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F A L S E M E M O R Y S Y N D R O M E F O U N D A T I O N N E W S L E T T E R
FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4
Dear Friends, colleagues examines the question of whether childhood sex-
ual abuse causes dissociation. (p. 9) The researchers con-
Twenty years! We mailed the first FMSF Newsletter in
ducted a longitudinal study that separated abuse from gener-
March 1992 and it is now almost 2012. What has changed?
al family care-giving. The results showed that lack of
What hasn’t changed?
parental responsiveness in infancy significantly predicted
Without question, the biggest change in the past twenty
dissociation in young adults. Childhood verbal abuse was
years is increased access to information about false accusa-
tions based on claims of recovered memories. The following the only type of abuse that added to the prediction of disso-
article from that first newsletter hints at people’s desperation ciation. With the exception of unreliable retrospective stud-
for information at that time. ies, there is still no evidence that childhood sexual abuse
causes dissociation.
FBI Asks Us to Stop The books that have been published in the past two
Kenneth Lanning, the author of the excellent FBI publica- decades have been milestones on the way to the scientific
tion, Investigator’s Guide to Allegations of “Ritual” Child understanding of recovered memories. There isn’t room in
Abuse, January 1992, has asked if we would please stop call- this newsletter to mention them all, but this issue does
ing the FBI for this booklet. Not only have they run out of report on the most recent milestone: Sybil Exposed: The
copies, we are clogging the phone line. Since we are allowed Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple
to reproduce this book, we are checking into the cost. We will Personality Case. Regular readers of this newsletter will
let you know how to purchase it in the next newsletter.
not be surprised that investigative journalist Debbie
FMSF Newsletter No 1.
Nathan’s work showed that unlike the romantic notions in
In 1992, families were desperate for anything that could the book and movies about Sybil, she was the heart of a
help to explain what was happening to their children. Now, “corporation” formed by author Schreiber, psychiatrist
abundant information is at our fingertips. Not only have Wilbur and patient Shirley Mason. (p. 3) Sybil Exposed is
books, documentaries, scholarly articles, legal precedents an expose that reads like a detective novel. Sybil was the
and popular articles been published, the Internet has made defining case of multiple personality disorder, a model for
them almost instantly accessible. That change is profound. the thousands of MPD diagnoses to follow. Psychiatrists,
What has not changed are the emotions of those caught in journalists, celebrities, and television producers were all
the web of recovered-memory pseudo-science—be they the misled by their enthusiasm. It just wasn’t so.
angry believers in the accuracy of their own “recovered” After twenty years, the question that is most intriguing
repressed memories and the therapists who help create them is how can so many people continue to hold beliefs that col-
or be they the families who grieve after losing a child in lapse in the face of scientific research about memory. In a
such a devastatingly cruel manner. review of Sybil Exposed, psychologist Carol Tavris tells an
The accumulated knowledge about false memories and
suggestibility amassed in the past two decades is awesome.
In this issue are two reports of research: “What People In this issue...
From Our Readers ..........................................................10
Believe About How Memory Works” documents the
Bulletin Board ..................................................................12
astounding number of people who hold misconceptions
about memory. (p. 9) The results hold profound implications This is the final FMSF Newsletter
for the evaluation of legal testimony. A paper by Dutra and Electronic news bulletins will be sent in 2012.
1 9 5 5 L o c u s t S t r e e t , P h i l a d e l p h i a , PA 1 9 1 0 3 - 5 7 6 6 , 2 1 5 - 9 4 0 - 1 0 4 0 , F a x 2 1 5 - 9 4 0 - 1 0 4 2 , w w w. F M S F o n l i n e . o r g
amazing story from the book, a story that indicates that it is electronic news bulletins, and for those without access to
unlikely that we will see the end of claims of recovered- computers, we will collect and mail them three or four times
memories or multiple personality disorder in our lifetime. a year.
Yet the promulgators of MPD do not seem to have learned There are so many people to thank who have made this
anything. They changed the label to “Dissociative Identity newsletter possible: All of our generous donors; All of our
Disorder,” but a skunk by any other name is still a skunk. The readers; All of the families who have written letters;. My
International Society for the Study of Trauma and friends and colleagues Janet Fetkewicz, Emily Orne, and
Dissociation continues to give its Cornelia B. Wilbur Award Peter Freyd whose advice and editing suggestions have
for outstanding clinical contributions to the treatment of dis- been invaluable; The FMSF Board of Directors, and the dis-
sociative disorders. When Ms. Nathan told the society’s pres- tinguished Board of Scientific Advisors. Thank you.
ident, Kathy Steele, about “the extensive evidence of We also thank those whose practices have made us
Connie’s ignorance, arrogance, and ethical misconduct” that smile, such as Kim Noble who found 80 personalities
she had unearthed, that Sybil was “a performance based on
between an Oprah appearance and publication of her book.
fiction,” Ms. Steele replied: “So what? I don’t know what dif-
ference it makes.” (p. 4) You just can’t beat that for good copy.
Have a great holiday season. You will hear from us in
What difference does a correct diagnosis make? At a pro- January, if not before.
fessional meeting in 1989, in response to a question from the
audience about how Sybil was doing, Connie announced Pamela
casually that Shirley suffered from pernicious anemia, a dis-
ease that causes an inability to process vitamin B-12. Special Thanks to Greg Louis, Ph.D.
Discovering that Connie knew this fact about her patient may When the FMS Foundation decided in 1998 that it was
be Ms. Nathan’s greatest scoop, for symptoms of pernicious time to start a website, a notice was placed in the newslet-
anemia include just about everything that plagued Shirley
ter asking for volunteers to help us in this new venture.
Mason throughout her life: fatigue, social withdrawal, anxi-
ety, hallucinations, muscle pains, confusion about identity,
How fortunate that Canadian Greg Louis answered our
distorted memories and changes in personality. No one in plea for help!
Connie’s audience of psychiatrists, Ms. Nathan writes, took Greg was initially a research scientist, having received
note. his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Ottawa in
Tavris, C. (2011, October 29). Multiple personality deception.
1972. In 1985 he relinquished his position as director of
Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on October 30 from reproductive endocrinology research in a Toronto hospital,
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020452460457660 and he devoted himself full-time to computers, which had
9350972680560.html been an avocation since 1965 and a rewarding sideline
since 1981. By 1998 he had become Information Systems
Beliefs in recovered-memory and multiple personality and Technology manager for Consultronics Limited, a
disorder are deeply embedded in our culture, but they are small but influential multinational provider of telecommu-
now challenged in a way that seemed impossible in 1992. nications test equipment and monitoring systems for net-
The number of newly accused families has plummeted and work operators and telecom equipment manufacturers.
most of the new cases that come to our attention are the With locations in Canada, the US, the UK and Hungary,
result of church-related counseling. (See Ongoing Spread Consultronics provided Greg with a challenging and fasci-
p .9) Today, November 14, 2011, this writer received an nating working environment; and Greg responded by
email fund appeal from Deeper Walk International.org that keeping a top-quality computer network functioning effi-
states: ciently and intrusion-free via the Internet for the whole of
At a recent gathering of ministry leaders, I heard Alaine his 9 years as IT manager.
Pakkala warn that the church needs to prepare for a coming In setting up the FMSF website, Greg worked to ensure
“tsunami of dissociation.’ She believes that the church in that it would be a useful research tool. He has been ever
America is about to be swamped with people who have com- patient and helpful in explaining what is possible and then
plex trauma and deep emotional needs at a volume we have
how to do it.
never before seen. (Marcus Warner)
Greg’s comment on his association with the FMSF: “I
Misguided beliefs in recovered memories are still dan- was and am only too glad to have been able to give service
gerous and the results still disastrous to families but the to the FMSF as a small return for its benefit to me and in
source of these beliefs is increasingly outside mainstream appreciation of its inestimable value to society as a
therapy in the United States. whole.”
