ABSTRACT
This chapter must be the most controversial of all the case studies examined. The therapist Marche Isabella told Holly that sometimes bulimia is a consequence of childhood sexual abuse. Gradually during the sessions, Holly reported detailed memories of 12 years of horrific abuse that she had suffered at the hands of her father Gary Ramona. These revelations split the family apart, led to a sensational court case and brought into the public eye the concept of repressed memories. Academics and therapists confronted each other over the evidence - disputes that continue unabated to that day. Protagonists on both sides of the argument about the existence of repressed or dissociated memories have received hate letters and even death threats. Most psychologists would agree that every memory involves a process of reconstruction, and therefore involves some degree of distortion. The research that demonstrates that it is possible to retrieve false memories is compelling and the consequences of false memories are indeed profound.
