The memory retrieval process in incest survivor therapy

Abstract

The resolution of sexual abuse trauma requires the retrieval of memory and the working through of associated affect. This article provides information about amnesia, repression, and dissociation in the aftermath of childhood trauma and about the storage and retrieval of memory, including the necessary conditions for retrieval. Specific strategies are suggested for use according to the phase of the traumatic stress response and according to the needs and defenses of the individual survivor. © 1992 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.