MAKING MONSTERS

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately a book that's very much needed
Review: "Making Monsters" is a book about a controversial subject - recovered memories. This was a favorite subject for psychoanalysts in the 80's, during the wave of "Satanic ritual abuse" crimes that were reported. That none of these alleged crimes were ever proven mattered little to those who believed in this new theory - many of them appearing on numerous talkshows, or writing trash books like "Michelle Remembers."

I believe there are a lot more people who have been victimized and traumatized by attention-hungry psychotherapists than by Satanic cultists. Like I said in the title of my review, this book is unfortunately very much needed. If this book has the impact on society it deserves, it will make itself obsolete.

Rating:
Summary: Much Ado About Nothing, Redux
Review: "Making Monsters" is a book about a controversial subject - recovered memories. This was a favorite subject for psychoanalysts in the 80's, during the wave of "Satanic ritual abuse" crimes that were reported. That none of these alleged crimes were ever proven mattered little to those who believed in this new theory - many of them appearing on numerous talkshows, or writing trash books like "Michelle Remembers."

I believe there are a lot more people who have been victimized and traumatized by attention-hungry psychotherapists than by Satanic cultists. Like I said in the title of my review, this book is unfortunately very much needed. If this book has the impact on society it deserves, it will make itself obsolete.

Rating:
Summary: Pop psychology or reality?
Review: After reading the pros and cons of various other readers, I decided to read this myself to see the debate first hand.

First and foremost, forgetting things, even extremely tramatic things, happens all of the time. Amnesia is a fact of life. People get it. This is a recognized psychological condition and some of the time it is without physical trama. Maybe a lot of the time. But, you do not need to be hit on the head to block out or forget things which happen. As a member of the human race, I would not be sane if "time didn't heal all wounds". I remember crying for months when my grandmother died when I was 12. I was devastated. My mother died 8 months ago and if I could not separate from the pain of that, I would be on the street because I could not work and would have been evicted long ago.

The point is, what the author is trying to argue is that this is all false memories and none of this could happen to anyone. Conspiricy thoeries are arguments that they HAVE to be fake because it is not possible for any of the stories to be true. And I suppose we all believe that the Kennedy assination was the work of a lone gunman? It is physically impossible to conclude that the couple of bullets from the window of that book depository could have done all of the damage and killed Kennedy although this is the story most believe. I have been reading the arguments of proponents of "false memory syndrome" for years and, as another points out, if it is real, why is it not recognized by the psychiatric community? Just like it HAD to be Lee Harvey Oswald who killed Kennedy with no help, there HAS to be a false memory syndrome. Both therories are not supported by much fact. If you can have tramatic amnesia, you can forget abuse in order to go on with life.

On last comment, I had a number of friends, years ago, who had these sorts of memories. None of them wanted them to be true, none of them asked for it and, from everything they told me, none of their therapists employed the techniques questioned by the author but had recovered memories. I suppose they are all wrong to make the author right.

Rating:
Summary: Hard look at recovered memories
Review: For anyone interested in the "recoverd memory" movement, this is a must read. It is well-researched and hard-hitting. It approaches the field with a critical eye, and highlights the damage uncritical acceptance can bring. The stories of families torn apart are heart-breaking, and the stories of therapists engaging in fanciful conspiracy theories are chilling.

Rating:
Summary: False Therapy
Review: I highly recommend this book as there can never be too many books on this topic to get the word out.

I have first hand experience on this subject. I was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, which had to do with marital problems. They were akin to the movie - The War of Roses, and I was just barely surviving. I went to a clinical psychologist for about 8 sessions. After about the 6th session, I noticed that she kept digging and digging for something specific, when nothing was there.

Out of the blue, she told me about a lady who had repressed her memory and that her father had raped her years ago. Personally, my Dad was the best and I could not understand why she was bringing this up.

