media people regularly come to the FMSF office to use our material. For some of the articles in our collections, we obtain permission to make copies. We list the articles that are available from FMSF in an annotated bibliography that is updated each month. We have noticed a trend in articles about FMS. At first most of them focused on the personal stories of affected families and retractors. Although these sorts of stories still appear, there has been a shift to a greater focus on articles about retractor and third-party lawsuits, court decisions involving repressed memory therapy, the reversal of many 1980s day care convictions and cautions in the practice of therapy. It seems that there is a general acceptance of the existence of FMS as a major problem, and now the media are reporting on the next phase: what is being done about it. We receive these articles from families, friends and professionals around the world. Since we do not have a clipping service, we depend on you to keep us informed about how issues around false memory syndrome are being addressed in the media and professional journals. Articles that appear in small local papers often found in supermarkets or flyers that are found on bulletin boards are especially valuable. Thanks to all of you for sending us the articles. We appreciate your support in helping us document the FMS phenomenon. ___________________________ SAMPLING OF RECENT ARTICLES THE ALTERED STATE OF HYPNOSIS Irving Kirsch and Steven Jay Lynn American Psychologist, October, 1995, 846-858 The authors argue that it is no longer accurate to portray theorists of hypnosis as belonging to warring camps of either special process theory or social psychological theory. Rather, they say that current research and theories are more accurately described as on a continuum. The authors summarize those points on which there is general agreement and enumerate the questions that need to be answered. Following are points of agreement: "...it is now known that (a) the ability to experience hypnotic phenomena does not indicate gullibility or weakness; (b) hypnosis is not related to sleep; (c) hypnotic responsiveness depends more on the efforts and abilities of the person hypnotized than on the skill of the hypnotist; (d) participants retain the ability to control their behavior during hypnosis, and they are aware of their surroundings and can monitor events outside of the framework of suggestions during hypnosis; (e) spontaneous posthypnotic amnesia is relatively rare: (f) suggestions can be responded to with or without hypnosis, and the function of an hypnotic induction is merely to increase suggestibility to a minor degree; (g) hypnosis is not a dangerous procedure when practiced by qualified clinicians and researchers; (h) most hypnotized persons are neither faking nor merely complying with suggestions; (i) hypnosis does not increase the accuracy of memory; and (j) hypnosis does not foster a literal re-experiencing of childhood events (E.R. Hilgard, 1965; Kirsch, Silva, Carone, Johnson, & Simon, 1989; Rhue et al., 1993; Nash, 1987)." Following is the question that the authors believe researchers need to answer in respect to its use with therapy:"For what patients, with what problems, does hypnosis Pused in what mannerPenhance the effects of what specific treatments?" ___________________________________________________________________ MISATTRIBUTION OF EATING AND OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER SYMPTOMS TO REPRESSED MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL OR PHYSICAL ABUSE Susan L. McElroy and Paul E. Keck Biological Psychiatry 1995, 37, 48-51 This paper presents three case studies of women with eating or obsessive-compulsive disorders who had been told in their initial presentation that their symptoms were due to forgotten experiences of childhood sexual abuse and that recalling their repressed memories was critical to their recovery. The two patients who could not recall their repressed memories in psychotherapy deteriorated. All three patients responded to treatment with conventional psychopharmacologic agents. The authors conclude that insisting to patients that they have been abused when they do not think so can have deleterious consequences. _______________________ CREATING FALSE MEMORIES: REMEMBERING WORDS NOT PRESENTED IN LISTS Henry Roediger III and Kathleen B. McDermott Journal of Experimental Psychology 1995, 21(4) , 803-814 Subjects in two experiments showed remarkable levels of false recall and false recognition in a list-learning paradigm. Readers may be interested in the author's discussion of the relevance of such laboratory research to memories of trauma. "Do our results have any bearing on the current controversies raging over the issue of allegedly false memories induced in therapy? Nor directly, of course. However, we do show that the illusion of remembering events that never happened can occur quite readily. Therefore, as others have also pointed out, the fact that people may say they vividly remember details surrounding an event cannot, by itself, be taken as convincing evidence that the event actually occurred (Johnson & Suengas, 1989; Schooler, Gerhard, & Loftus, 1986; Zaragose & Lane, 1994). Our subjects confidently recalled and recognized words that were not presented and also reported that they remembered the occurrence of these events. A critic might contend that because these experiments occurred in a laboratory setting, using word lists, with college students subjects, they hold questionable relevance to issues surrounding more spectacular occurrences of false memories outside the lab. However, we believe that these are all reasons to be more impressed with the relevance of our results to these issues. After all, we tested people under conditions of intentional learning, with very short retention intervals, in a standard laboratory procedure that usually produces few errors, and we use college students -- professional memorizers -- as subjects. In short, despite conditions much more conducive to veridical remembering than those that typically exist outside the lab, we found dramatic evidence of false memories. When less of a premium is placed on accurate remembering, and when people know that their accuracy in recollecting cannot be verified, they may even be more led to remember events that never happened than they are in the lab." __________________ DOES THERAPY HELP? Consumer Reports, November 1995 This article reports on the retrospective evaluation of their therapy by 4,000 Consumer Reports subscribers who generally reported that their therapy had been helpful. However, the acknowledged methodological weaknesses unfortunately render the results of little value. The article also covered general information about mental health insurance and treatments that were effective for specific problems such as depression or panic attacks. Also included were sections on types of therapies and therapists. For example: "In PSYCHOANALYSIS, Freud's classical technique employing a couch and free association, patients explore and confront troubling childhood experiences. In PSYCHODYNAMIC THERAPY, the emphasis is on discovering unconscious conflicts and defense mechanisms that hinder adult behavior. The goal of INTERPERSONAL THERAPY is to enhance relationships and communication skills. COGNITIVE THERAPY is aimed at helping people recognize and change distorted ways of thinking. BEHAVIORAL THERAPY seeks to replace harmful behaviors with useful ones." Editor's Comment: It is disappointing that the authors missed an excellent opportunity to educate the public about the Mental Health Bill of Rights and the importance of informed consent or to warn readers of the risks of the type of therapy shown in Frontline's "Search for Satan." Readers who are interested in a more scholarly study of psychotherapy are directed to Olfson, M. & Pincus, H.A. (1994) Outpatient psychotherapy in the United States, American Journal of Psychiatry Vol 151 September. (Available from FMSF $4.00 #773) _______________________________________________________ WHAT PSYCHOLOGISTS BETTER KNOW ABOUT RECOVERED MEMORIES, RESEARCH, LAWSUITS, AND THE PIVOTAL EXPERIMENT. Kenneth Pope, Ph.D. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice V. 2, 1995, pp 304-314 Labeled a book review of "The Myth of Repressed Memories" by Elizabeth Loftus and Katherine Ketcham, Kenneth Pope raises questions about what he considers the wrong doings or the wrong thinking of the following people in order of appearance: Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D.; Ralph Underwager, Ph.D. Hollida Wakefield, Ph.D.; Pamela Freyd, Ph.D.; Richard Ofshe, Ph.D.; Margaret Singer, Ph.D.; Paul McHugh, M.D; and Harold Lief, M.D. Richard Gardner, M.D. also comes under scrutiny, mistakenly identified as a member of the FMSF Advisory Board, suggesting that those who are associated with FMSF are singled out for Pope's attention. While it is entirely proper that tough questions be asked, acceptable scholarly publications normally include (1) an opportunity for those who are criticized to respond and (2) an appropriate threshold of valid sources beyond the writer's opinions. This article and journal provided neither. Pope never gets to the serious content in "The Myth of Repressed Memories," such as the fact that therapists may do harm if they use dangerous techniques. He never gets to the issues because he raises questions on other topics. For example, on page 313 he brings up case studies to question whether sexual abusers should be treated as criminals or as people with illnesses. This has nothing to do with issues of memory, suggestibility and the power of belief systems that are addressed in the book. We have been told that Elizabeth Loftus has recently been given an opportunity to respond to Pope's article. __________________________ PLEASED TO MEET ALL OF YOU Joel Achenback Washington Post, September 22, 1995 This is a short article that highlights the controversy within the medical community about the nature of Multiple Personality Disorder (Dissociative Identity Disorder). The author quoted Richard Kluft, M.D., Paul McHugh, M.D. and Richard Ofshe, Ph.D. who explained their evidence for their differing positions on this mental illness. There was no mention of FMS or of the Foundation in this article. Editor's Comment: The article inspired Charles Whitfield, M.D. to write to the Post on October 14. In his letter, he neglected to comment on the issues raised in the article. Instead he used this forum to describe FMSF as an organization that "supports the denial of both accused and convicted child molesters," and an opportunity to say, "Abusers, whom McHugh and Ofshe support, have always bullied their victims into silence." Whitfield, an internist who is referred to as a psychotherapist, is a frequent speaker in the field of dissociation. He is listed on the faculty of the Fourth Annual Conference on Advances in Treating Survivors of Abuse & Trauma this December, along with others such as Judith Herman, Richard Kluft and Bessel van der Kolk. This conference