This seems an appropriate time to publish the last issue Thank you, Greg, for your many years of critical help to
of the FMSF Newsletter. In the future, we will send timely- the FMS Foundation.
2 FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL2011 Vol. 20 No. 4
Important New Book multiple personalities . . . . I do not I Hope You're Seated.
Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story even have a ‘double.’ . . . I am all of Robert Stern, MD
Behind the Famous them. I have been essentially lying.”
Multiple Personality Case I recently learned that the Los
Before coming to New York, she Angeles Women's Task Force on Ritual
Debbie Nathan wrote, she never pretended to have
Free Press, New York, 2011 Abuse is still in existence. Remember
multiple personalities. As for her tales
about “fugue” trips to Philadelphia,
them? Back in December of 1992, they
Sybil Exposed entwines the biogra- were the ones who claimed that
phies of Shirley Mason, the patient they were lies, too. Mason knew she
had a problem. She “very, very, very Satanists were pumping bug spray into
known as Sybil, Cornelia Wilbur, the their offices. I took this opportunity to
much” wanted Wilbur’s help. To iden-
psychiatrist who treated her, and Flora tify her real trouble and deal with it call and ask them to send some litera-
Rheta Schreiber who wrote the best- honestly, Mason wrote, she and ture. And, they did. They sent me the
selling book Sybil. Investigative Wilbur needed to stop demonizing her 1994 Task Force Report containing the
reporter Debbie Nathan has written a mother. It was true that she had been same old discredited beliefs—only 17
compelling story about the creation anxious and overly protective. But the years older. It is unchanged.
and marketing of Sybil. The story “extreme things” — the rapes with the
I think I recall someone once say-
behind Sybil is an account of outra- flashlights and bottles — were as fic-
tional as the soap operas that she and
ing: “Bad ideas don’t die off when
geous medical and journalistic mal- they’re replaced by better ideas; bad
practice. Indeed, one reviewer even her mother listened to on the radio.
Her descriptions of gothic tortures ideas die off when the people who
suggested that it is Sybil Exposed that believe the bad ideas die off.” Whoever
“just sort of rolled out from some-
deserves to be a movie. Sybil Exposed where, and once I had started and it was, sure hit the bull's eye.
reads like fiction, but it is fact, the found you were interested, I continued In the interest of accuracy, the
result of painstaking investigation. . . . . Under pentothal,” Mason added, booklet is called Ritual Abuse:
FMSF Newsletter readers are “I am much more original.” Definitions, Glossary, The Use of Mind
familiar with the role that Sybil played Control. September 1, 1994. Report of
Mason was the most important
in popularizing the notions of recov- patient in Wilbur’s professional career. the Ritual Abuse Task Force, Los
ered repressed memories and multiple She was preserving the tape-recorded Angeles County Commission for
personality disorder. Over the years, narcosynthesis interviews she was Women.
there have been numerous articles in doing with Mason and preparing to The Chair of the Task Force on
this newsletter showing that Shirley speak about the case at professional Ritual Abuse was Myra B. Riddell,
Mason’s childhood was not as por- meetings. Wilbur told her patient that
LCSW, but Catherine Gould, PhD and
trayed in the book and that her multiple the recantation was “a major defensive
maneuver,” merely the ego’s attempt Lyn Laboriel, M.D. were given special
personality symptoms were almost cer- thanks “for their outstanding contribu-
tainly a consequence of the highly sug- to trick itself into thinking it didn’t
need therapy. But Mason did need it, tion to this project and to the work of
gestive therapy combined with high this Task Force.”
badly, Wilbur insisted. She was deny-
dosages of drugs administered by ing that she’d been tortured by her The last time I ran across a blurb
Wilbur. Nathan’s new book adds much mother; this showed she really had about Dr. Gould, I believe that she was
new information that she gathered been tortured. wondering aloud to an audience why,
from interviews and and research into with all their licentious behavior
Mason went home and composed a
original documents to what was previ- new letter. “One Friday,” she wrote (orgies and the like) more Satanists
ously known. Wilbur, “ ‘someone’ stalked into your were not succumbing to AIDS.
To get a flavor of Nathan’s writing, office, imitated me [and] had a paper Honest. That was 2008, or so.
here is an excerpt from a recent article: written about how she had now
One May afternoon in 1958, Mason become well and was confessing . . .
Lest We Forget (1986)
walked into Wilbur’s office carrying a that it had all been put on. Well, you
typed letter that ran to four pages. It knew better.” Dr. Gould became well-known for
began with Mason admitting that she Tavris, C. (2001, October 14). A her check list of symptoms of Satanic
was “none of the things I have pre- girl not named Sybil. New York Times Ritual Abuse that was used in many of
tended to be. Magazine, 56-59. See:http://www. the notorious and now-overturned day-
nytimes.com/2011/10/16/magazine/a- care cases. Signs included “Fear of
“I am not going to tell you there girl-not-named-sybil.html?pagewant- ghosts and monsters” and “Fear of ‘bad
isn’t anything wrong,” the letter con- ed=all people’ taking the child away.”
tinued. “But it is not what I have led Don’t miss this important new book.
you to believe . . . . I do not have any
FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4 3
Media Promotion of MPD: the diagnosis. The Guardian article Lost— The Last Two Decades
Kim Noble Finds states that the “therapist had to tease
Lisa Michels is the founder of
80 Personalities in One Year out the separate personalities and treat
Surviving the Realities of Repressed
them individually.”
Just one year ago, this newsletter Memories. According to a press
contained an article about Oprah Noble was treated by Valerie
release from Virginia Wesleyan
Winfrey’s promotion of Kim Noble, an Sinason, Ph.D., known to FMSF
College,[1] Ms. Michels was to speak to
aspiring British artist who claimed at newsletter readers for her 1994 book, the Sociology and Criminal Justice
that time that she had 20 personali- Treating Survivors of Satanist Abuse. class at the college in October. The
ties.[1] On her show, Oprah has promot- Gone are the days in which purpose of the talk was to give the
reporters might do some research on a
ed multiple personality disorder class exposure to the realities from a
subject about which they wrote. For
(MPD) for many years and, indeed, her survivor of family violence and child
example, the author of the Guardian
May 1990 program featuring Truddi sexual abuse, to enhance textbook and
Chase (who claimed 92 personalities) article appears to be woefully ignorant classroom coverage of the issue.
almost certainly helped to make this of the fact that DID is a controversial According to the press release, not
controversial disorder more popular. diagnosis. She appears to be ignorant only did Michels repress her memories
This past September, the Guardian of the type of suggestive therapy in of abuse, she recovered those memo-
which Kim Noble engaged. She seems
newspaper [2] featured an article about ries when she appeared on The Oprah
to be ignorant of Valerie Sinason’s
Kim Noble, who is publicizing her Winfrey Show. The release noted that
reputation for belief in satanic ritual
new ghostwritten book: All of Me. Michels will talk to the class about the
abuse. Maybe it is a sign of the times
Kim now claims that she has 100 per- “issue of the memory of childhood
that reporters and newspapers see their
sonalities. sexual abuse and how often it’s
task as simply to do some rewriting to
The facts about Kim’s life as repressed until much later.”
a press release and not ask questions or
described in the Guardian article are Curious about Ms. Michels exper-
check facts. Didn’t the reporter think it
essentially the same as those shown on tise in memory, we found more details
odd that Kim Noble claimed to have 20
Oprah. Kim Noble was born in 1960 to about her and her recovery of memo-
personalities in 2010 and 100 in 2011?
unhappily married factory workers [3] Or is it 20 personalities in the United
ries on a blog, (likely posted to publi-
who left her in the care of neighbors cize her forthcoming book). [1] In one
and friends. This article explained how States and 100 in Britain? paragraph we read: “Her memories
Noble came to develop multiple per- Our culture has left reporters in the surfaced in 2001 when her abuser
sonalities. Although no clear details lurch when it comes to writing about moved in with her and her family.” In
are given, Kim is reported to have suf- anything that touches on the scientific. another: “During the four days of
fered “extreme and repeated” abuse This paves the way for the promotion intense on-air therapy she began ver-
“somewhere between one and three of myths and misinformation. balizing for the first time her memories
years old.” Because of this her mind 1. Oprah Got it Wrong: MPD as Entertain- of abuse.” Dr. Phil was her therapist on
ment. FMSF Newsletter Vol. 19 (4) Fall, 2010.
was “traumatized beyond endurance” the Oprah program.
