"[…] Although the prevalence of false memories of child abuse in child care centers was largely exaggerated, the "witch hunt narrative" continues to be kept alive by some media, academic, and textbook discussions about dissociation and child abuse. Researchers who have analyzed textbooks have consistently concluded that much of the information about child maltreat-ment, child abuse memories, and DDs is inaccurate, biased, sensationalized, and/or not empirically based (Brand et al., 2019a; Kissee et al., 2014; Wilgus et al., 2015). Undergraduate and graduate psychology textbooks typically include relatively little coverage about TRDs and DDs, and many include factually inaccurate or sensationalized information rather than evidence-based research (Brand et al., 2019a; Wilgus et al., 2015). Some authors of psychology textbooks only present research that shows that memories can be in-accurate, failing to present research that documents that delayed recollections of child abuse are as likely to be accurate as they are inaccurate (Dalenberg, 1996, 2006; Williams, 1995). In fact, many of the most prominent authors who previously challenged the accuracy of delayed recollections of abuse have recently admitted they are now "open to the possibility that some recovered memories are genuine" (Lynn et al., 2014, p. 23). Recent reviews of this debate are available (e.g., Brand et al., 2017a, 2017b, 2018; Dalenberg et al., 2012, 2014; Lynn et al., 2014; Merckelbach & Patihis, 2018).
In a climate where many academics and textbooks tend to present sensationalized portrayals of DDs and only one side of the debate about the accuracy of child abuse memories, there is less open-minded discussion, training, and research about child abuse and its im-pact, including dissociation and DDs. One impact of this biased presentation is that people who have already been victimized in childhood and/or adulthood may suffer longer with TRD, poor quality of life, and a host of other sequelae of trauma. They are also at risk for encountering mental health and health care professionals who challenge the validity of their symptoms and DD (Nester, Hawkins & Brand, 2022). For example, 80% of Australian patients diagnosed with a DD reported they had experienced skeptical or antagonistic attitudes from clinicians about their DD diagnosis or dissociative symptoms (Leonard et al., 2005).
Survivors of childhood abuse often experience disbelief, being blamed for the abuse, or a lack of compassion and/or protection if they have the courage to reveal the abuse. For example, 52% of women who revealed to a parent that they were being incestuously abused in childhood reported that the abuse continued for 1 year or longer after disclosure (Roesler & Wind, 1994), and many received reactions that blamed them rather than the abuser (McTavish et al., 2019; Roesler & Wind, 1994; Romano et al., 2019).
Trauma survivors should not encounter damaging reactions when they seek assistance from the very professionals who are supposed to help them, not further compound their distress."
-- The Finding Solid Ground Program Workbook: Overcoming Obstacles in Trauma Recovery. 2022. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med-psych/9780197629031.001.0001
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