advertises "intensive clinical workshops in a nurturing, non-competitive atmosphere that includes: Live musical performances, unstressing sessions, on-site massages and a conference workbook with over 250 pages of handouts." ********************************************************************** Video interview with Mark Pendergrast, author of "Victims of Memory" is $24.00 which is a 50% discount to FMSF Members and includes shipping/handling. Order direct from VideOdyssey 404-288-7672 ********************************************************************** Comments inspired by THE MEMORY WARS: FREUD'S LEGACY IN DISPUTE by Frederick Crews et. al, 1995, New York Review, Inc. Robyn M. Dawes Robert Heinlein's famous science fiction story Universe depicts life aboard a huge space ship that has been launched eons earlier to travel to a distant galaxy. The people inside have forgotten its history, and for them the space ship is the universe, in its entirety. They do, however, have a library. The wise leaders of the universe have interpreted such obviously important books as Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy in terms of their own experience. Gravity, for example, was a puzzle -- until the interpreters realized that Newton's laws were social psychological ones, with gravity's referring to sexual attraction. Then it all made sense. Only the group of people living at the edges of the space craft understood its true nature, and as the result of generations of excessive radiation, they were mutants -- to be ignored or hunted down. Why, for example, listen to the opinions of someone with two heads? Attack instead. "The Memory Wars: Freud's Legacy in Dispute" includes Frederick Crews's two-part article published in the New York Review of Books in November /December of 1994 and also much of the correspondence that ensued. The book provides a short journey into the inner sanctum of the spaceship Psychoanalytic Theory. Everything makes perfect sense, just so long as whatever those outside it believe to be an instance of one thing can be reinterpreted to be an instance of something else, perhaps of the opposite of what it appears to be. Moreover, the leaders are not dumb; such reinterpretation often requires great intellectual skills, even creativity. The only problem is that their conclusions (as that concerning the nature of gravity in Heinlein's story) are just plain wrong. The people toward the outside of the "field" can see that, but their views -- such as Crews's -- are ignored because they are obviously mutants. Why would you challenge the wisdom of the leaders if you're not screwed up in some way? (Like, "why would anyone remember something so horrible if it weren't true?") Of course, these leaders pay little attention to what goes on outside, except for claiming to understand it. For example, no one who paid much attention could in 1979 propose a study "validating" a therapeutic technique by considering only his own patients, deciding himself on a nonblind basis which had improved or not, and then forming an inference in the absence of even a comparison group -- let alone a control group (e.g. people randomly chosen to be put on a waiting list.) And publish it! Such a person has to have been deep inside a space ship since the early 1960's when psychologists evaluating psychotherapy began conducting studies based on the vaccine evaluation model. Recently, as both Crews and his detractors point out, the denizens of the space ship -- not content to rule those who have willing decided to enter it -- have launched an attack on the rest of us. "How do you know it isn't true!?" They challenge anyone critical of their own bizarre and twisted interpretations of what the books on memory in their library say. And, of course, lacking contact with the outside, what they say to each other about these books results in an even greater suggestive influence of therapist on therapist than of therapist on client. Even their own books, however, provide a very clear conclusion -- if only they would read it instead of asking each other what it is. Currently, nothing that we know of about the quality of a memory can be used to assess its historical accuracy in the absence of corroboration. Nothing. If there is something, it has not yet been identified -- and therefore cannot be reliably used at present to discriminate. Period. Intriguing as the hypothesis might be, gravity is not sexual attraction. Many psychologists emerged from the behaviorist cocoon almost 40 years ago, but observing the reaction of the people in the spaceship Psychoanalytic Theory to Crews's critique yields little reason to hope that any of those inside will ever emerge from it. The only solution for the rest of us is to let it continue on its course, possibly to oblivion, but not allow it to attack anyone outside in the meantime -- especially not outside in an office or a courtroom. It's sad to study doomed people's accounts in their own words of why it is they believe that their space ship is the universe -- or of why from the vantage of their ship they understand what goes on outside it better than the people actually outside it do. It is especially sad when this "understanding" is based on interpreting so much to be something other than what it appears to be. I found this book very painful to read. Robyn Dawes is University Professor and Acting Department Head of the department of Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. He is the author of "House of Cards" and a member of the FMSF Advisory Board. ______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________ / \ | "Psychoanalysis as a scientific theory and as a psychological | | treatment appears doomed. If it does survive, it will be as the | | first secular religion of modern times." | | | | Anthony Clare in a book review of "Why Freud Was Wrong" | | by Richard Webster. The Sunday Times, September 17, 1995 | \____________________________________________________________________/ ********************************************************************** SATAN'S SILENCE: RITUAL ABUSE AND THE MAKING OF A MODERN AMERICAN WITCH HUNT Debbie Nathan and Michael Snedeker Basic Books, $25 (288p) IBSN 0-465-07180-5 "...demonization of child sexual abuse as society's ultimate evil has rendered it so holy as to be virtually immune to reasoned analysis," and perhaps this is a part of the explanation for the fact that civil libertarians have shied away from challenging some of the notorious ritual-abuse cases of the 1980s that have been coming apart in the past year. A glance at Satan's Silence indicates that it is a thoughtful investigation of how and why such ritual-abuse cases led to a moral panic over the past 15 years. The authors express concern that real sexual abuse is underreported and recommend better training of investigators. We expect to publish a full review of this book soon. ********************************************************************** MEMORIES, MOVING VANS, AND MPD August Piper I was taking the bus to work, reading two professional journal articles and idly wondering what to write for this column. The bus stopped. On the opposite side of the street, a big navy-blue moving van waited by the curb, casting long shadows in the fall morning's crisp and low-slanting sunlight. A profusion of lamps and boxes and furniture rioted by the side of the van. A dimly-remembered quotation, prodded from slumber by the sight of the possessions, began to stir -- something about moving things from a drafty house of delusions. At the office, between patients, the quote emerged from a book of quotations: The house of delusions is cheap to build but draughty to live in, and ready at any instant to fall; and it is surely truer prudence to move our furniture betimes into the open air than to stay indoors until our tenement tumbles about our ears. It is and it must in the long run be better for man to see things as they are than to be ignorant of them. A.E. Housman In turn, finding the quote triggered an answer to the question of what to write for this column. The papers I was reading on the bus were written by Ross and Kluft. No reader of this newsletter, I am sure, could fail to have been exposed to the beliefs of these two writers. They, and many similar trauma-focused therapists, endlessly trumpet the connection between child abuse and dissociative disorders, such as multiple personality disorder (MPD). These authorities speak as if the connection were incontrovertibly-proven, iron-bottomed fact. Here is a typical comment: "The etiology of MPD is known. It is a dissociative response to chronic childhood trauma." Another MPD-oriented expert says, "No therapist who has [treated] more than two or three MPD patients doubts the existence of a causal relationship between MPD and childhood trauma, primarily child abuse." What these enthusiasts do not divulge is that the proof of the connection exists entirely in the minds of those who believe in its existence. The enthusiasts similarly do not divulge the existence of a significant amount of evidence against this connection. For example, many people have suffered various forms of mistreatment as children, yet have never developed anything remotely resembling MPD as adults; no one has ever demonstrated that the abuse suffered by MPD patients is any more extreme than that suffered by anyone else; in most cases, there is no proof whatsoever that those alleging abuse actually experienced the acts that they claim; often the alleged events are remembered from the period in children's lives when accurate memories cannot be formed -- roughly from birth until four years of age; and finally, many of the claimed abuses should have left indelible evidence -- such as scars -- on the bodies of those who suffered them -- yet mysteriously, visible manifestations of these abuses can rarely be found. How do the MPD advocates respond when confronted with these arguments? Why, they simply ignore them. Or they say, as Ross does, that it doesn't matter whether or not the events really happened: "The historical reality of the trauma memories is a minor concern in the planning of the therapy [of MPD]." Amazingly, other leading MPD theorists say they do not concern themselves with whether a patient actually has MPD or not. According to these authorities, denial of the diagnosis is a major form of resistance to therapy; they thus maintain that even patients who deny having MPD should still be treated for it. Another proponent says, too, he treats patients who deny the diagnosis: "If the patient participates productively in a treatment that, by its very nature, indicates MPD is present, I am not inclined to argue over words [by which he means that he refuses to argue the question of whether the diagnosis is correct]." One wonders if these writers are aware that ethical and legal authorities take an exceedingly jaundiced view of physicians who trouble themselves so little with bothersome trifles such as whether patients have given their knowing, voluntary, and competent consent to be treated in the manner recommended by the physician. These