2. Mitchison, A. (2011, September 30). Kim
and “shattered into fragments.” As a Noble: The woman with 100 personalities.
Lisa Michels is described as an
teen, Ms. Noble overdosed and was put Retrieved on Oct 4, 2011 from http://www. entrepreneur, public and motivational
in a psychiatric hospital. Later she was guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/sep/30/kim- speaker, writer and advocate. She was
“exposed to a pedophile ring”. In ret- noble-woman-with-100-personalities invited to speak to students by
ribution for her telling the police about 3. “With guidance from a therapist, we meet Assistant Professor Alison Marganski
the ring, the Guardian article notes that some of the 20 personalities of Kim Noble, a at Virginia Wesleyan College.
mother and artist who has dissociative identity
someone threw acid in her face and set disorder—a condition formerly known as mul- Readers are forgiven if they feel
her bed afire, gutting her home. tiple identity disorder.” Kim Noble’s multiple transported to 1991. Clearly the last
According to the Guardian, most personalities. Oprah. Retrieved from two decades of research were lost at
of “principal personalities [of Kim http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Introduction Virginia Wesleyan College and
-to-Kim-Nobles-Multiple-Personalities-Video
Noble] had no memories of her abuse Oprah’s Show.
and no flashbacks.” As an adult, Kim 1. Administrator (2011, September 23). Lisa Michels
Speaking October 6. Image Publicity. Retrieved from
Nobel sought therapy. We are told that http://imaginepublicity.com/2011/09/23/lisa-michels-
she initially considered the idea of a It’s an indicium of witchcraft to speaking-october-6-to-students-of-virginia-wesleyan-
diagnosis of Dissociative Identity college-2/ of 10/1/11.
defend witches, ...” 2.http://lisamichels.blogspot.com/p/child-abuse-
Disorder as absurd in 1995. However, Martin Del Rio (16th century) awareness.html
after six years of therapy, she accepted
4 FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4
Ongoing Spread of Audit Reveals $640,000. of return more than $800,000. The London Free
MPD/DID Beliefs Psychiatric Funding Misallocated in Press. Retrieved on September 4, 2011 from
http://www.lfpress.com/news/lon-
London, Ontario
One of the ways in which MPD don/2011/08/30/18620321.html
beliefs continue to spread is through Almost ten years ago, Emeritus
conferences, especially, it seems, reli- Professor of Psychiatry at the Ritual Abuse Case Upended:
gious counseling meetings. A notice University of Western Ontario Dr. West Memphis Three are Free
for a DID Symposium in Colorado Harold Merskey attempted to organize
Springs in mid-September sponsored a one-day seminar at the London In August 2011, the three teenagers
by several different ministries caught Health Sciences Centre that examined (now men) who had been convicted of
our eye. The notice about the sympo- the research about the accuracy of brutally murdering three young Cub
sium stated that the target audience recovered-memories. Roadblocks were Scouts in the early 1990s in West
was: “counselors and others who want placed in his path every step of the way Memphis, Tennessee were released
to help.” until finally Dr. Sandra Fisman, the from prison. One of the three, Damien
When we checked later, it turned chair of the Psychiatry Department, Echols, had been on death row for two
out that the symposium had been can- refused to support the conference or decades. To many the “deal” that gave
celed and in its place a workshop about even to grant it continuing education them their freedom seems strange.
DID was being offered.[1] The person credits claiming that the subject was ”Under the terms of a deal with
leading the workshop had “emerged “too controversial” and “outside the prosecutors, Mr. Echols, Mr. Baldwin
from a traumatic childhood to inspire mainstream” of psychiatric issues. and Mr. Misskelley leave as men who
and equip hundreds of others who are When we saw Dr. Fisman’s name maintain their innocence yet who
stuck in emotional pain,” She is a mentioned in an article about an audit pleaded guilty to murder, as men
Licensed Professional Counselor with of the London Health Sciences Center, whom the state still considers to be
child killers but whom the state
a Master’s degree in Biblical counsel- we were reminded of that unfortunate
deemed safe enough to set free.” [1]
ing. experience and naturally curious to
learn about the funding scandal. The guilty pleas mean that these three
The notice said:
According to reports in The men cannot sue the state.
Previously, DID was known as The gruesome murders in 1993 of
Multiple Personality Disorder. As a
London Free Press, the audit accused
Dr. Fisman of concealing funding, the 8-year-old boys sparked claims that
result of movies like Sybil and The
skirting rules and pressuring anyone the deaths involved Satanism. During
Three Faces of Eve, many people have
preconceived ideas about what DID who questioned her. The audit was the the trial, both the prosecution and the
really is. This workshop will shed result of a challenge two years ago by media portrayed the murders in the
light and answer many questions 14 psychiatrists about the way that context of satanic rituals including sex-
about DID and the people it affects. funding was managed. ual abuse and genital mutilation.
This one day workshop will give The essence of the problem was a Emotions were high at the time and
Biblical and clinical instruction in a decision by Fisman to spend $640,000 when the teenagers were arrested 200
way that not only makes the subject residents of the small town gathered to
of funds and 160,000 hours to train
easier to understand, but will offer yell, “Burn in hell!” There was no
much hope to those who are chal-
doctors and staff to speak effectively to
one another. The problem with this physical evidence linking the teenagers
lenged by this experience.
decision was that the money was part to the crime. A member of the defense
Some topics team noted, “The first trial was pretty
of a larger grant that was specifically
What is Dissociation and what are designated to be spent to “induce psy- much a witch hunt.”
its symptoms? How does Dissociative chiatrists to spend more time treating The prosecution case had relied on
Identity Disorder (DID) develop? acute mental illness that required a confession of one of the teens, a
What is the role of the therapist, pas- immediate help.” mildly retarded 16-year-old boy, but it
tor or caregiver? What are the Biblical was full of factual errors and was given
Dr. Fisman is soon to resign her
Principles in working with those who after 12-hours of questioning. The boy
have DID? What is Integration and position claiming the decision was
made before this scandal. did not know the correct time of the
how is it achieved?
Sher, J. (October 9, 2011).$ 640,000 hospital murders or even the basic facts. A pros-
1. Information retrieved on October 20, 2011 training tab ‘shocking.’ The London Free ecution expert, Dr. Dale Griffis, who
from http://www.lifetouchmin.org/confer- Press. Retrieved on October 9, 2011 from
ences/dissociative-identity-disorder-workshop/.
claimed to have a doctorate in law
http://www.lfpress.com/news/lon-
don/2011/08/29/18615291.html
enforcement and psychology, got that
Sher, J. (August 30, 2011). Hospital did not degree by mail order from a diploma
FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4 5
mill called Columbia Pacific Times. Retrieved from therapy; Charlotte had told a friend
University. Griffis is a former police http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleView that she had been subjected to hypno-
er. aspx?ArticleID=f1b058c2-82ac-455c-b193-
captain from Tiffen, Ohio who in the 83cfce18215d on November 11, 2007.
sis; and Charlotte had threatened to file
late 80s and early 90s called himself a Stark, A. (2006, August 31). Life after death.
