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I became the victim of one of his most violent crimes, and repressed the memories for 43 years until 2005. Dickinson meticulously planned a gang rape in my honor several days in advance. My life was derailed. I told no one — not even the rapist. Confronting Dickinson would mean acknowledging to myself that the rapes had actually occurred … too horrible for my conscious mind to accept, and at that time, the words drugged or raped never occurred to me. I forced myself into denial, refusing to believe it ever happened. The mind rejects whatever it deems as “unimaginable”. More on that later.1
There is a general defense mechanism that seems to explain all others to one extent or another. That defense mechanism is repression. All defense mechanisms involve a blocking of information from awareness. With the specific defense mechanism of repressed memories, the information is from one’s past. The quote above is from an individual who experienced horrific trauma, repressed it, and then recovered it later.
Freud rejected his earlier notion of widespread sexual abuse as fantasies. He simply could seem to deal with the implications. Later, therapists and shrinks in their exuberance, implanted many false memories through suggestion into their patients. As a result, many psychologists, completely rejected the notion of repressed memories. When what they should have learned is to be very careful, and to understand the issue in great detail. Part of the duty of a physician is, “first, do no harm.” This is also the duty of a shrink. By rejecting out of hand, the possibility of repressed memories, there are folks who will be harmed. I’ve seen a number of folks who thought “something might have happened,” but as far as I can tell nothing did. This is not generally how truly repressed memories emerge.
One also has to be very careful with the use of hypnosis in the recovery of repressed memories. This can easily implant false memories. That said, a very competent psychologist may help someone to recover memories in a very objective and sensitive way.
Nearly all psychologists will admit that people have psychological defense mechanisms. However, the concept of repressed memories is much more controversial….probably with good reason. You see, memory is not static…meaning it is not like a movie that is played back. It runs through the filter of the mind, emotions, and life experiences. It is susceptible to suggestion. Such as, “You remember him touching you, don’t you.” Patient responds “maybe….yes I think I do…” And comes to believe that this imagined event really happened.
Now, apart from the fact that memory is subject to suggestion, people REALLY DO have the capacity to repress memories. I can’t tell you the precise circumstances that are needed, it is an interaction of individual personality characteristics and the situation. Many people worry that, “Maybe something happened to me that I don’t remember.” I tell them, “Maybe, but don’t worry about it. If it is important that you remember, you will. If not, then you won’t. Trust your unconscious mind.”
I’ve seen it unfold in my office. Piece, by piece, the memory comes back as the emotion attached with each level of repression is released. Usually this is when there is a general knowledge of a ‘fact’ that something happened, but no memory for any specific details. As the emotion is released at each level, there is a deepening of experience and recall of more details. This unfolds in the safest way as dictated, determined, and seen as needed by the unconscious mind. I don’t press or suggest things to these patients…I’m just there to listen, empathize, and support. It unfolds on its own, and occurs only if needed to help the patient overcome their difficulties.
Now there have been times when repressed memories from the “infantile” stage of development come out in symbolic form in a dream. I remember one patient who dreamed of “squeezing” down a well and was attacked by 3 alligators. I told her, “They used forceps during your delivery at birth.” She had no conscious knowledge, or memory of this, as nobody does. She had never been told anything about this by her mother. However, she checked with her mother, and sure enough, it had occurred.
I don’t worry about, or focus on recovering repressed memories in treatment. I follow the patient’s needs. If it is needed, it will occur…I trust the unconscious mind of the patient. You see, God has created us with incredibly self protective minds…that also have self-corrective properties that can be utilized. I trust that completely.
Emotions are expressed one way or another. They are either expressed directly, or indirectly. In graduate school, they teach that the cathartic theory of Freud is completely incorrect with respect to anger. In other words, they teach that expressing anger always increases anger problems. While they are right for people who have genuine problems with managing their anger, they are incorrect for people who “over manage” their anger. Some people learn that anger is dangerous, prohibited, wrong, and should not be expressed in any direct way. As I said before, they way that people express their anger is largely learned.
People who overmanage their anger tend to be anxious, and/or experience a number of physical difficulties (pain, headaches, worries, obsessive thoughts, compulsions). One of the roles of anxiety is inhibition. It inhibits aggressive impulses. I have seen a number of people become socially anxious as they begin to manage their anger more appropriately. This social anxiety serves a positive purpose, and that is to inhibit the expression of anger. People may experience several years of social anxiety as they learn different ways to express themselves appropriately. I don’t try to take this away when it occurs, because I recognize the beneficial purpose. That is, inhibiting agression. A person often has to learn how to express themselves in appropriate ways in order to overcome a significant anxiety disorder.
That said, when a person feels anxious, there is often an unconscious anger component. When this component is identified, the person no longer feels anxious. The fact of the matter is, a person cannot feel anxious and angry at the same time. They are incompatible emotions. The idea of cathasis was around before Freud, but I will focus on the the famous case explored by Breuer and Freud…Anna O.
It was eleven years later that Breuer and his assistant, Sigmund Freud, wrote a book on hysteria. In it they explained their theory: Every hysteria is the result of a traumatic experience, one that cannot be integrated into the person’s understanding of the world. The emotions appropriate to the trauma are not expressed in any direct fashion, but do not simply evaporate: They express themselves in behaviors that in a weak, vague way offer a response to the trauma. These symptoms are, in other words, meaningful. When the client can be made aware of the meanings of his or her symptoms (through hypnosis, for example) then the unexpressed emotions are released and so no longer need to express themselves as symptoms. It is analogous to lancing a boil or draining an infection. (1)
Now, what I have found is catharsis only works with repressed emotion. Those emotions that are blocked from awareness. This doesn’t work with people who have insufficient repression (aggressive individuals). This works with individuals who inhibit or block awareness of their emotions. Academic researchers have overgeneralized from research that show that for angry individuals expressing anger…they become more angry and practiced at expressing their anger. However, in my experience, cartharsis applied to emotions that are blocked from awareness through repression….it resolves the symptom.
Most often, people need to learn that it is ok to say “no” and to express that they are angry. This is for people that have learned that anger is unacceptable. Once they learn this, there is often a reduction of anxiety and psychophysiological complaints that take the place of the expression of anger.
(1). Retrieved from wikipedia (http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/freud.html).
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