enthusiasts simply close their eyes to the gaping logical flaw in their theory: If the claimed maltreatment did not occur, then the foundation-stone supporting the house of MPD theory -- that the disorder results from child abuse -- is utterly shattered. They refuse, in Housman's words, to see things as they are. The house occupied by these trauma-search therapists is showing unmistakable cracks in its walls and ceilings. It's time to call the blue van. Dr. Piper is in private practice in Seattle, Washington and is currently writing a book on multiple personality disorder. He is a member of the FMSF Scientific and Professional Advisory Board. ______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________ / \ | These enthusiasts simply close their eyes to the gaping logical | | flaw in their theory: If the claimed maltreatment did not occur, | | then the foundation stone of MPD theory -- that the disorder | | results from child abuse -- is utterly shattered. | | August Piper, M.D. | \____________________________________________________________________/ ********************************************************************** BEFORE THERAPY Dear Mom and Dad, Your gift of time has been the most blessed gift of all. What a joy this week has been to have you here XXOO!! Love, "M" AFTER THERAPY When I went into the hospital my diagnosis was Severe Depression. This diagnosis was expanded to include Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and Dissociative Disorder. When I went back to the hospital, my diagnosis was escalated from Dissociative Disorder to Multiple Personality Disorder. This only occurs because of severe childhood sexual abuse...The pain this has brought myself and my family is only further mocked by your continued denial of what happened to me while under your care.The financial strain and stress of this experience has cost my family well over $30,000...The decision to re-establish a relationship with you is my choice and my choice alone. Your persistent denial of responsibility will delay the possibility. ********************************************************************** LEGAL CORNER FMSF Staff FEDERAL COURT CONSIDERS ADMISSION OF REPRESSED MEMORY TESTIMONY DERIVED FROM HYPNOSIS Borawick v. Shay U.S. Ct. of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, Docket No.94-7584, (decision: October 17, 1995) Borawick v. Shay represents a case of first impression regarding the circumstances under which an alleged victim of sexual abuse may testify as to memories of abuse following therapeutic hypnosis. The case was heard on appeal from the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. In May 1994, the District Court had granted defendants' motion for summary judgment following an in limine ruling prohibiting the plaintiff from testifying based on hypnotically- refreshed recollections of sexual abuse. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed that decision. In a 44 page opinion, the court reviewed the facts of the case, problems associated with hypnotically-refreshed recall and state and federal approaches to the question of admissibility. It offered a set of factors which a trial court might consider in deciding whether repressed memories derived from hypnosis are reliable enough to be admitted at trial. In 1987, Borawick experienced panic attacks and chronic physical illness and was referred to an unlicensed hypnotist. During the following year, Borawick underwent 12-14 hypnotic sessions, called "regression therapy", with the hypnotist. Prior to the hypnotic sessions, Borawick had no recollection of abuse. Beginning during the weeks after the final hypnotic session, she began to experience memories of abuse by several individuals. Borawick claims to have eventually recollected incidents involving ritualistic activities. In its decision, the court felt compelled to comment on the qualifications, or lack thereof, of the hypnotist. The record detailed that his formal education ended with a high school diploma; he had not read the professional literature. No records of any kind were kept of the hypnotic sessions. After reviewing Borawick's claims, the Court of Appeals concluded that these "fanciful accusations" of an "unlikely nature. . .erode our confidence in the allegations . . .and properly weigh against the admissibility of her hypnotically-induced memories". The Court noted that, "The popular belief that hypnosis guarantees the accuracy of recall is as yet without established foundation and no consensus has been reached regarding the ability of hypnosis to enhance memory." Some of the well-documented problems with the reliability of hypnotically-refreshed recall were reviewed: an increase in suggestibility and confabulation; "memory hardening" or undue confidence in the facts remembered; loss of the ability to critically assess the memory; and "source amnesia" or believing that a statement heard during hypnosis was a product of his or her own memory. The Court rejected a per se rule of admissibility as "inadequate to protect defendants from unfounded charges". The Court also rejected a per se rule of inadmissibility that no hypnotically refreshed memory is ever reliable enough to be admitted. Instead the court adopted a "totality-of-the-circumstances" approach. Under this approach, the trial court should weigh all factors and exercise its discretion in determining whether to admit the post-hypnotic testimony. The opinion offered a set of non-exclusive factors for consideration and noted that testimony may be admitted which does not meet all the points suggested or testimony may be ruled inadmissible which does meet all points. The Court of Appeals suggested a list of criteria that a trial court should weigh when considering whether to admit such testimony: 1. the purpose of the hypnosis and whether the purpose may have pressured the witness to remember details or to confabulate in order to describe a complete, coherent story; 2. whether the witness received any suggestions from the hypnotist or others prior to or during hypnosis. This includes the offering of theories as to the cause of the subject's ailments; 3. whether a permanent record was made, ideally by video or audio tape, which would allow the court to ascertain whether suggestive procedures were used. Without such a record, expert testimony would be of little value; 4. whether the hypnotist was appropriately qualified; 5. whether corroborating evidence exists; 6. the existence of evidence of the subject's hypnotizability, or proneness to confabulate or respond to suggestion. Additionally, the court pointed out that trial judges should employ expert testimony as to the reliability of the procedures used by the hypnotist. It also encouraged that pretrial evidentiary hearings be convened to enable the parties to present expert evidence and to test credibility through cross-examination. Finally, the appellant's argument that the trial court's decision was inconsistent with the holding of the U.S. Supreme Court in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 125 L.Ed.2d 469, 113 S.Ct. 2786 (1993) was flatly rejected. The Court of Appeals distinguished the attempt to admit Borawick's lay testimony from the Daubert focus on data derived from scientific techniques or expert opinions. The court did add, however, that its decision was informed by the ruling in Daubert even though that case did not provide direct guidance in this instance. _____________________________________________ ALABAMA SUPREME COURT REJECTS McDUFFIE APPEAL IN MALPRACTICE CASE REGARDING THIRD PARTY STANDING (decision Sept. 29, 1995) Michael McDuffie had sued Margaret Sellers-Bok, M.D., a psychiatrist, for medical malpractice and a variety of intentional torts in a 9 count complaint filed in the Montgomery County Circuit Court. McDuffie claimed, inter alia, that Dr. Sellers-Bok was negligent when she concluded that he had sexually abused his minor daughter. The trial court granted the doctor's motion to dismiss only those counts alleging medical malpractice on the legal theory that only patients can sue their health care providers since there is no duty owed by them to third parties. From that ruling, McDuffie appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court. Trial on the other issues in the case was stayed until the appeal was resolved. McDuffie's argument, supported by an amicus curiae brief filed by the FMS Foundation, was that Sellers-Bok should be liable to him as a "foreseeable plaintiff" since he was damaged by the evaluation of his daughter. He urged the court to recognize an exception in cases involving child sexual abuse evaluations to the long-standing rule that limits the rights of third parties to sue health care providers. The Alabama Supreme Court, without stating its reasons in a written opinion, refused to do so. Although Alabama did not sanction a third party action against a health care provider in this instance, other jurisdictions across the country have endorsed causes of action in similar factual circumstances. Two recent federal decisions - Wilkinson et al. v. Balsam, ___F.Supp.___ (Vt. 1995) and Peterson et al. v. Walentiny, ___F.Supp.___ (Okla. 1995) - are apposite. In both cases, parents who were not patients were permitted to sue health care providers who determined that they had abused their children. Likewise, the court in Sullivan v. Cheshire, 846 F.Supp. 654 (N.D. Ill. 1994) published a strong opinion denying a defendant/therapist's motion for summary judgment seeking dismissal of a suit brought against him by the parents of a woman who claimed to have recovered memories of sexual abuse while under the care of her therapist. The court reasoned that a jury could find that the therapist had directed his actions specifically against the parents and their interests. See also Montoya v. Bebensee, 761 P.2d 285 (Colo. C.A., Division One, 1988). A U.S. District Court's opinion in Tuman v. Genesis Associates et al., ___F.Supp.