Realizing that I was getting nowhere fast, I finally asked her if perhaps she could recommend a book. A broad, smile overcame her in which she was only too happy to recommend one. Judith Herman - Trauma and Recovery. I could barely skim through the feminist garbage but managed to skim and realized right away what my psychologist was up to. I even went to 2 more sessions to confirm my belief. She not only didn't address my problems, which was bad enough in itself, but was trying to allow me to fabricate a victim.

You have no idea how it is to be ill, asking for help, borderline suicidal and to have to go through this added torture. It would be like going to a physician 8 times for a cancer lump and the doctor relentlessly suggesting it's due to somtbody in your life, but you have to come up with a name.

My heart and prayers go out to women or anyone else in deep pain and having these doctors use these devious methods.


Rating:
Summary: Pop psychology or reality?
Review: So, Heartland, false memories and manipulation by crusading therapists are baloney? So all the incredible stories that have been claimed by the supposed victims must be true? So there must be a huge national network of Satanists sacrificing thousands of babies and leaving not a single shred of physical evidence anywhere? Wow. Thanks for your deeply thought-out insight.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Critique of the Repressed Memory Movement
Review: This book made me think about the power of therapy and the power of therapists. While Ofshe focuses the book on repressed memory and multiple personality disorder (MPD), he makes a clear argument about the many possible negative effects on clients/patients who enage in therapy with unqualified clinicians (or those who have lost sight of the reality & practice of ethical therapy, Dr. B. Braun). I do not believe everything that the authors have written in this book; however, their attempt to scrutinize and understand a very controversial phenomenon is commendable. They obviously did extensive research and present a good argument, but their biases are clear. There are many good reasons to read this book... to understand biases of authors, clinicians, the controversy of repressed memory and MPD, and the possible negative consequences of working with unqualified therapists. Our society stereotypes and belittles people with mental illnesses, as well as the many people who treat them. Yet, there are many successes found in the field of psychotherapy. Just don't look to this book for a positive respresentation of psychology professionals. This book highlights a current controversy in the mental health world. While it may appear to attempt to demean all therapy, don't let it. Read this book as critically as Ofshe wrote it and remember it is NOT about all therapy, therapists, or mental health professionals. And take note: empower yourself if you are a client and if you are a therapist, remember your ultimate responsibility is to your clients' well-being and mental health -- 1st rule: Do No Harm.

Rating:
Summary: Expose of another New Age "therapy" concoction.
Review: What is called "psychotherapy" has been under fire these days, at long last. "Disorders" such as "Multiple Personality Disorder" and its variations have been questioned even by the profession who created them; the tendency, from the movements of the '60s, I suppose, to make victims of those who claim that status, based not on evidence but on "recovered memories" and one of its more devestating, if not comical manifestions "Satanic Ritual Abuse" (SRA) have been challenged. This book offers a fine, well-researched challenge.

The victimology phenomenon has been a media gold mine. Someone finds that--usually she--had been sexually abused by dad, bro', or Uncle Bert--something she found out with the "help" of her "therapist"--and goes to the TV news. The mere abuse grows as does the celebrity and the income of the alleged victim, into unspeakable horrors. But, for something so uncanny and bizarre, for shame, no evidence is available! That doesn't impede overzealous prosecutors and courts from filling yet another jail cell indefinitely.

I guess what amazes me is that some people don't see through the rubbish that has ruined families, sent countless innocent people to jail terms, and sent some overzealous police (who should be locked up!) on wild goose chases, wasting the public's--yes YOUR--money to do so.

This book exposes much of that, finally.

It does have its amusing portions, like the revelation that the author of "Michelle Remembers" and the alleged victim whose story is the content of the book, good Christians, I'm sure, left their spouses after doing the "research" that led to the book and lived happily ever after. Another couple of families down the drain in the search for celebrity.

Then there's the other best sellers written by people with no psychological expertise or training, just their hearts in the right place. Yeah...

But by and large the book should frighten the reader, and incite him or her to do something about it.