a civil lawsuit against her parents, and
“Cult Cop” went around the country Los Angeles CityBeat. Retrieved from as part of that threat, her attorney refer-
talking to police departments about the http://69.94.104.186/article.php?IssueNum= enced repressed memories. (Johnson v
signs and dangers of satanic abuse. 169&id=4287 on November 11, 2007. Rogers Memorial No. 2003AP784 &
A 1996 HBO documentary 2003 AP1413 Wi Sup Ct Jul 8 2005)
“Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at And On It Goes: Were the therapists in Johnson v
Robin Hood Hills” drew celebrity sup- A Challenge from Ross Cheit Rogers guilty of practicing recovered
port for the accused in this notorious memory therapy?
case. In July 2011, Brown University The Johnson’s attorney Bill
Over the years, appeals failed, as Associate Professor of Political Smoler commented in his closing argu-
did post-conviction hearings, but the Science and Public Policy Ross Cheit, ment:
case got new life in 2007 when defense J.D., Ph.D., posted five challenges to
the FMSF Newsletter Editor on a blog “And what does Kay Phillips say
lawyers representing Mr. Echols about that when she writes to the
reported that new forensic tests of evi- related to his Recovered Memory
Disability Board to try to help
dence at the crime scene turned up no Project website.[1] The five challenges Charlotte get Disability? And this
genetic material belonging to any of are five cases in which he asks this would have been in May of 1992. Kay
the men — but did turn up some writer to inform our readers about Phillips writes: ‘During her stay at
belonging to someone else. The men information that is posted on his web- Rogers Memorial Hospital November
received new hearings from the site that he says contradicts informa- 4, ’91 to December 7, ’91, she began
Arkansas Supreme Court which led to tion in past newsletters. Cheit did not recovering memories of childhood
contact the Foundation. Nevertheless, sexual abuse.”
the release.
we respond briefly as an example of (Page 11-12 from Closing argu-
“I’m just tired. This has been the type and quality of criticism ments of Bill Smoler. See Footnote 2.
going on for 18 years. It’s been an received by FMSF in 2011. Complete closing arguments at:
absolute living hell,” said http://www.fmsfonline.org/smolerWI
Misskelley. 1. Will you inform your readers 2011.pdf)
“This was not justice,” said that the Johnson case in A jury found that the therapists in
Baldwin. “In the beginning we told Wisconsin, as documented here the Johnson case did not meet the stan-
nothing but the truth. We were [on the Recovered Memory Project dard of care in Charlotte’s treatment.
innocent, and they sent us to prison website [1]], had nothing to do The defendant therapists appealed the
for the rest of our lives. That’s not with hypnosis or “digging for decision. The judge denied the appeal
justice, no matter how you look at memories” as you have falsely writing:
it. They’re not out there trying to claimed in several places?
“Phillips argues that her treatment
find out who really murdered those “Falsely claimed”? Dr. Charles did not cause injuries to the Johnsons
boys.” and Karen Johnson sued their daugh- and was not negligent. A reasonable
“I won’t tell you it’s a perfect resolu- ter’s therapists more than 15 years ago. jury could have and did find the oppo-
tion,” defense attorney Braga said. In 2011, they were awarded $1 million. site and had a rational basis for doing
“It’s the best possible resolution under Their daughter had imaginings of so. While the damage to the Johnsons
the circumstances.” satanic cults, rapes, cutting off a baby’s may have started at a finite point the
1. Robertson, C. (2011, August 19). Deal frees head, dogs nailed to a cross, and more damage continued for many years and
“West Memphis three” in Arkansas. The New while she was a patient at Rogers continues today. Phillips treated
York Times. Retrieved on August 24, 2011 Charlotte during many of those years
Memorial Hospital after she was treat-
from and, like Hollowell, failed to adjust
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/20/us/20arka ed by nurses supervised by one of the treatment, change treatment or chal-
nsas.html?pagewanted=all. therapists. Their daughter was placed lenge/corroborate the allegations of
Dewan, S. (2007, November 11). New evi- in a survivor group and she was Charlotte until the threat of a lawsuit
dence in 3 boys’ slayings. Philadelphia involved with inner-child work. is mentioned in her notes. According
Inquirer, p. 9. A 2005 Wisconsin Supreme Court to her notes, the direction of therapy
Leveritt, M. New evidence in West Memphis ruling related to the case stated: did change eventually but the signifi-
murders: Victim’s mother believes defendants cant damage had been done.
innocent. (2007, July 19). Arkansas
Charlotte disclosed that she was in
6 FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4
“Based upon the record in this case 3. Will you acknowledge the evi- Sargent, 1999 WL 547885 (N.H.)
Hollowell’s and Phillips’ motions after dence of guilt against serial child
verdict are denied.” The New Hampshire Supreme
molester, Billy Banks, who was Court ruled that expert testimony
April 11, 2011, and Judge Daniel R. embraced by the FMSF? Your on the risk of false memory
Moeser, Johnson v Kay Phillips, newsletter reported on his case implantation through suggestive
Decision and Order Re Defendants’ without mentioning the evidence of
Motion after Verdict,Case No 96 CV
and coercive questioning is admis-
guilt, which is documented, includ- sible because the average juror
1228, Wisconsin. ing recent charges (to which he may not have the knowledge or
2. Will you correct the record pled guilty). understanding of the proper proto-
about the use of Betrayal Trauma “Embraced”? Banks was found cols and techniques used to inter-
theory in court? You falsely insinu- guilty. That was in the title of the
ated that Betrayal Trauma Theory view child victims. (From the
was not accepted in court, when in FMSF Newsletter article. The article Legal Aid Society NY, J.R.D.)
fact, it has passed the Daubert test. also stated that he is serving a life sen-
FMS Foundation Newsletter, Vol 8(7),
tence. Cheit writes in his blog about October 1999.
“Falsely insinuated”? Betrayal Billy Banks that “He was convicted on
Trauma Theory emerged as a way to the basis of the testimony of his daugh- 5. Will you acknowledge that
explain how child sex abuse victims ter and niece, now adults.” That was memories recovered in therapy led
repressed memories of abuse from what was also written in the FMSF to the conviction of Calvin Huss,
close relatives on whom they depend- news article. The FMSF article addi- who... confessed to the crimes?
ed. Washington v. Martin was men- tionally mentioned a defense argument “Calvin Huss”? There is no men-
tioned in the Fall 2010 Newsletter, 19 that one of the accusers had made her tion of this case in any FMSF
(4) as one in which that theory was accusation after she was arrested on a Newsletter. What the FMSF has stated
supposed to explain why an adult crack-cocaine charge and while she since its start is that some memories
woman shot her husband — that she was undergoing intensive drug addic- are true, some memories are false and
suffered emotional abuse leading up to tion counseling. The FMSF article some memories are a mixture of truth
her husband’s admission of [an] affair, mentioned that the defense lasted one and fantasy – whether those memories
and that the heartbreak caused her to hour. are continuous or recovered after a
dissociate from reality. Therefore, she Cheit went on to say: time of being forgotten. The only way
couldn’t form the intent to try to kill
The Foundation claimed that these to know the truth or falsity of a memo-
him.
“recovered memories” were implant- ry is with external corroboration.
Washington Senior Deputy
ed for the daughter in counseling and The fact that someone claims that
Prosecutor John Fairgrieve noted that:
for the niece in rehab.[5] he or she has recovered a memory does
“there is no prior record of this defense
We cannot find that statement in the not mean that the memory was
being raised in any courtroom in the
short FMSF article which is reprinted “repressed” and thus subject to some
United States.” He also noted, howev-
in Note 4 below. Readers can decide special mental mechanism. Ordinary
er, that that it was once used in federal
for themselves if “embraced” is an memory processes can explain the phe-
court to explain why a sexual assault
accurate description. nomenon of recovering a memory.
victim delayed reporting the incident.
(See Ghetti, S/. et a;/ (2006). What can
That was U.S. v. Chatman (CR 07-178- 4. Will you acknowledge that subjective forgetting tell us about
RE) in which a cheerleader sued stat- Wayne Sergent, mentioned favor-
memory for childhood trauma?
ing that she had been sexually abused ably in the FMSF newsletter,
admitted. . . that his “false memo- Memory & Cognition 34(5), 1011-
by her coach on an airplane from
ry” defense was a ruse? 1025. See Also McNally, R. &
Chicago to Portland.