___ (Pa. 1995) discusses in depth the various causes of action that can be maintained by those damaged through questionable health care practices. (The decision was reported in the September issue of the FMS Newsletter.) Despite the fact that McDuffie, as a non-patient, is precluded from litigating the malpractice issue, his other claims for abuse of process, defamation and malicious prosecution are still intact. His counsel indicates that they will be proceeding to trial on these remaining issues. ____________________________________________________________ COLORADO'S FIRST "PLANTED MEMORY" CASE PUTS THERAPY ON TRIAL Reported by the Rocky Mountain News (Oct. 16,17,18,19,21, 1995) and The Denver Post (Oct. 17,18,19, 1995) Colorado's first malpractice case involving charges of false memories implanted by a psychotherapist went to trial October 16, 1995. Jane Brennan is suing therapist, Beverly Nussbaumer, and psychiatrist, Henry Bible. Brennan, 36, claims that Nussbaumer used a variety of techniques, including drugs and hypnotism to convince her that her father had sexually abused her as a child. As a direct result, it is alleged, Brennan severed contact with her family, lost the business she started with her sister, and sustained emotional pain and suffering as well as loss of income and earnings. Brennan says she now realizes the memories were false and is suing to recover monetary damages. Brennan was originally referred to Nussbaumer for depression and was in Nussbaumer's care from 1991 to 1993. Brennan claims that Nussbaumer told her she was the victim of sexual abuse before Brennan actually "recovered" such memories. Brennan charges that her mental condition deteriorated under Nussbaumer's care so much that she was hospitalized twice in 1992 after threatening to commit suicide. Brennan testified that Nussbaumer persuaded her to cut off relations with her family and encouraged her dependence on Nussbaumer. "I was cut off from my family. I was cut off from my friends. When there was no more outside intervention, she took total control. . . . She behaved in a cult-like fashion. I didn't have a mind of my own when I was in therapy," Brennan said. Brennan said Nussbaumer told her during hypnosis to imagine the abuse, and eventually she had memories. "I told her I felt like I was making it up," Brennan said. "But she said that was normal because it's so traumatic and horrible you don't want to believe it's true." Brennan's father adamantly denied abusing his daughter. He took a lie detector test and sent the results to Nussbaumer as he tried to prove the allegations false. Nussbaumer apparently ignored this information and instead told Brennan that his behavior fit the profile of an abuser. The father suffered several strokes after the accusations were made. Brennan's husband testified that as the therapy progressed he watched his wife go deeper and deeper into depression. He finally replaced her medication with placebos and she immediately began to improve, he said. Dr. Jon Bell, professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado testified that Nussbaumer continued to use highly suggestive hypnotic sessions with Brennan even after noting that Brennan was losing touch with reality. "She should have questioned whether the treatment had contributed in any way to the development of psychotic symptoms in the treatment of a woman who had no previous history of psychosis," Bell testified. Dr. James Hudson, of Harvard Medical School will also testify on Brennan's behalf. The suit was filed 5/20/94 in Denver District Court. The Complaint states that the insurance carrier that paid for the therapy also questioned the therapeutic approach, noting that Brennan wasn't improving and was, in fact, deteriorating under the care of the defendants. The suit contends the defendants unreasonably ignored the concerns and questions raised by the insurance carrier. Defense attorneys say it was Brennan, not Nussbaumer, who first suggested that Brennan's father had sexually abused her. According to Nussbaumer's attorney, Gilbert Dickinson, hypnosis was used to try to calm down Brennan, who was anxious and depressed prior to the birth of her twins. The defense contends that Nussbaumer and Bible used accepted methods. At the time of this printing, five days of testimony have been heard. The case is not expected to go to jury until early in November. _________________________SIDEBAR________________________ / \ | One falsehood spoils a thousand truths. | | Ashanti Proverb | \________________________________________________________/ _____________________________________________ MALPRACTICE LAWSUIT AGAINST THERAPIST SETTLES Denver, Colorado Denver attorney and psychologist Laurence James, J.D., Psy.D., recently settled a malpractice action brought in Colorado Springs, Colorado District Court by a retractor, Laurie Stone, against her psychologist for negligence in implanting false memories of childhood sexual abuse and creating false multiple personality disorder. Mr. James reports that the matter was scheduled for trial on September 18, 1995. On September 15, defendants requested a continuance which was denied and the case settled the next day. Terms of the settlement are confidential -- including the amount and the name of the defendant therapist. Although the case settled out of court, Mr. James believes that many therapists in Colorado are nevertheless aware of the outcome and states, "the climate in Colorado is not good for MPD therapists." Mr. James had called on four clinical expert witnesses as follows: Dr. Paul McHugh, Dr. Andrew Czopek, William Van Doorninck and Dr. Donna Marold. Mr. James explained that two of the experts, Drs. Czopek and Van Doorninck were past presidents of the Colorado Psychological Association and Dr. Van Doorninck is past chairman and a current member of the Colorado Psychological Association Ethics Committee. Mr. James further reported that one of the defendant's experts, a psychiatrist, examined the plaintiff, Laurie Stone, for 7 hours and the results of her examination were so favorable to the plaintiff that the defendant's attorneys were forced to drop her as their expert, and plaintiff's attorneys named her as a rebuttal witness. In deposition testimony and/or their reports, Drs. McHugh, Czopek and Marold testified that the therapist's conduct was not only negligent but also wanton and wilful regarding the implanting of false memories. Two years ago, a complaint was made to the licensing board against the defendant therapist which resulted in only a minor admonition. However, on the Friday following the settlement, the board re-reviewed the case and sent it on to the disciplinary board of the Attorney General's office for formal disciplinary proceeding, which will likely result in loss of license or severe sanctions. __________________________________________________ CALL TO BAN REPRESSED MEMORY EVIDENCE IN AUSTRALIA The Australian, Sept. 27, 1995 by Janet Fife-Yeomans Ian Freckelton, barrister and one of the architects of the new Australian Commonwealth Evidence Act, argued that evidence of repressed memory syndrome should be banned from Australian courtrooms. Mr. Freckelton called for courts to become more interventionist and directors of public prosecutions to block the many upcoming prosecutions for sexual offenses based on repressed memory evidence because it had the potential to result in wrongful convictions. Mr. Freckelton, president of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, described repressed memory therapies as a "phenomenon whereby persons who have not been assaulted come to believe that they have been as a result of dangerous and poor quality treatment by counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists". His comments were made at the Australian Legal Convention in Brisbane on September 26, 1995. _________________________________________________________ AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION TO SUPPORT RIGHT TO PICKET The American Civil Liberties Union has agreed to represent Chuck Noah of Seattle Washington to appeal an injunction against Mr. Noah's picketing activities. The A.C.L.U. has expressed concern that limiting the right to picket improperly restricts first amendment rights of free speech. Mr. Noah has picketed the office of therapist David Calof in order to express his view that "repressed memory therapy" destroys families by convincing the patient that molestations occurred which in fact may not have occurred. The A.C.L.U. plans to seek full redress for the rights Mr. Noah has lost and will request attorneys' fees and punitive damages. ___________________________________________________ COURT HEARS STATE'S APPEAL IN REPRESSED MEMORY CASE San Francisco Examiner October 20, 1995 Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ortega has asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the conviction of George Franklin for the murder of 8-year-old Susan Mason in 1969. Ortega contends that the conviction can be upheld based on the memories of Franklin's daughter, Eileen Franklin-Lipsker. Franklin's 1990 conviction had been overturned last April because the jury had been wrongly allowed to conclude that Franklin had admitted the murder by remaining silent. Dennis Riordan, Franklin's attorney, said that the trial had also been tainted by the fact that the judge had barred introduction of news clippings that could have been the source of Franklin-Lipsker's knowledge of the case. Circuit Judge Michael D. Hawkins of Phoenix asked Ortega whether preventing the defense from confronting Franklin-Lipsker with the news clippings wasn't "a little like ending a football game at halftime." "It deprived the defense of the opportunity to put those clippings in front of her and in front of the jury one by one (and to ask): 'Are you saying you didn't read this? Are you saying you didn't read that?' Isn't that what a criminal trial is about?" Senior Circuit Judge Warren J. Ferguson of Santa Ana agreed that quizzing Franklin-Lipsker about the clips, one after another, would have been "a lot different." Ortega said that if the appellate courts do not reinstate the conviction, San Mateo County prosecutors will have to make a decision as to whether to retry Franklin. There is no deadline for the 9th Circuit Court to rule on the state's appeal. George Franklin has remained in prison since the decision overturning his case last April. His bail was set at one million dollars. __________________________________ REPRESSED MEMORY CAN'T CONVICT MAN Plain Dealer, July 15, 1995 John C. Kuehner After deliberating 18 hours, a Lake County, Ohio jury in a civil case returned a 6-2 verdict that indicated that they did not think that Lonnie Miller was guilty of repeatedly sexually molesting and raping his niece in 1966 and 1967. The plaintiff, Diane L. Janowich, 39, sought $500,000 for damages. Mrs. Janowich had been having marital problems in 1992 when she met with a marriage counselor who suggested the pattern of abuse in her first and second marriages might have stemmed from sexual abuse. She read up on the subject and 15 months later went to another counselor who diagnosed her as having repressed memory syndrome. Miller's lawyer, Leo Talikka said, "Hopefully this verdict is one that makes people think about how they attempt to use repressed memory syndrome as a way to extract money from people." _______________________________ CALIFORNIA BILL NO 1355 PASSED: LIMITS IMMUNITY FOR CHILD PROTECTION WORKERS On October 16, 1995, Governor Pete Wilson signed Assembly Bill No 1355 which provides that the civil immunity of juvenile court social workers, child protection workers and other public employees authorized to initiate or conduct investigations or proceedings pursuant to the juvenile court law shall not extend to acts of perjury, fabrication of evidence or obtaining testimony by duress, fraud or undue influence if any of these acts are committed by malice. Governor Wilson issued a statement to members of the California Assembly stating in part, "Several recent cases have graphically illustrated that some social workers abuse their absolute immunity in ways that subject children to harm much greater than any that existed in their homes. AB 