What is “False Memory Syndrome”?
False memory syndrome (FMS) is the term coined for the apparent recollection of events that did not take place, and which often occurs in psychotherapy sessions. Traumatic events, such as abuse, are those which are generally referred to in the context of false memory syndrome. Recovered memory therapy is a term used to describe the situation in which a mental health professional can lead patients to remember things that were forgotten, or perhaps altogether false. There is a degree of controversy surrounding false memory syndrome, led on one side by those who believe that such memories are in fact false, and on the other side by those who claim that people who have committed abusive acts are using FMS to discredit allegations against them. Much of the controversy over FMS stems from the fact that the memories in question are said to be repressed and not remembered again until adulthood, long after the event takes place. In a typical example, an adult remembers an event such as childhoo