Geraerts, E. (2009). A new solution to
What was written in the newsletter? “Mentioned favorably”? Below, the recovered memory debate.
in its entirety, is the only Newsletter Perspectives on Psychological Science
“The court concluded …it [Betrayal
Trauma Theory] has not been mention of the case. Cheit in his ques- 4(2), 126-134.)
researched and established to any tion gives the answer: the case turned In his blog, Cheit wrote: writes:
degree with respect to adult domestic out to have nothing to do with FMS.
“But Geraerts et al. (2007) reported
violence.” See Note 3. Cheit’s complaint, note, is that the
that none of their subjects who report-
It remains to be seen how this the- Newsletter mentioned the case “favor- ed recovering memories of abuse dur-
ory will be accepted in various court ably.” ing therapy were able to obtain cor-
cases. State of New Hampshire v roboration. This case challenges the
FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4 7
generalizability of that conclusion.” sharing and talking about her abuse.’ That was each child in view of the other on the front seat
It does not. What Geraerts et. al. what went on in the first Rogers hospitaliza- of a pickup.
tion.” According to the Palm Beach Post, the
wrote was
“And what does Kay Phillips say about defense attorney noted that one of the accusers
“[D]iscontinuous memories that that when she writes to the Disability Board to made her charges after being arrested on a
were recalled in the context of therapy try to help Charlotte get Disability? And this crack-cocaine charge and undergoing intensive
were significantly less likely to be cor- would have been in May of 1992. Kay Phillips drug addiction counseling. The second accuser
writes: ‘During her stay at Rogers Memorial is disabled by back problems and depression for
roborated than were either continuous
Hospital November 4, ’91 to December 7, ’91, which she takes painkillers and anti-anxiety
memories or discontinuous memories she began recovering memories of childhood drugs.
recalled outside therapy. Indeed, of the sexual abuse.” (Page 11-12) The defense had planned to present an
16 therapy-based discontinuous mem- expert from Michigan to testify about the falli-
ories, not a single one could be cor- 3. McVicker, Laura. (2010, August 5). Unusual bility of recovered memories. However, at the
roborated.” defense sought in woman’s attempted murder last minute the expert could not come, and the
1. Cheit, R. (2011, July 29). Five Easy
trial. Her attorney says she was too distraught Circuit Judge Larry Schack refused to delay the
Questions-for Pamela are posted at: to form legal intent. Retrieved on November 2, trial. The defense lasted an hour.
http://blogs.brown.edu/recoveredmemory/ In 2011 from Defense attorneys were Deborah Gowen
that blog, there is a link to “The Incredible http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/aug/05/ and Mitchell Tyre of Palm City. The prosecutor
Distortion of Johnson v Rogers Memorial unusual-defense-sought-in-womans-attempted- was Assistant State Attorney Kathryn Nelson.
Hospital.” http://blogs.brown.edu/recovered- murder/?print. Taylor, J. (2003, September 17). Father, son
memory/2011/02/04/featured-post-the-incredi- “Freyd said Martin had suffered emotional face sex-abuse charges. Palm Beach Post, 2B.
ble-distortion-of-johnson-v-rogers-memorial- abuse leading up to her husband’s admission of Ash, J. (2005, April 27). Accusers testify in
hospital/ the affair, and that the heartbreak caused her to child sex-abuse case. Palm Beach Post, 1B.
dissociate from reality. Therefore, she couldn’t Ash, J. (2005, April 28) Jury finds retired fire-
2. Excerpts from Bill Smoler’s Closing form the intent to try to kill him, by Freyd’s the- fighter guilty of molesting girls in ‘60s. Palm
Arguments: ory Beach Post, 1B.
“This case is about whether or not things “Heartache doesn’t give you license to Taylor, J. (2005, June 7). Woman confronts
went wildly astray when common sense was shoot someone, not does it mean you can’t form father about molesting. Palm Beach Post, 1B.
not used. And instead of dealing with legitimate intent,” said Senior Deputy Prosecutor John Ash, J. (2005, June 16). Juror faces scrutiny in
issues that Charlotte had, this case went off into Fairgrieve. He called two witnesses, including a abuse trial. Palm Beach Post, 1A.
who knows where. I believe that the records in Western State Hospital psychologist, to testify
this case make that very clear.” ( Page 4) Wednesday about how betrayal trauma is rela- 5. http://blogs.brown.edu/recoveredmemo-
“We’ll never know why Charlotte’s mem- tively unknown in the psychology community. ry/2010/10/31/the-misrepresentation-of-the-
ories began. I have not in this case tried to say It’s also not listed in the DSM-IV, a guide book case-of-billy-banks/
to you that Charlotte, whatever it was that she psychologists use in diagnosing patients.
had in early October is the result of something “The most glaring error is that there is no
prior record of this defense being raised in any
of the defense. I don’t believe we will ever Misunderstandings About Memory
know what that was.” (Page 6) courtroom in the United States,” Fairgrieve
said. The only exception, he added is that it was Simons, D.J., & Chabris, C.F. (2011)
“It’s our position that when you go to a What people believe about how memory
doctor and you say, ‘I’ve got chest pain,’ the once used in federal court to explain why a sex-
ual assault victim delayed reporting the inci- works: A representative survey of the U.S.
doctor doesn’t say to you, ‘Well that’s nice.
What do you think it’s from?’ ‘Well, I think it’s dent. Senior Deputy Prosecutor John Population. PloS ONE, Vol. 6 No. 8.
from – I’m sure I need open heart surgery,’ and Fairgrieve stated: Available at:
dive in and do open heart surgery. The doctor “Most psychologists aware of the theory http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.
says, ‘Let’s do some tests. Let’s start trying to are among a close-knit group who focus on 1371%2Fjournal.pone.0022757
figure out what’s going on here because, gosh, trauma behavior or are students of Freyd.”.
The authors talked with 1838 peo-
it could be an ulcer, it could be cancer, it just
4. Criminal Conviction in Florida Based on ple selected from a nationally repre-
could be anxiety. Who knows?’ And questions
are asked. And you’ll notice that nowhere in Recovered Memories, FMS Foundation sentative sample. Simons and Chabris
any of the records, despite my repeated ques- Newsletter 2005, 14(4). conducted this survey during research
tioning, did we ever hear about a differential On April 10, 2005, a Stuart, Florida jury of
four women and two men found 68-year-old
for their book, “The Invisible Gorilla,”
diagnosis. What’s the possibility of what’s which explores commonly held (and
going on here? Might it be something other than Billy Banks Sr. guilty of sexually molesting two
truthful memories? Never was that looked at girls in the 1960s. The only evidence in the trial often incorrect) beliefs about memory
through out this entire therapy. “(Page 9-10) were the recovered memories of two accusers and perception. The major findings
“Let’s go to Rogers Memorial Hospital ages 43 and 44. Banks is a former firefighter were:
records. November 8, 1991, just a few days who is now 68 and uses a wheelchair. The
charges against him date from the 1960s. Amnesia: 82.7% of respondents
after Charlotte arrived there. ‘Plan: Support
The accusers, Banks’ daughter and anoth- agreed that “people suffering from
patient. Talk and share feelings of abuse.’
Three days later, November 11, 1991. er woman, described fondling, oral sex and amnesia typically cannot recall their
‘Plan: Support patient in remembering history rape. They claimed Banks assaulted them for own name or identity.” All 16 experts
and acceptance of past’ – ‘of past.’ Excuse me. years between the ages of 6 and 10, as often as
every weekend or more. They said that he drove
disagreed.
