Betrayal Trauma: The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse

Jennifer J. Freyd understands the operation of memory in both professional and personal terms. As an academic psychologist, Professor Freyd has researched the psychological processes of memory and the physiological operation of the mind. In Betrayal Trauma, she uses the generally accepted findings of cognitive science to formulate a psychological theory of recovered memory. But Jennifer J. Freyd's interests and involvement in the study of recovered memories is not strictly academic. During her research, Freyd "uncovered" her own memories of childhood abuse. Her parents, who vehemently denied her allegations, have helped found an organization to support others "falsely accused" by individuals with "recovered memories" of abuse. Freyd's personal stake in the subject matter ironically causes her to go the extra mile in maintaining professional objectivity. While partisan detractors of other stripes will likely disagree, most of Freyd's well-written study sticks to the scientific processes that could supply an explanatory basis for forgetting and remembering traumatic experiences. Freyd mostly eschews victimology. She even considers how artificial memories could be the result of bad psychotherapy. Betrayal Trauma outlines a compelling thesis of how memory operates that addresses a controversial topic with great aplomb.