Table Of ContentCopyrightedm,s:rrial
MAKING
MONSTERS
This One
MAKING
MONSTERS
False Memories, Psychotherapy,
and Sexual Hysteria
Richard Ofshe
and Ethan Watters
UNIVERSITYOFCALIFORNIAPRESS
Berkeley • LosAngeles
UniversityofCaliforniaPress
BerkeleyandLosAngeles,California
Copyright©1994byRichardOfsheandEthanWatters
Allrightsreserved,includingtherighttoreproducethisbookorportionsthereof
inanyformwhatsoever.
FirstPaperbackPrinting1996
PublishedbyarrangementwithScribner,animprintofSimon&SchusterInc.
DESIGNEDBYERICHHOBBING
ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Ofshe,Richard.
Makingmonsters:falsememories,psychotherapy,andsexual
hysteria/RichardOfsheandEthanWatters.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-520-20583-9(pbk.:alk.paper)
1. Falsememorysyndrome. 2. Recoveredmemory. I. Watters,
Ethan. II. Title.
RC455.2.F35037 1996
616.85'822390651-dc20 95-49014
CIP
Thepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsof
AmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciences—Permanenceof
PaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSIZ39.48-1984.©
Copyrigritedmalerial
Forourparents,
with whom wesharecherishedmemories
Copyrightedmaterial
Contents
Preface ix
Introduction l1
1. The Myths ofMemory 11c?
2. EffortAfter Meaning t!>
3. Symptoms ofPseudoscience AS
4. Creation ofthe Abuse Narrative 02
5. Investmentin Belief 1IV0/7/
6. Life with Father 173
7. Hypnosis and theCreation ofPseudomemories 11J7
8. TwoCases ofHypnotic StoryCreation 155
9. Reason and Darkness:The Strange Stories ofSatanicAbuse 117/7/
10. Multiple Personality Disorder:The Creation ofa Sickness 205
11. Therapyofa High Priestess 225
12. The Murder, theWitness, andthe Psychiatrist 253
13. Deaths in the Family 273
Conclusion:TheEtiologyofRecoveredMemoryTherapy 289
Afterword:RecoveredMemoryTherapyinPerspective 305
Appendix:ThreePapers 325
Notes 333
Bibliography 343
Index 353
Preface
Wehavewritten thisbookasabitterdebatehas ragedoverthepractices
ofrecovered memory therapy and the treatmentofmultiple personality
disorder. Accordingly, this work is part applied social science and part
dispatches from the front lines ofa growing controversy. Ourgoal is to
prove beyond doubt that devastating mistakes are being made within
certain therapy settings. By relyingon thepublished works ofrecovered
memorycliniciansforthebulkofourevidence, we intendtoshowthat
these mistakes are notbeing made by aberrant clinicians but by a sub-
stantial group oftherapists who have created a movement replete with
scholarly and how-to books, conferences for clinicians, journals, news-
letters,andaraftofprominentexperts.Thisworkisintendedasanexpose
ofa pseudoscientific enterprise that is damaging the lives ofpeople in
need.
While we have tried, for the most part, to evaluate the recov—ered
memory mov—ement dispassionately, we make no attempt to hide or
apologizefor theangerthatexistsbetweenthelinesofthisbook. Over
thelastseveralyears, aswehaveconductedresearchandwrittentogether
and separately aboutrecovered memory therapy, we have witnessed the
damage this therapeutic enthusiasm has caused to patients and their
families. Theanguishandsadnesswehaveseenhasmotivatedourwork.
WewouldliketothankDr. FrankWattersforhistirelessresearchwork
overthecourseofthisproject. OureditoratScribners, HamiltonCain,
deservesrecognitionforhisguidance, commitment, and vision, asdoes
Bonnie Nadell ofFrederickHillandAssociatesforhersupportthrough-
out. WewouldalsoliketothankMichelle Cottle, ScottJohnson,Laura
Martin, Jenia Walter, Fred Sawyer, and AndrewAttaway for their con-
tributions. PoBronsonandHilaryFoxwerekindandthoughtfulreaders
ofspecial note. We gratefully acknowledge Society magazine for pub-
lishingourarticle, "MakingMonsters" (March-April 1993).
EthanWattersgratefull—yacknowledgesseveralpastandpresenteditors
atMotherJonesm—agazine DougFoster, JeffreyKlein, PeggyOrenstein,
and DavidWeir fortheirunflinchingsupportofhisearlyworkonthis
ix
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X PREFACE
controversial topic. In addition, he would like to recognize the encour-
agement of others over the years, including Ashley Craddock, Charis
Conn, Jim Conklin, Jeff Davis, Sarah Donohoe, Rebecca Ferrini,
Lawrence Gallagher, Jody Hood, Jim Humes, David Robertson, Paul
Tough,SeanWagstaff,andMarkWarren.
RichardOfshewouldlike torecognizeMartinOrne, MargaretSinger,
ElizabethLoftus,and UlricNeisser,whoseworkhasinfluencedhisown
researchandhashadamajorimpactonthedebateoverrecoveredmem-
orytherapy. HealsowouldliketoexpresshisappreciationtotheThurston
CountyProsecutor's Office for retaininghim to analyze the allegations
againstPaul Ingramandtherebygivinghimtheopportunitytostudythe
effects ofrecovered memorytechniques ina unique fashion. He would
alsoliketothankLarryWrightforbringinginternationalattentiontothe
plight ofPaul Ingram. In particular he would like to acknowledge the
patience,understanding,andsupportofBonnieBlairOfshe.
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MAKING
MONSTERS
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Introduction
For nearly a decade a segment of the psychotherapy community has
offered recovered memory therapy to women and a few men suffering
from disorders ranging from depression and headachestoschizophrenia
andarthritis. These recovered memoryspecialists maintain thatpatients
often carryburied memories ofhavingbeen sexuallyabusedaschildren
orinfantsandthatthoseabuses,whilehidden,aretheroottotheircurrent
troubles. Further, these therapists believe that helping their clients
unearth these repressed memoriescan curethedisorderthepatientpre-
sents. This treatment is not specific to one branch of psychotherapy.
Recovered memoryspecialistscomefromthe ranksofpsychiatrists, psy-
chologists, social workers, new-age gurus, marriageand familycounsel-
ors, and those who, without a degree, simply proclaim themselves
"therapists."Becausetherapistsfrommanyschoolsoftherapysharefun-
damentally similarbeliefs in the powerofthe unconscious and in their
ability to retrieve long-banished knowledge, recovered memory therapy
can be found in psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, gestalt, new-age coun-
seling, and many other ofthe two hundred talk therapies thatpopulate
our social landscape.
Unliketreatments intendedtoaid patientssufferingfromtheshockof
rapeorgrapplingwith lifelongmemories ofchildhoodsexualabuse, the
axiom of recovered memory therapy is that the patient will have no
knowledgeofthesexualtraumabeforetreatment. Patientscanbeginthe
therapy with no memories ofabuse and finish—with the beliefthat they
suffered endless horrible molestations or rapes often by their parents.
Recovered memory therapists expect that patients will not only be am-
nesiac forthe trauma in theirpastbutthatthey will alsodisbelieve the
therapist'sinitialsuggestionthattheysufferedsexualassaultsaschildren.
Ingeneral,patientswhocometobelievetheyhaverecoveredmemories
ofchild abuse fall into three categories. The mostcommon example of
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