Two days later: ‘Patient is encouraged to keep Confident Testimony: 37.1%
them to wooded areas and took turns raping
8 FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4
agreed that “in my opinion, the testi- Does early childhood sexual abuse the quality of early care and later dis-
mony of one confident eyewitness predict dissociation? That is certainly sociation.
should be enough evidence to convict a the assumption behind claims of
defendant of a crime.” All 16 experts “recovered repressed memories.” That
disagreed. is a relationship shown in “retrospec- Multiple Personality Testimony of
Video Memory: 63.0% agreed that tive” studies. Retrospective studies, Colin Ross, M.D., Excluded in
“human memory works like a video however, are not reliable for making Texas Twilight Rapist Case.
camera, accurately recording the such a causal claim. What is known is In September a jury of six men and
events we see and hear so that we can that many traumatized survivors do not six women in Edna, Texas took 10
review and inspect them later.” All 16 dissociate and some non-traumatized minutes to convict 54-year-old Billy
experts disagreed. people do, so clearly there are other Joe Harris on charges related to the
Permanent Memory: 47.6% agreed factors involved in the development of sexual assault of an elderly disabled
that “once you have experienced an dissociation besides trauma. Dutra and woman. They rejected his claim that he
event and formed a memory of it, that colleagues note that longitudinal stud- had multiple personality disorder.
memory does not change.” 15 experts ies are needed to provide evidence for Harris had been arrested as he
disagreed and 1 responded “Don’t a causal link between trauma and dis- came out of a nursing home where he
Know/Unclear.” sociation. had assaulted a disabled resident.
Hypnosis: 55.4% agreed that “hyp- This longitudinal study examined DNA evidence also ties him to five
nosis is useful in helping witnesses the quality of 56 low-income chil- other assaults on elderly women in the
accurately recall details of crimes.” 14 dren’s early care and childhood sexual, past two years. He became known as
experts disagreed and 2 responded physical, or verbal abuse as predictors the “twilight” rapist because most of
“Don’t Know/Unclear.” of dissociation when they were young the attacks occurred just before dawn.
Unexpected Events: 77.5% agreed adults. Trauma was indexed by state- Harris’s attorney had entered a
that “people generally notice when documented maltreatment, self- plea of not guilty by reason of insanity
something unexpected enters their reports, and interviewers’ ratings of the but he said he was not surprised at the
field of view, even when they’re pay- participants’ stories. Quality of care verdict. “I tried the best defense I
ing attention to something else.” 13 was measured by observer ratings of could. . . I tried a Hail Mary defense.”
experts disagreed and 3 agreed. mother-child interactions. The One doctor who examined Harris
These beliefs show a misunder- researchers used the Dissociative testified: “I’ve never seen any worse
standing of the way that memory Experience Scale to measure dissocia- depiction of someone being mentally
works. The authors mentioned that tion. ill. To me, he just looked goofy.” Not
they were disappointed because “many Eight percent of the participants only did Harris never tell anyone in or
of the ideas we tested refer to scientif- were rated as experiencing childhood out of the family about multiple per-
ic findings that have been established sexual abuse, twenty-one percent sonalities, he was also taped talking to
for decades.” They point out that jurors experienced physical abuse; thirty-one a girlfriend on the telephone bragging
likely also hold mistaken beliefs about percent experienced verbal abuse and to her about the show he put on in
memory and that expert testimony on nineteen percent witnessed serious court with his multiple personalities.
the issues could help to overcome the family violence. The authors note that To support the claim of MPD, the
misunderstandings. The misunder- there was no overlap among those who defense called Dr. Colin Ross who tes-
standings also point to the need for bet- were sexually or physically abused. tified that he believed Harris suffered
ter education about memory. The results showed that a lack of from multiple personalities. Ross
parental responsiveness in infancy sig- based that belief on a personal inter-
nificantly predicted dissociation in view, 35 minutes of which were spent
Does Early Childhood Sexual Abuse young adults. Childhood verbal abuse talking to one of Harris’ four alters.
Predict Dissociation? was the only type of trauma that added Ross also based that belief on three
Not in this Study to the prediction of dissociation. tests that another doctor had adminis-
Dutra, L., Bureau, J, Holmes, B, Lynbchik, The authors comment that because tered, a very unusual procedure. Ross
A., Lyons-Ruth, K. (2009). Quality of of previous literature, they had expect- testified that because dissociative iden-
early care and childhood trauma: A ed that childhood abuse would account tity disorder is in the Diagnostic and
prospective study of developmental path-
for unique variance in dissociative Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
ways to dissociation. Journal of Nervous
symptoms. The authors note the limita- (DSM) that it is “real and valid disor-
and Mental Disease, 197(6), 383-390.
tions of the study and theorize about der.”
FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4 9
The District Attorney asked if 3/sl_twilight_rapist_day2_091411_151920/
Ross had made any attempt to deter- Associated Press (2011, September 14). South
mine if Harris was lying about the wild Texas rape suspect using insanity defense.
Retrieved on October 20,2011 from
stories that he told. He had not. He Update from the Netherlands
http://www.star-
then asked if Ross had personal knowl- telegram.com/2011/09/13/3365552/south- Sometimes I wonder if the Dutch
edge of who actually answered the test texas-rape-suspect-using.html
FMS Group disbanded too soon.
questions. Ross did not. In answering Long, S. (2011, September 20). Harris told In these last few weeks I have spo-
the DA’s questions, Ross admitted that girlfriend he put on a ‘show’ in court. Victoria
Advocate
ken with two lawyers in the who spe-
the diagnosis of MPD (DID) is contro-
cialize in sexual-abuse allegations.
versial. Long, S. (2011, September 21). Twilight rapist
case settled in 10 minutes: Guilty. Retrieved One of them was especially critical of
R. Christopher Barden, Ph.D., J.D.
on October 20 from the atmosphere here. She pointed out
testified: “If something is controversial http://m.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2011/sep/2 several disturbing decisions, one of
it means it’s not generally acceptable.” 1/sl_twilight_rapist_day6_092211_152795/ which I call the Dutch Paul Ingram
He also testified: “Because something Franklin, K. (2011, October 13). Multiple per- case.
is in the DSM doesn’t mean it’s reliable sonality excluded in twilight rapist insanity
Even though the accused was
or should be allowed in a court of law.” case. Retrieved on October 20, 2011 from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/print/76907 finally acquitted by the judge, he was
The DSM is a kind of dictionary or cat-
given the same treatment by the police
alog so psychiatrists are “using the
that Paul Ingram had endured — many
same language.”
months of interrogations. The Dutch
Barden said the number of mental SOME BOOKS OF INTEREST
detectives convinced this man that he
health professionals who tout dissocia- The Trauma Myth: The Truth had repressed abusing his own chil-
tive identity disorder as viable are few About the Sexual Abuse of dren. Then, using guided imagery, they
and far between. “There are a few Children and Its Aftermath started helping him to recover the
pockets of people left who are doing Susan A. Clancy memories; they “helped” him to “break
this. The scientists I know condemn it
Remembering Trauma down the wall” behind which he had
to be the worst kind of junk science
Richard McNally “hidden” these memories. He ended up
and dangerous to the public.
confessing to everything. Only in a
Controversial and experimental theo- Science and Pseudoscience in very late stage did the prosecutor call
ries should not be allowed to contami- Clinical Psychology in LEBZ (the Dutch expert group on
nate the legal system.” S. O. Lilienfeld, S.J. Lynn, J.M. Lohr complex sexual abuse allegations),
The Judge ruled these disorders
Psychology Astray: which tore apart the interrogation pro-
are controversial and are not generally
Fallacies in Studies of “Repressed cedure that had been applied by the
accepted in the scientific community.
Memory” and Childhood Trauma police. For me, this is an infuriating
He ordered the jury to disregard the
Harrison G. Pope, Jr., M.D. case; I simply do not understand why
testimony of Colin Ross.
these detectives have not been prose-
Admission of MPD evidence has Remembering Our Childhood: cuted and locked up for willfully pro-
swung back and forth in the courts. How Memory Betrays Us voking a false statement.
