Repressed Memories

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Repressed Memories- Myth or Fact?
A repressed memory is the memory of a traumatic event that is pushed to the unconscious brain, where the individual who suffered from the event cannot reach without a form of therapy. The idea of memory repression has been controversial since the 19th century, when Sigmund Freud brought theories of repression to light. After conducting interviews and much research I am a firm believer that the idea of repressed memories is fabricated and holds no truth.
The idea of repressed memories is also known as dissociative amnesia. In a study conducted by Harrison Pope, professor of psychiatry and co-director of the Biological Psychiatry Lab at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital proposed that if repressed memories …show more content…

In an interview with Dr. Nuwan Jayawickreme, assistant professor of psychology, his results concluded that repressed memories do not exist. When asked the question: Do you believe that it is possible to completely repress a memory and then later on in life through therapy rediscover the memory? Dr. Jayawickreme stated that he does not believe that we have memories that we do not have access to and through therapy we can recover them. However, he did mention that when a person suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder they do not like to think about the memory because it is too painful. This does not mean the person repressed the memory and then later in life it will reappear, this means that the person can tell you about the traumatic event but will be very upset and prefer not to talk about it. Dr. Jayawickreme also stated that there is not enough scientific evidence to support the idea of repressed memories. In an interview with an older relative it was evident that the average person does not possess much knowledge on the idea of repressed memories. When asked the question: How much do you know about repressed memories? The peer paused and had to contemplate her answer, and then preceded to speculate that it means a traumatic event that …show more content…

Researchers have debated whether or not therapists are the cause of these false memories. “Just because a memory seems detailed, just because the person seems confident in it, and just because emotion is expressed when the memory is contemplated, does not mean it really happened. (Laney, Loftus 827). This supports the idea that repressed memories are not true and can be formulated with outside help. Although the person may believe in their hearts that once a memory is uncovered it is true, that is not the case. A person can have a memory that never existed and the only reason it is brought about is by being a person susceptible to theories from their therapist as to why they are unhappy in their

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