ABSTRACT
Everyone agrees that memory is fallible. It is important to examine the false memory issue at its most basic level. Clearly, prolongation and irrational elaboration of memory are at the heart of posttraumatic stress disorder. Memory is not made of facts; it consists of developmentally perceived and construed precepts. Eating disorders and other forms of self-injury are and can serve as somatic memory, revealing that certain past experiences require processing and metabolizing. Most clinicians reasonably practice with an understanding of these basic precepts about memory; however, there are voices, currently being heard loud and clear in the media, that represent a rather reactionary position. A therapist convicted of inducing false memories can lose livelihood, reputation, professional accreditation, and huge sums of money awarded in damages. The so-called false memory syndrome represents a backlash. The mental health field should not, and cannot, be intimidated away from practicing sound psychotherapy.