This case is another in which a trial Karl Sabbagh
judge did not allow the evidence. An A Day of Remembering
Making Minds and Madness:
interesting appeal level case in which
From Hysteria to Depression The horror of the attack
dissociative identity disorder was ruled
Chapter 3 The pain and anguish
to be a generally accepted diagnosis, “A Black Box Named Sybil” The helplessness in loss
also stated that its applicability to the Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen The abandonment and rejection
issue of criminal responsibility was
Try to Remember: Psychiatry’s Crying out for justice and mercy
problematic and that such testimony Two towers fell:
was not helpful to jurors. (State v. Clash Over Meaning, Memory,
Your mother,
Greene (139 Washington. 2d 64), the and Mind
My daughter.
Washington Supreme Court). Paul McHugh, M.D.
From the ashes, a mother’s love
Long, S. (2011, September 13). Defense The Ravages of False Memory and forgiveness.
claims multiple personality disorder in Brigitte Axelrad You are forever missed, always loved
Twilight Rapist case. Retrieved on October 20, and never forgotten. Mom
20011 from Sybil Exposed
http://m.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2011/sep/1 Debbie Nathan
10 FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4
Unimaginable Loss leability of memory. Is there no jus- breakfast that lasted four hours. We
tice? Is there no accountability? laughed, cried and reminisced.
Never seeing my family again is
“The great enemy of the truth is very In fact, we met one more time
my greatest fear. Losing a child is a
often not the lie—deliberate, contrived and before I left her state. The second
parents’ greatest fear: but losing all dishonest—but the myth—persistent, per- meeting included my two now-grown
eight members of your family in a mat- suasive, and unrealistic.” John F. Kennedy grandchildren.
ter of months—unimaginable. This is A devastated Mom and Grandmother. Since that visit, my daughter and I
my story.
have kept in telephone communica-
The nightmare began Friday,
tion. On my first call I said: “Let’s just
February 19th 2007 with a phone call Too Poor to Confront Remorse
kick the elephant out of the living
that changed our lives. It was not the
I want to share an email I sent to room and get on with our lives.” We’ve
phone call in the middle of the night
my daughter on 9/11 with Newsletter let it go at that and I feel good about it.
that any parent with a teenager dreads;
readers. I sent it to her after attending But I can’t imagine what I would
but it was a phone call in midday that
church where the sermon was on for- have done without FMSF. Thank you.
signaled the beginning of the end of a
giveness. One of the concepts present- A very happy mother
loving relationship between a closely
ed was:
knit family—father, mother, daughters
“Too poor to pay”
and grandchildren. At the time, I was Diane Lackey Brooks
Debt forgiven.
unaware to the full extent of the Makes Video Available
My daughter is a returner, not a
tragedy that was about to unfold.
recanter. I am not able to totally accept In the 2011 FMSF Summer Newsletter,
It has been five long years since I
her without remorse on her part but the article about Diane Lackey’s lawsuit
have seen my children and grandchil-
after 10 years have decided to forgive included a remarkable excerpt from a
dren, and I have learned that the say- therapy session. Diane has made the
her as I understand that she is “too
ing, “Time heals all things,” is not nec- four-minute video from that session
poor” in her psychological state to con-
essarily true as was recently confirmed available: See
front what she has done.
by the heartbreaking interviews of https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=3dada09
A Mom
those who lost loved ones during 9/11. 2a844d022&id=3DADA092A844D022
When asked about their feelings %21395
Kick the Elephant Out
regarding the discovery and killing of
Osama bin Laden, relatives recounted Our family was devastated in 1994 In addition, the complaints in that case
their daily remembrances of loved when our second daughter came and are now available on the FMSF Website
told us we were allowed no communi- in the Legal Section (Retractors)
ones reaffirming that even victory over
Lackey v. Baker - Complaint
evil could not erase their pain of loss. cation. Not too long after her bomb-
Lackey v. DePaoli - Complaint
I remember losing my mother to shell, church leaders who employed
cancer when I was twenty-three and her husband as a pastor removed him
thinking how unfair, and then the grief from his church and pastorate. My The Rutherford Family Speaks to
of losing my father to the ravages of daughter and her husband then moved FMS Families
Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s the memory to another state.
The DVD made by the Rutherford
thief. And now, the terror of recreated My husband died in 1999 when he family is the most popular DVD of
memories has torn our family apart. was seventy-six. I am now eighty-five FMSF families. It covers the complete
Stripped our children and grandchil- and live in an assisted living program. story from accusation, to retraction and
dren away like thieves in the night. Not In 2010, after 16 years, my daugh- reconciliation. Family members describe
disease, not violence—no way. No, ter sent me a letter telling about her the things they did to cope and to help
something more insidious—the unsci- family and their life. She wrote that she reunite. Of particular interest are Beth
entific practices and techniques of wished she could see me. That was Rutherford’s comments about what her
what I call a “God-Wink” because I family did that helped her to retract and
some therapists playing with the mal-
return.
called her immediately and said that
A Blog Worth Reading my friend and I were leaving the next Available in DVD format only:
Issues of MPD week on an Amtrak trip to her state. I To order send request to
FMSF -DVD, 1955 Locust St.
http://churchmousec.wordpress.com/ said that she should tell me where we
Philadelphia, PA 19103
could meet. $10.00 per DVD; Canada add $4.00; other
http://jeanettebartha.wordpress.com/ She arrived a half hour early at the countries add $10.00
author/jeanettebartha/ restaurant where we met and had a Checks payable to FMS Foundation
FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL2011 Vol. 20 No. 4 11
NEW JERSEY
Web Sites of Interest Sally 609-927-4147 (Southern)
www.seweb.uci.edu/faculty/loftus/ NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque - 2nd Sat. (BI-MO) @1 pm
Elizabeth Loftus CONTACTS & MEETINGS - Southwest Room -Presbyterian Hospital
www.theisticsatanism.com/asp/ UNITED STATES Maggie 505-662-7521(after 6:30pm) or Sy
Against Satanic Panics 505-758-0726
ALABAMA
comp.uark.edu/~lampinen/lab.html NEW YORK
See Georgia
The Lampinen Lab False Memory Reading Group, Upstate/Albany Area
ALASKA
University of Arkansas Elaine 518-399-5749
Kathleen 907-333-5248
NORTH CAROLINA
http:/www.exploratorium.edu/memory/ ARIZONA
Susan 704-538-7202
The Exploratorium Memory Exhibit Phoenix Pat 480-396-9420
OHIO
ARKANSAS
theretractor.angelfire.com/ Cleveland
Little Rock Al & Lela 870-363-4368
Site for retractors run by Laura Pasley Bob & Carole 440-356-4544
CALIFORNIA
www.process.org/ OKLAHOMA
Sacramento
Site of Investigative Journalist Oklahoma City
Jocelyn 530-570-1862
Dee 405-942-0531
www.psyfmfrance.fr San Francisco & North Bay
OREGON
and Charles 415-435-9618
Portland area
www.afsifrance.org San Francisco & South Bay
Kathy 503-655-1587
French False Memory Groups Eric 408-738-0469
PENNSYLVANIA
East Bay Area Judy 925-952-4853
www.psychoheresy- Covina Area
Wayne (includes S. NJ)
aware.org/ministry.html Jim & Jo 610-783-0396
Floyd & Libby 626-357-2750
The Bobgans question Christian counseling UTAH
COLORADO
Keith 801-467-0669
http:/www.IllinoisFMS.org Colorado Springs Doris 719-488-9738
WASHINGTON
Illinois-Wisconsin FMS Society FLORIDA
See Oregon
www.afma.asn.au Central Florida - Please call for mtg. time
WISCONSIN
Australian FMA John & Nancy 352-750-5446
Katie & Leo 414-476-0285 or
