Return of the Furies: An Investigation Into Recovered Memory Therapy

Pointing out that they "became actively involved in defending victims of child abuse long before it had become fashionable or lucrative," Wakefield and Underwager thoroughly investigate the practitioners, patients, and literature in this exploding field. Drawing heavily upon the cases of more than 200 retractions of child abuse charges, they show that thousands have been falsely accused. They look closely at the claims that "therapeutic truth" is more important than "research" and put their fingers on the logical and practical errors of such an approach. The theory of repression has no scientific supporting evidence, they contend, and they tell the story of the division in the American Psychological Association over this question, the breakaway of the more scientifically oriented psychologists, and the remaining group's failure to discipline nonscientific practitioners. Although most therapists believe they are doing good, Wakefield and Underwager argue that science and practice show that much of their work is not only harmful but destructive to accuser, accused, and society as a whole. William Beatty