1355 seeks to preserve the ability of social workers to perform their duties to protect children with honest zeal, but not malice that destroys innocent reputations, and destroys families." The bill had strong bipartisan support. ********************************************************************** A STORY OF OUR TIME Fear and Loathing in Wenatchee, Washington To date, in Wenatchee, Washington, over 80 adults have been charged with sexually abusing as many as 50 children. Wenatchee citizens live in a climate of fear as these numbers continue to mount and they have recently sought intervention by the governor who, in turn, wrote to the Justice Department for assistance. An exacting account of this bizarre tale can be found in an article by Armin Brott which appeared in the Sacramento Bee, on October 8, 1995, "Who is abusing the children of Wenatchee?" Mr. Brott's article is summarized below. Articles on the Wenatchee case have also appeared in The Wall Street Journal by Dorothy Rabinowitz on Sept. 29, Oct. 6 and 13 and in Newsweek on May 8. It is noteworthy that the Wenatchee case is only now beginning to receive national attention -- one full year after it began. Interestingly, news of the events in Wenatchee first appeared on postings to an internet bulletin board by television news reporter, Tom Grant, who works for KREM in Spokane. Because Mr. Grant was unable to obtain information or interviews from the local police, CPS or the prosecutor's office, he turned to the internet for outside help and information. While not the sole chronicler of events as they've unfolded in Wenatchee, Mr. Grant is the only reporter who was initially skeptical of the version of the story presented in the police reports. In the wake of the Wall Street Journal articles, however, virtually everyone is skeptical except for the local Wenatchee newspaper, television stations and a few others, notably the Portland Oregonian. According to Mr. Brott in the Sacramento Bee, the problem began when 10-year old Donna Everett was removed from her home at the request of her foster parent, Robert Devereaux, because of her angry, disobedient and often violent behavior. She was then placed in the home of Wenatchee's sole sex crimes investigator, Detective Robert Perez. In a seemingly unrelated event on July 29, 1994, Robert Devereaux told another foster child, 15-year old Annie Weishoff, that she could not have sex with her boyfriend in his house. Weishoff, who suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and has an IQ of 60, tried to kill Mr. Devereaux by poison. Weishoff was arrested and taken to County Juvenile Center. Four days later, Detective Perez visited Weishoff in custody and after interrogating her alone for several hours, in violation of CPS protocol, Weishoff told Detective Perez that her foster father had been sexually molesting her for years. That day, Detective Perez arrested Mr. Devereaux and charged him with numerous counts of sexual abuse. The next day, Weishoff told her juvenile case worker that she felt bad because, "This police officer was, like, trying to set Dad up or something. He made me say a whole bunch of lies." The case worker, Paul Glassen, wrote up a report of that interview which was passed to Detective Perez. The following day, Mr. Glassen was arrested for "tampering with a witness" and although charges were never filed, he was placed on administrative leave and later fired. Mr. Glassen, his wife and 5-year-old son later fled to Canada after he learned he too had become a suspect. A few weeks later, Detective Perez' foster daughter, Donna Everett, began to tell him how she, her sister and brothers had been sexually abused by their parents, Idella and Harold Everett. Detective Perez then arrested the Everetts and after more than four hours of interrogation, Idella signed a confession agreeing to testify against her husband. At this point, Pastor Robert Roberson of the Pentecostal Church of God, who knew the Everetts and their children for years, spoke out questioning the coercive tactics being used by the police to obtain confessions and the possible conflict of interest Detective Perez had, being the foster father of the accuser. Despite Idella Everett's confession, Pastor Robertson remained suspicious of the charges against the Everetts in light of the fact Idella is illiterate and has an IQ of 68. Meanwhile, Donna Everett's behavior was not improving in the Perez household. In January, 1995, a report was made by an outside therapist where it was noted that Detective Perez had warned Donna she may be removed from his home. Three days after the report, Detective Perez claimed that Donna made additional allegations that she, her brothers and sisters and six other children were sexually abused by what she called "The Circle" and were victims of group sex in the homes of her parents and several friends. Meanwhile, the case against foster parent, Robert Devereaux, was unraveling because of a second interview of Annie Weishoff by Detective Perez. During that interrogation, Annie denied her previous allegations against Mr. Devereaux despite threats by Detective Perez. Two days after Idella Everett's sentencing hearing on January 30, 1995, Donna Everett made a new round of allegations to include more victims and perpetrators, including CPS caseworker, Paul Glassen. Detective Perez and two CPS caseworkers drove Donna Everett, now 10, around town where she pointed out 22 locations where she claimed to have been abused as part of "The Circle," including her grandparents home and Pastor Roberson's church. On March 23, Pastor Roberson spoke out against the police and CPS workers' methods at a VOCAL meeting - five days later he and his wife were jailed for running weekly orgies for years and held on $1 million bail. Mr. Brott further reports that Kathy Lyon, an expert in the field of child abuse allegations and public defender, after investigating the alleged Wenatchee sex ring for three months, found that of the 15 adults who confessed, five have IQ's in the 60s or 70s, two have severe emotional problems, two suffer from physical handicaps and two more have other serious mental problems. So far, in addition to 16 guilty pleas, they have obtained 11 convictions, two acquittals and eight dismissals. Ms. Lyon concluded her independent investigation stating that Detective Perez and CPS workers may have "violated the civil rights of children, families, and of adults, vulnerable because of poverty, mental retardation, mental, emotional and physical limitations...The reliability of all statements thus achieved might have been seriously compromised." Other critics of Detective Perez' interviewing techniques point to his strong arm tactics against the alleged victims, his failure to video or audio-tape interviews and the fact that he rarely takes notes during interviews but admits that when he does, he destroys them after writing his reports. Mr. Brott reports that although the Prosecuting Attorney, Garry Riesen, concedes many inconsistencies in the accusing minors' statements, recant of confessions by adults and no physical evidence to support the allegations, he finds nothing wrong with Detective Perez' conduct, stating that with all the convictions obtained, if he weren't going by the book, the court would have said something. Likewise, Detective Perez is supported by the local mayor and police chief. Several years ago, Carol Hopkins, the San Diego Grand Jury Foreman, made the initial recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to seek legislative changes in immunity provisions governing social workers and others involved in the child abuse system. This resulted in the recent passage of California AB 1355, which states that civil immunity shall not extend to acts of perjury, fabrication of evidence or obtaining testimony by duress, fraud or undue influence if any of these acts are committed by malice. Ms. Hopkins believes federal intervention is necessary in Wenatchee and calls upon congress to begin hearings aimed at ending the prosecution of cases which are "created out of whole cloth." As Ms. Hopkins points out, with the enormous expense to taxpayers in cases such as McMartin, the costliest trial in American history, Congress is urged to review and revise the current system of training social workers, law enforcement officials, therapists and others before "we stop believing true allegations of molestation." Readers may wonder as they read about Wenatchee whether they're reading an updated version of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. With the overturn of so many day-care cases in the past few months, it is distressing to learn what is happening in Wenatchee. The Wenatchee story is not ended and this summary is incomplete. We will continue to watch as facts of this complicated and bewildering case emerge. Thanks to Mr. Brott for his comprehensive report in the Sacramento Bee. ********************************************************************** SALEM AND WENATCHEE: SOME COMPARISONS Martha Churchill, Esq. Betty Parris, 9, and her cousin, Abigail Williams, 11, lived in Salem in 1692. Donna Everett was 9 in 1994 as the Wenatchee child sex abuse prosecutions got into full swing. ----- Betty and Abigail lived in Betty's home with her father, Reverend Samuel Parris. Donna Everett lives in the home of her foster-father, Detective Bob Perez ----- Rev. Parris specialized in divine matters, including the ability to detect witchcraft. Det. Perez specialized in criminal matters, including the ability to detect child sex abuse ----- Rev. Parris and his cohorts in the church set off a panic as the townspeople ferreted out witches in their midst. Over 140 were arrested. 