Recovered Memories of Child Sexual Abuse: Forgetting to Remember and Remembering to Forget, Part 1: A Perennial Controversy

Abstract

This is the first of three articles on recovered memories of child sexual abuse. The controversy regarding recovered memories of sexual abuse is perennial and numerous clinical studies document the phenomenon. Study designs are variable and a number of methodological issues are explored. The recovery of memory is independent of the veracity of memory and there is consensus among a range of professional organizations that recovered memories are a valid entity. The second and third articles examine various approaches to elucidating the nature of memory and how it is affected by traumatic events.