GEORGIA
www.ltech.net/OHIOarmhp Susanne 608-427-3686
Atlanta
Ohio Group Wallie & Jill 770-971-8917
recoveredmemorytherapy.blogspot.com ILLINOIS INTERNATIONAL
Matt Stone’s updates on Australia FMS Chicago & Suburbs - 1st Sun. (MO)
http:/www.bfms.org.uk Eileen 847-985-7693 or BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
British False Memory Society Liz 847-827-1056 Vancouver & Mainland
INDIANA Lloyd 250-741-8941
www.religioustolerance.org/sra.htm Indiana Assn. for Responsible Mental Health Victoria & Vancouver Island
Information about Satanic Ritual Abuse Practices John 250-721-3219
www.angryparents.net Pat 317-865-8913 & Helen 574-753-2779 MANITOBA CANADA
Parents Against Cruel Therapy KANSAS Roma 204-275-5723
Wichita - Meeting as called ONTARIO, CANADA
www.peterellis.org.nz
Pat 785-762-2825 London
Site run by Brian Robinson contains information
about Christchurch Creche and other cases. LOUISIANA Adriaan 519-471-6338
Sarah 337-235-7656 Burlington
www.falseallegation.org MARYLAND Ken & Marina 905-637-6030
National Child Abuse Carol 410-465-6555 Waubaushene
Defense & Resource Center MASSACHUSETTS/NEW ENGLAND Paula 705-534-0318
www.markpendergrast.com Andover - 2nd Sun. (MO) @ 1pm AUSTRALIA
Excerpts from Victims of Memory Frank 978-263-9795 false.memory@bigpond.com
MICHIGAN BELGIUM
www.rickross.com/groups/fsm.html
Greater Detroit Area werkgr.fict.herinneringen@altavista.net
Ross Institute
Nancy 248-642-8077 FRANCE
www.enigma.se/info/FFI.htm MINNESOTA afsi.fauxsouvenirs@wanadoo.frfr
FMS in Scandinavia - Janet Hagbom Terry & Collette 507-642-3630 ISRAEL
www.ncrj.org/ Dan & Joan 651-631-2247 FMS ASSOCIATION fax-972-2-625-9282
National Center for Reason & Justice MISSOURI NEW ZEALAND
www.traumaversterking.nl Springfield - Biannual (4th Sat. of Apr. & Colleen 09-416-7443
English language web site of Dutch retractor. Oct., ) @12:30pm SWEDEN
Tom 417-300-3148 & Roxie 417-781-3929 Ake Moller FAX 48-431-217-90
www.quackwatch.org MONTANA UNITED KINGDOM
This site is run by Stephen Barrett, M.D. Lee & Avone 406-443-3189 The British False Memory Society
www.stopbadtherapy.com NEW HAMPSHIRE Madeline 44-1225 868-682
Contains information about filing complaints. Jean 603-772-2269 & Mark 802-497-1570
12 FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4
Copyright © 2011 by the FMS Foundation
1955 Locust Street Do you have access to e-mail? Send a message to
Philadelphia, PA 19103-5766 mail@FMSFonline.org
Phone: 215-940-1040 Fax: 215-940-1042 if you wish to receive electronic bulletins and notices of radio
mail@FMSFonline.org www.FMSFonline.org and television broadcasts about FMS. All the message need
ISSN # 1069-0484 say is “add to the FMS-News”. It would be useful, but not
Pamela Freyd, Ph.D., Executive Director necessary, if you add your full name (all addresses and names
will remain strictly confidential).
FMSF Scientific and Professional Advisory Board
November 15, 2011
Aaron T. Beck, M.D., D.M.S., University of Pennsylvania, The False Memory Syndrome Foundation is a qualified 501(c)3
Philadelphia, PA; Terence W. Campbell, Ph.D., Clinical and Forensic corporation with its principal offices in Philadelphia and gov-
Psychology, Sterling Heights, MI; Rosalind Cartwright, Ph.D., Rush erned by its Board of Directors. While it encourages participation
Presbyterian St. Lukes Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Jean Chapman,
by its members in its activities, it must be understood that the
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Loren Chapman, Ph.D.,
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; Frederick C. Crews, Ph.D.,
Foundation has no affiliates and that no other organization or per-
University of California, Berkeley, CA; David F. Dinges, Ph.D., son is authorized to speak for the Foundation without the prior
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Henry C. Ellis, Ph.D., written approval of the Executive Director. All membership dues
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; Fred H. Frankel, and contributions to the Foundation must be forwarded to the
MBChB, DPM, Harvard University Medical School; George K. Foundation for its disposition.
Ganaway, M.D., Emory University of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Rochel ____________________________________________
Gelman, Ph.D., Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; Henry
Gleitman, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Lila This is the final FMSF Newsletter. In 2012, the FMSF will send
Gleitman, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA;
shorter and more frequent electronic news bulletins. These will be
Richard Green, M.D., J.D., Charing Cross Hospital, London; John
Hochman, M.D., UCLA Medical School, Los Angeles, CA; David S.
collected and mailed four times during the year to those without
Holmes, Ph.D., University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS; MA; Robert A. Internet access.
Karlin, Ph.D. , Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; Elizabeth
Loftus, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, CA; Susan L. McElroy,
M.D., University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH; Paul McHugh, M.D.,
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Harold Merskey, D.M., Your Contribution Will Help
University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; Spencer Harris
Morfit, Author, Westford, MA; Ulric Neisser, Ph.D., Cornell University, PLEASE FILL OUT ALL INFORMATION
Ithaca, NY; Richard Ofshe, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, PLEASE PRINT
CA; Emily Carota Orne, B.A., University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA; Loren Pankratz, Ph.D., Oregon Health Sciences __Visa: Card # & exp. date:_________________________
University, Portland, OR; Michael A. Persinger, Ph.D., Laurentian __Discover: Card # & exp. date:_____________________
University, Ontario, Canada; August T. Piper, Jr., M.D., Seattle, WA;
Harrison Pope, Jr., M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; __Mastercard: # & exp. date:________________________
James Randi, Author and Magician, Plantation, FL; Henry L. (Minimum credit card is $25)
Roediger, III, Ph.D. ,Washington University, St. Louis, MO; Carolyn __Check or Money Order: Payable to FMS Foundation in
Saari, Ph.D., Loyola University, Chicago, IL; Michael A. Simpson,
U.S. dollars
M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., M.R.C, D.O.M., Center for Psychosocial &
Traumatic Stress, Pretoria, South Africa; Ralph Slovenko, J.D., Ph.D.,
Wayne State University Law School, Detroit, MI; Jeffrey Victor, Ph.D., Signature: ______________________________________
Jamestown Community College, Jamestown, NY; Hollida Wakefield,
M.A., Institute of Psychological Therapies, Northfield, MN; Charles A. Name: _________________________________________
Weaver, III, Ph.D. Baylor University, Waco, TX.
Address:________________________________________
Advisors to whom we are grateful who are now deceased.
Robyn M. Dawes, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA; State, ZIP (+4) ___________________________________
Martin Gardner, Author, Norman, OK; David A. Halperin, M.D.,
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY; Ernest Hilgard,
Ph.D., Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA; Philip S. Holzman, Ph.D.,
Country: ________________________________________
Harvard University, Cambridge; Harold Lief, M.D., University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Martin Orne, M.D., Ph.D., University Phone: (________)_______________________
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Campbell Perry, Ph.D., Concordia
University, Montreal, Canada; Theodore Sarbin, Ph.D., University of Fax: (________)________________________
California, Santa Cruz, CA; Thomas A. Sebeok, Ph.D., Indiana
University, Bloomington, IN; Margaret Singer, Ph.D., University of
California, Berkeley, CA; Donald Spence, Ph.D., Robert Wood Johnson
Medical Center, Piscataway, NJ.
Thank you for your generosity.
FMS Foundation Newsletter FALL 2011 Vol. 20 No. 4 13