19 men and women were hanged. One man was tortured to death by heavy weights. Det. Perez and his cohorts at CPS are setting off a panic as the townspeople ferret out child molesters in their midst. Over 120 people have been named as child abusers in police reports; about 45 have been arrested, and at least 12 sent to prison so far, some for 20-year terms or more. ----- Rev. Parris enjoyed a measure of prestige and power in Salem as a result of his "expertise" in matters of witchcraft. Det. Perez enjoys a measure of prestige and power in Wenatchee as a result of his "expertise" in matters of child sex abuse. ----- One of those arrested in Salem was Dorcas Good, a four-year old girl, who spent nine months at Boston Prison in heavy shackles. Some of the children in Wenatchee have been wrenched from their homes and locked in a mental hospital in Idaho. ______________________SIDEBAR_______________________ / \ | The only thing necessary for the triumph | | of evil is for good men to do nothing. | | Edmund Burke | \____________________________________________________/ ********************************************************************** MAKE A DIFFERENCE This is a column that will let you know what people are doing to counteract the harm done by FMS. Remember that three and a half years ago, FMSF didn't exist. A group of 50 or so people found each other and today more than 17,000 have reported similar experiences. Together we have made a difference. How did this happen? BRITISH COLUMBIA - It occurred to me that it might be a good idea to have the local library and educational libraries in our own area carry a copy of each FMSF newsletter. In a discussion with one of our members who is also a librarian, she suggested that the party making the request of the local library should be a tax paying member of said community. The benefits of doing this are clear. You get to know your librarian better and you get educational information into the library and available to the public. FLORIDA - Because so many families visit Florida during the winter months, Florida FMS families want to extend an invitation to all people affected by FMS to attend their meeting on January 20 in Orlando. Contact Madeline at 305-966-4FMS for information. We wrote a letter to the Editor of the St. Petersburg Times. It was published. We mention this in hopes of encouraging others to respond to their local newspaper, TV, or radio whenever an item (either positive or negative) appears in the press. Responses are easy to write: they should always be on target! INDIANA - I received a copy of the revised F.A.Q. booklet last week and I love it! It is concise and very educational as to what FMSF is all about. I feel that all family and friends who have been affected by FMS should have a copy. We are going to have them available at all our meetings. Prices are: 1-4 booklets are $1.00 each; 5-9 booklets are $.90 each; 10-19 booklets are $.80 each; 20-49 booklets are $.65 each; 50-100 booklets are $.60 each. MAINE - I wrote to my local paper to see if they would include a listing of our FMS Support Group. Instead they printed a short article! MASS - The New England Library Committee took some money that was left over from a party, bought copies of FMS related books and gave them to 15 members who wanted to read them. Then they donated them to their local library. MINN - Recently I was visiting my college Alma Mater and went into the bookstore. I found the "Courage to Heal." It was the only book on our issue. I asked the president to either withdraw the book to place Victims of Memory next to it. I sent him FMSF brochures, Frederick Crews article from the NY Review of books and the stories by the retractors in the September FMSF newsletter. That did it! Mark's book is now in the bookstore. ONTARIO - Many local Mental Health Associations have a Community Needs program. You can call and inform them of the FMS problem and follow up with some written information. So often only people working directly with this problem are aware of the damage. Try and make all groups who make up the Mental Health Association informed. A general statement concerning liaison with other bodies and encouragement of professional standards could open the door to controlling or eliminating questionable therapies. It could also promote awareness of dangerous experimental practices and encourage their members to take a positive position with respect to protection of the public interest. PENNSYLVANIA - ____________________________SIDEBAR_____________________________ / \ | NOTICE | | 1995 Tax Year-end Coming | | | | Time to get your paperwork into your company personnel | | department for processing of your donation and the company's | | | | ANNUAL MATCHING GIFT | | | | Many firms have a 2:1 or a 3:1 Matching Gift Allowance | | Please do it now! | | FMSF needs your help to continue its work | | Thank you | \________________________________________________________________/ VERMONT - The Executive Director and her assistant of all the Licensing Boards in Vermont was the speaker at our recent meeting. They explained the procedures for filing complaints. Families in Vermont would like to connect with others whose families have been affected by poor counselors in the State of Vermont. Please contact Judith, at 802-229-5154 or Elaine, 518-399-5749. You can make a difference. Please send me any ideas that you have had that were or might be successful so that we can tell others. Write to Katie Spanuello c/o FMSF. ********************************************************************** RETRACTOR NEWSLETTER UPDATE The fall issue of "Building Bridges" is now available. To receive your complimentary copy and subscription information write: Diana Anderson Building Bridges PO Box 17864 Tucson, AZ 85731-7864 ______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________ / \ | FREE LIBRARY DISPLAYS are now available through SIRS Publishers. | | Call 1-800-232-7477. This is an attractive and positive way to | | inform people about the many new books that are now available | | about false memories and the devastating effects this is having on | | families. | \____________________________________________________________________/ ********************************************************************** FROM OUR READERS ________________ What Do You say? What do you say on Thanksgiving, to a couple who have just entered the "accused-of-incest" crowd. What I've always said -- on any day -- is that the worst has already happened. It can only get better. So far, no one has said that was wrong: not those who were then accused by others; not even those who were later sued or formally charged. That first accusation -- nothing will ever again be as terrible. There's a strength that all have noticed at meetings of FMSF parents. It's the strength, I dare say, of those who have discovered their ability to live through the unimaginable and who find themselves now immune to almost anything. So tell that couple that they have a lot to be thankful for. They have already been though the worst. They survived. Best of all: they never need worry about becoming the usual insufferable Survivor. Those who have been accused by their own children of incest have been immunized forever against all sorts of things. Tell the new couple "Welcome." A Dad ________________________ Sympathies On Both Sides I am a Doctoral student working in the area of Educational Psychology and have a strong interest in memory , particularly the inaccuracy of memory. My dissertation is on false memories and the role therapists play in adding to and/or creating this phenomenon. My sympathies lie on both sides of the table. I feel for those victims who have suffered abuse at the hands of loved ones, however I also feel for those who have been falsely accused. I believe that in our current political climate there could be an increase in cases of false accusations and as such it is the responsibility of researchers to clearly understand the workings of memory and the practice of suspect therapies, such as some techniques employed by the memory recovery movement. I therefore feel very compelled to conduct research in this area. A Student __________ Discussion "To claim I have been unwilling or unable to discuss this issue with my parents is a departure from the truth. All attempts have met with Dad's vehement denial..." Accusing daughter ____________ Ironic Twist I think you should know that my daughter was with my mom when she passed away. She made her peace with her grandmother and at the end was a real joy to my mom - probably more than any other grandchild. And she was wonderful to me. She really helped me get through the roughest moments. I'm so thankful that she reconciled with all of us before my mother's death. It would have been a terrible burden for her to carry if she had not. It's an ironic twist of fate, but of the six grandchildren, she was the only one there when my mom passed away. A Mom _________ I'm Sorry Dear Pop, I am sorry. I have written to you because I must ask for your forgiveness. When I first accused you of molesting me I was thrown into a turmoil so deep I didn't know what I was doing or why. But I have had time now to reflect on my thoughts and actions. Right after I brought the lie into the open I began to doubt its truth; but I couldn't believe that I would do such a thing. I couldn't believe I was capable of making up such a lie, believing it, and then taking it to the lengths that I did. But the fact is that I made it up and used it to alter my life. The pain I have caused you and all my loved ones is on my conscience. Now I would rather be alone and possibly despised than continue living a lie. I am so sorry. I didn't understand the pain, distrust and confusion the lie would cause. And when I did, I was so scared and guilty I tried to hide from it. But no matter how many times I told myself I was sorry, I could not be forgiven until I took full responsibility for my horrible mistake. I ask you for forgiveness first. If you cannot forgive me, I will understand. But I hope one day I will be forgiven. I will try never to make such a terrible mistake again. I have learned that my actions are solely my responsibility, just as it is my responsibility to choose between right and wrong. Maybe I lost it for a while; but I have learned from this mistake. The power of self-manipulation once seemed vague and uncontrollable. Now I have lost so much from letting myself fall. I can see just how powerfully I can affect my life. So many times I have wished I could just go back and erase it all. But I can't go back. I can only go forward. I can only try to fix the damage I have done. I am sorry. I love you and miss you. Whenever I think of the words I spoke with such righteous anger, I cringe. I am filled with shame. I am sorry I accused you of such a terrible thing. I really never wanted to hurt you. I never thought the whole thing out. I wanted to hurt myself. As the reverberations of my cry echo into the silence, and then die, I realize that I alone created my own hell. I dug myself a grave and dove right in. And when I wanted out, I found I had lost the courage to do the right thing. I had lost all faith in myself. I was terrified to face what I had done. I know I have deeply hurt every single person who I care about. I am afraid. My spirit is heavy. I ask you for forgiveness so that I may go on with my life. I need to let this terrible weight go. My life is turning gray. I cannot carry this weight any longer. I know that many people, maybe including you, will not understand and will despise me or leave me. But at least the truth will be known. There is no beauty in a world of falseness. There is no freedom in a cage of lies. I took a wrong turn, a major wrong turn in my life. I have been lost and afraid but I have found my way back. I am sorry, again, from my heart, I am sorry. Your daughter "K" ______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________ / \ | I ask you for forgiveness so that I can go on with my life. | | A Daughter | \____________________________________________________________________/ _____________________________________________________________ Professional help is needed for FMS victims, but hard to find In September 1993, shortly after a close family vacation with our daughter "Nancy"(age 31) and her husband and "Sandy" (age 30) and her boyfriend, Nancy read the Courage to Heal. After reading it a second time, she joined a feminist therapy group in a