Re: Recovered memory
I know how you feel, loftus75. We've got a whole lot of people reading posts and not contributing.
I don't have a lot of experience or training on this topic, and the first question that sprung into my mind while reading your article was: What are the practical therapuetic implications of this information?
Obviously, it means that clinicians should proceed with caution in this territory, but I'm not sure how that would manifest itself in session. If a client/patient brings up a memory, what are we supposed to do? It seems like "reality testing" the memory or checking other available evidence has the potential to alienate the client/patient (i.e. "My therapist thinks I'm making this up.", "My therapist thinks I'm crazy and that I've manufactured this memory.") and thereby corrupt the therapuetic alliance. On the other hand, accepting the memory at face-value seems unacceptable because of the impact on the other people involved.
What generic advice would you offer to clinicians when a client raises a memory of this nature?
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