Posted by RealMe on September 24, 2007, at 22:25:47
In reply to Realme -, posted by DAisym on September 24, 2007, at 20:49:15
First, I would disagree that therapists are well trained not to be suggestive to the possibility of repressed memories when nothing happened. As someone who is a therapist, I wish I could agree, but I know of just too many therapists who are not at all knowledgeable about abuse.
The other thing is, I think all memories are accessible under the right circumstances. I learned to do hypnosis when I worked with abuse survivors. I even did self-hypnosis. Mostly we used hypnosis to help a person find their safe place. I had several split off parts that I am now aware of, but to this day I do not recall all of my actions. I probably never will, and I don't think it is that important. I did not abuse anyone in this state, just myself and regressed as well. Dissociation, of course memories from this state can be accessble. I can now tell when I start to dissociate and can sometimes stop it, and sometimes I can't. Have I ever had repressed memories? Yes. Was I ever someone who was not aware that I had been abused. No. I always knew I was and recalled quite a bit, just not everything. That has taken therapy, and since the emotions have been disconnected from the events, my T says this is what has to happen, and I resist it. I don't want to go back and feel how I felt when I was being abused, but he says it is playing itself out in the present too, and so it is important to do so. There have been two times in the past four months that I said okay, and did it. But I don't like doing it. It leaves me in a state that makes it hard for me to go to work afterwards.
RealME
poster:RealMe
thread:784620
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20070916/msgs/784996.html