distant state and stopped talking to her father on the telephone -- something they had done almost daily. Within a month, Nancy conveyed her accusations by telephone to me. Her father, she said, had raped her repeatedly from the ages of two years to twenty-seven years of age. Not too long after, Sandy who had vigorously denied that any molestation had taken place in the family, also stopped talking to her father. We were aghast at these fantasies and began a series of consultations with psychologists, psychiatrists and social worker -- anyone who might help us understand how our daughter had been so sadly misled and how she might be reconciled with us. We consulted 12 different therapists. While all twelve who were interviewed expressed skepticism as to the particular accusations, they could offer no advice except patience. Both daughters kept talking to me, but neither would communicate with their father or visit the home in which they had grown up. Finally, we interviewed therapist number 13, Dr. "C," a highly recommended psychiatrist in a large city where Sandy is a professional. Even at the first telephone conversation, he offered his sympathy at the "family tragedy." For the first appointment he wanted to meet with all available family members. We kept the appointment and reluctantly, Sandy appeared halfway through this first session -- a painful confrontation. After several sessions, this doctor, too, offered his doubt that any molestation had occurred. Since then he has seen both Sandy and us several times, the result of which is that Sandy has resumed partial relations with her father, by phone and in public restaurants but she still will not come home. When Nancy visited Sandy at Christmas 1994, Nancy also had several meetings with Dr. "C" and finally agreed to let him contact all the therapists she had previously consulted. His goal all along was to bring all four family members together in his office for reconciliations. He is presently preparing a full report of his findings, including his own observations together with reports he has had from Nancy's therapists (most of whom have expressed to him some doubts about her accusations). He hopes that this report will bring the family closer to his goal. Meantime, Nancy, in consultation with a new social worker who vigorously supports her accusations, has now also cut off communication with me. She had unsuccessfully sought "validation" from me all along. We are hopeful that a reconciliation will someday happen, and we are very thankful for the professional help Dr. "C" has given us. We hope that other families will not have to contact 12 professionals before they find one willing to actively help them reach their child. A Mother ________________________________________ To Our Daughter's Therapist: Blood Money More than 35 years ago we brought a little baby girl into this world. She was our pride and joy. We fed and clothed and loved her and watched her grow into a lovely young lady. We were proud of her. She was intelligent and caring. She was taught how to be a Christian. to love people, not to lie or cheat or steal or even say things that would hurt others. When she married a wonderful young man and gave us a grandchild, we thought we must be the most blessed parents in the world. Then she met you. In such a short time, how could you turn her into a person we can hardly recognize? She is no longer present at our family gatherings. Her child has lost grandparents. We are all losers. Did you profit? Do you spend the money our daughter pays you for food and toys for your own children? Doesn't that bother you? In the truest sense of the word that is blood money because you have taken a life from us as surely as if you had murdered her. We do not seek vengeance, but we do hope that you will look in the mirror and ask yourself if what you did was right. Parents without a child __________________________________________________________ Cost To One Family Of Defending A Recovered Memory Lawsuit Involving Satanic Accusations Our costs for defending a civil suit were minimal because of the attorney we were lucky enough to get and because the case did not go to trial. Only one of our daughters was partially deposed before they agreed to dismiss the case, and our attorneys had not even started getting depositions from many others such as friends, doctors, and teachers. Another person with whom I have spoken told me that it cost him $180,000 to defend a case with similar charges. We hired a criminal defense attorney in April 1992 and paid him a total of $19,000 for everything he did. He identified the insurance companies that insured us during the years of the alleged abuse. Two of the three firms agreed to join in our defense. Our personal attorney was then joined by two attorneys paid for by the insurance companies. I do not have access to the amount of money the insurance companies paid to the two attorneys but our lawyer said that it was in excess of $60,000. He estimated that if the case had gone to trial it would have cost approximately $172,000 in addition to the money we had already paid. He estimated that the depositions and trial preparation would take 135 attorney days at a rate of $1,000 per day and that the trial itself would take 42 attorney days. I have no information about the costs to our children. I assume that their attorney took the case on contingency basis at first. She had offered to settle out of court for $350,000. The insurance attorneys had the power to settle without our agreement but they chose not to do so. I have no information about the costs to the court system. I am sure that there are ways to determine those costs. ___________________________________ Please Don't Take My Children Away! In the closing scene of the movie "Mrs. Doubtfire," Robbin Williams pleads with the judge not to take his children away from him. Parents across the country make the same plea to psychotherapists. Please print this as my message "In regards to my behavior, I can only plead insanity; because ever since my children were born, the moment I looked at them, I was crazy about them. Once I held them, I was hooked. I'm addicted to my children Sir. I love them with all my heart. The idea of someone telling me I can't be with them, that I can't see them every day; they might as well be saying to me I can't have air... We have a history. They mean everything to me. They need me as much as I need them. So please, don't take my kids away from me. Thank you." _______________________ Right To A Fair Hearing Families flounder in dealing with a daughter who "remembers" incest that is imaginary. Hiding behind her patient's "memory" the therapist feels no need to consider the rights of the family to a fair hearing. There is no legal mechanism for obtaining such a fair hearing. The disregard so many professionals seem to have for the rights of families must be exposed. A Dad _________ Thank You Dear Friends at the FMS Foundation, It's been five years since my daughter, now 21, left home and my marriage was shattered. Your monthly newsletter has given me a great amount of strength and comfort, knowing how many of us are out there, how much work the Foundation is doing, and that now the retractors are coming home. It's much better now. Thank you for helping me through the hardest years. My prayers are with all the families for their daughters and sons. A Dad __________________________________________________ If A Child Dies, Friends Give Flowers And Sympathy There still has not been any word from our daughter. When we see our 25-year-old granddaughter, she does not mention her mother any more, and since she told me "It hurts too much to talk about," I haven't mentioned it. We don't ever expect to get back together with our daughter, but how I wish I knew how she is -- both physically, but most of all mentally. If I were rich I'd hire a P.I. to find out, as they do on T.V., but since I am not, I just have to wonder. After all, as my mother used to say, "We carried them next to our heart for nine months" -- a mother cannot put it out of her mind. My husband does not want to be upset about it any more and he doesn't think he wants her back in his life to disrupt everything again. I have all sorts of loving mementos of her -- letters and crafts -- and I am just trying to think of the daughter I knew who was a loving daughter. I do not know the hateful person that now occupies her body. There was no memorial service, no friends to offer sympathy and flowers, only silence and a deep hurt that will not go away. I cannot thank FMSF enough for the help that it has given. Now at 75 both my husband and I are having health problems. But we will do what we can to help stop this terrible therapy. A Mom ********************************************************************** SOME POSTSCRIPTS FROM THE EDITOR * The next issue of the FMSF Newsletter will be January 1996. * We give our deepest thanks to all of the wonderful people who make this newsletter possible. We thank the members of the FMSF staff who write and edit. We thank the professionals who make the time to send us their outstanding articles. We thank our printer whose patience we would like to clone. And especially, we thank all the families for sharing your heartfelt and honest feelings. * Terrible things happen in life. Families tell us FMS is the worst. It may be. But for those of you reading this newsletter in the comfort of your own home during the holiday season, don't forget those who have been hit the hardest by this craze and who remain incarcerated. We do not know the truth or falsity or their stories, but we can read the accounts of their prosecutions and say that the appearance of justice was denied. These cases deserve to be reexamined. * We wish each of you the best for this holiday season. We rejoice for those families who have begun to reconcile. For those whose families have not yet started to reunite, unfortunately still most families, we don't really know what to say except that we will have to continue to "tough it out." Giving to others often helps. There are many children who do not have the benefits and privileges with which most of our children grew up. Finding ways to improve and enrich the lives of children is a way in which we might honor the love we still have for our own. ********************************************************************** NOVEMBER 1995 FMSF Meetings FAMILIES, RETRACTORS & PROFESSIONALS WORKING TOGETHER key: (MO) = monthly; (bi-MO) = bi-monthly (*)=see State Meetings list CALL PERSONS LISTED FOR INFO & REGISTRATION ___________________________ S T A T E M E E T I N G S VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, DELAWARE, MARYLAND, AND D.C. Saturday, November 4, 1995 all day Comfort Inn, Fairfax, VA Sue 703-273-2343 MINNESOTA Saturday, November 4, 9:00 am-2:30 pm Ft. Snelling Officers Club, St. Paul Terry & Colette 507-642-3630 Dan & Joan 612-631-2247 MICHIGAN Monday, November 6, 7:30 pm Fair Haven Ministries, Hudsonville Catherine 616-363-1354 ARIZONA Saturday, November 11, 9:30 am-3 pm * Nat'l & State legislature updates Barbara 