London - Recovered memory syndrome, in which people "remember" childhood sexual abuse while undergoing therapy, was described yesterday as largely a myth. A report, commissioned by the royal College of Psychiatrists, accuses therapistsof implanting memories of abuse through "questionable" psychological techniques.
since 1993, nearly 1,000 families in Britain say they have been falsely accused of sexual abuse after adult children "recovered" memories. But the new research says there is no evidence that memories can be "blocked out" by the mind and then recovered later.