602-924-0975 CONNECTICUT, NEW YORK, MASSACHUSETTS Sunday, November 12 speaker: Pam Freyd, Ph.D. Paul 203-458-9173, Ron 508-250-9756, Barbara 914-761-3627, Elaine 518-399-5749 FLORIDA Saturday, January 20, 1996 10am-6pm speaker: Dr. Paul Simpson Radisson Barcello Hotel-Orlando Madeline 305-966-4FMS INDIANA Sunday, January 28, 1996 1pm Indianapolis, Logansport, Ft. Wayne Nickie 317-471-0922 (phone) 334-9839 (fax) or Pat 219- 482-2847 _________________________ U N I T E D S T A T E S ARIZONA - (bi-MO) (*) Barbara (602) 924-0975 fax- 854-0404 ARKANSAS - Little Rock Al & Lela (501) 363-4368 CALIFORNIA Northern California San Francisco & Bay Area (bi-MO) East Bay Area Judy (510) 254-2605 San Francisco & North Bay Gideon (415) 389-0254 Charles (415) 984-6626 (day); 435-9618 (eve) South Bay Area Last Saturday, (bi-MO) Jack & Pat (408) 425-1430 Central Coast Carole (805) 967-8058 Southern California Burbank 4th Saturday (MO)10:00 am Jane & Mark (805) 947-4376 Central Orange County Chris & Alan (714) 733-2925 1st Friday (MO) - 7:00 pm Orange County Jerry & Eileen (714) 494-9704 3rd Sunday (MO) - 6:00 pm Covina Group -1st Monday, (MO) 7:30 pm Floyd & Libby (818) 330-2321 COLORADO - Denver Ruth (303) 757-3622 4th Saturday, (MO)1:00 pm CONNECTICUT - New Haven/Area code 203 Earl 329-8365 or Paul 458-9173 (*) FLORIDA Dade-Broward Area (*) Madeline (305) 966-4FMS Boca/Delray Esther (407) 364-8290 2nd & 4th Thursday(MO) 1:00 pm Tampa Bay Area Bob & Janet (813) 856-7091 ILLINOIS Chicago metro area (South of the Eisenhower) Roger (708) 366-3717 2nd Sunday [MO] 2:00 pm INDIANA - Indiana Friends of FMS (*) Nickie (317) 471-0922 (phone) 334-9839 (fax) or Pat (219) 482-2847 IOWA - Des Moines Betty & Gayle (515) 270-6976 2nd Saturday (MO) 11:30 am Lunch KANSAS - Kansas City Leslie (913) 235-0602 Pat (913) 738-4840 or Jan (816) 931-1340 KENTUCKY Lexington - Dixie (606) 356-9309 Louisville - Bob (502) 957-2378 Last Sunday (MO) 2:00 pm LOUISIANA Francine (318) 457-2022 NEVADA -Las Vegas Area Dani (702) 243-9450 MAINE - Area code 207 Bangor - Irvine & Arlene 942-8473 Freeport - Wally 865-4044 3rd Sunday (MO) MARYLAND - Ellicot City area Margie (410) 750-8694 (*) MASSACHUSETTS / NEW ENGLAND Chelmsford -Ron (508) 250-9756 (*) MICHIGAN - Grand Rapids Area - Jenison Catharine (616) 363-1354 1st Monday (MO) (*) MINNESOTA (*) Terry & Collette (507) 642-3630 Dan & Joan (612) 631-2247 MISSOURI Kansas City Pat (913) 738-4840 or Jan (816) 931-1340 2nd Sunday (MO) St. Louis area Karen (314) 432-8789 or Mae (314) 837-1976 3rd Sunday (MO) Retractors support group also meets Springfield - Area Codes 417 and 501 Dorothy & Pete (417) 882-1821 Howard (417) 865-6097 4th Sunday [MO] 5:30 pm NEW JERSEY (So.) See Wayne, PA NEW YORK (*) Downstate NY - Westchester, Rockland & others Barbara (914) 761-3627 -call for bi-MO mtg info Upstate / Albany area Elaine (518) 399-5749 (bi-MO) Western/Rochester Area George & Eileen (716) 586-79429 (bi-MO) OKLAHOMA - Oklahoma City/Area code 405 Len 364-4063 Dee 942-0531 HJ 755-3816 Rosemary 439-2459 PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg area Paul & Betty (717) 691-7660 Pittsburgh Rick & Renee (412) 563-5616 Wayne (includes S. Jersey) Jim & JoAnn (610) 783-0396 Nov. 11 & Dec. 9- No meetings Jan. or Feb. TENNESSEE - Middle Tennessee Kate (615) 665-1160 1st Wednesday (MO) 1:00 pm TEXAS Central Texas Nancy & Jim (512) 478-8395 Houston Jo or Beverly (713) 464-8970 VERMONT -(bi-MO) Judith (802) 229-5154 WISCONSIN Katie & Leo (414) 476-0285 _________________________ I N T E R N A T I O N A L BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA Vancouver & Mainland Ruth (604) 925-1539 Last Saturday (MO) 1:00-4:00 pm Victoria & Vancouver Island John (604) 721-3219 3rd Tuesday (MO) 7:30 pm MANITOBA, CANADA - Winnipeg Muriel (204) 261-0212 ONTARIO, CANADA London 2nd Sunday: (bi-MO) Adrian (519) 471-6338 Ottawa Eileen (613) 836-3294 Toronto - North York Pat (416) 444-9078 QUEBEC, CANADA - Montreal Alain (514) 335-0863 AUSTRALIA Mrs. Irene Curtis, PO Box 630, Sunbury, Victoria 3419 Telephone (03) 9740 6930 NETHERLANDS Task Force False Memory Syndrome of "Ouders voor Kinderen" Mrs. Anna de Jong, +31-20-693 5692 NEW ZEALAND Mrs. Colleen Waugh, (09) 416-7443 UNITED KINGDOM The British False Memory Society Roger Scotford, +44-1225 868-682 Deadline for JAN. 1996 Issue: Friday,December 15 Mark Fax or envelope "Attn: Meeting Notice" & send 2 months before scheduled meeting. YOU MUST BE A STATE CONTACT OR GROUP LEADER TO POST A MEETING NOTICE IN THIS NEWSLETTER. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A CONTACT, WRITE: VALERIE FLING, STATE CONTACT COORDINATOR, FMSF ______________________________SIDEBAR_______________________________ / \ | Do you have access to e-mail? Send a message to | | pjf@cis.upenn.edu | | if you wish to receive electronic versions of this newsletter and | | notices of radio and television broadcasts about FMS. All the | | message need say is "add to the FMS-News". You'll also learn about | | joining the FMS-Research list (it distributes reseach materials | | such as news stories, court decisions and research articles). It | | would be useful, but not necessary, if you add your full name (all | | addresses and names will remain strictly confidential). | \____________________________________________________________________/ ********************************************************************** The False Memory Syndrome Foundation is a qualified 501(c)3 corpora- tion with its principal offices in Philadelphia and governed by its Board of Directors. While it encourages participation by its members in its activities, it must be understood that the Foundation has no affiliates and that no other organization or person is authorized to speak for the Foundation without the prior written approval of the Ex- ecutive Director. All membership dues and contributions to the Founda- tion must be forwarded to the Foundation for its disposition. ********************************************************************** WHAT IF? WHAT IF, parents who are facing lawsuits and want legal information about FMS cases, had to be told, "I'm sorry, there isn't any such thing available?" WHAT IF, your son or daughter began to doubt his or her memories and called FMSF only to get a recording, "This number is no longer in operation?" WHAT IF, a journalist asks you where to get information about the FMS phenomenon, and you had to answer, "Sorry, I don't know?" WHAT IF, you want to ask a question that only an expert, familiar with FMS can answer, and find out that FMSF can no longer provide that information? Where would you turn? WHAT IF the False Memory Syndrome Foundation did not exist? A frightening thought, isn't it? Please support our Foundation. We cannot survive without your support! Reprinted from the August 1994 PFA (MI) Newsletter ********************************************************************** YEARLY FMSF MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION Professional - Includes Newsletter $125______ Family - Includes Newsletter $100______ Additional Contribution: _____________ __Visa: Card # & expiration date:____________________ __Mastercard:: Card # & expiration date:______________ __Check or Money Order: Payable to FMS Foundation in U.S. dollars Please include: Name, address, state, country, phone, fax ********************************************************************** 3401 Market Street suite 130, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (215-387-1865) Pamela Freyd, Ph.D., Executive Director FMSF Scientific and Professional Advisory Board, November 1, 1995: AARON T. BECK, M.D., D.M.S., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; TERENCE W. CAMPBELL, Ph.D., Clinical and Forensic Psychology, Sterling Heights, MI; ROSALIND CARTWRIGHT, Rush Presbyterian St. Lukes Medical Center, Chicago, IL; JEAN CHAPMAN, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; LOREN CHAPMAN, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; FREDERICK C. CREWS, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, CA; ROBYN M. DAWES, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA; DAVID F. DINGES, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, The Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA; HENRY C. ELLIS, Ph.D., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; FRED FRANKEL, M.B.Ch.B., D.P.M., Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; GEORGE K. GANAWAY, M.D., Emory University of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; MARTIN GARDNER, Author, Hendersonville, NC; ROCHEL GELMAN, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, CA; HENRY GLEITMAN, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; LILA GLEITMAN, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; RICHARD GREEN, M.D., J.D., Charing Cross Hospital, London; DAVID A. HALPERIN, M.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY; ERNEST HILGARD, Ph.D., Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA; JOHN HOCHMAN, M.D., UCLA Medical School, Los Angeles, CA; DAVID S. HOLMES, Ph.D., University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS; PHILIP S. HOLZMAN, Ph.D., Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; JOHN KIHLSTROM, Ph.D., Yale University, New Haven, CT; HAROLD LIEF, M.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; ELIZABETH LOFTUS, Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle, WA; PAUL McHUGH, M.D., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; HAROLD MERSKEY, D.M., University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; ULRIC NEISSER, Ph.D., Emory University, Atlanta, GA; RICHARD OFSHE, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, CA; EMILY K ORNE, B.A., University of Pennsyllvania, The Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA; MARTIN ORNE, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, The Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA; LOREN PANKRATZ, Ph.D., Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR; CAMPBELL PERRY, Ph.D., Concordia University, Montreal, Canada; MICHAEL A. PERSINGER, Ph.D., Laurentian University, Ontario, Canada; AUGUST T. PIPER, Jr., M.D., Seattle, WA; HARRISON POPE, Jr., M.D., Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA; JAMES RANDI, Author and Magician, Plantation, FL; HENRY L. ROEDIGER, III, Ph.D. ,Rice University, Houston, TX; CAROLYN SAARI, Ph.D., Loyola University, Chicago, IL; THEODORE SARBIN, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz, CA; THOMAS A. SEBEOK, Ph.D., Indiana Univeristy, Bloomington, IN; LOUISE SHOEMAKER, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; MARGARET SINGER, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, CA; RALPH SLOVENKO, J.D., Ph.D., Wayne State University Law School, Detroit, MI; DONALD SPENCE, Ph.D., Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, Piscataway, NJ; JEFFREY VICTOR, Ph.D., Jamestown Community College, Jamestown, NY; HOLLIDA WAKEFIELD, M.A., Institute of Psychological Therapies, Northfield, MN; LOUIS JOLYON WEST, M.D., UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA. Home for more information