— POSITION STATEMENT—

Traumatic Memory

PENNSYLVANIA COALITION AGAINST RAPE
125 North Enola Drive • Enola, PA 17025
717-728-9740 • 800-692-7445 • TTY 877-585-1091 • pcar.org
The mission of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape is to work to eliminate all forms of sexual
violence and to advocate for the rights and needs of victims of sexual assault.
Position:
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape acknowledges the
uniqueness of traumatic memory.
PCAR advocates for a victim/survivor’s right to services
which support healing from traumatic experiences and
for their right to seek and obtain services from mental
health professionals whose practices conform to nationally
recognized standards of care as set forth by professional
associations and state licensing boards.
PCAR supports comprehensive human service curricula
addressing the process of healing and the effects of sexual
trauma on individuals and societies.
Rationale:
The result for many victims/survivors of sexual assault and
abuse is emotional trauma. Victims may cope with this
form of trauma through dissociation, and other coping
mechanisms which impact their memory, thoughts, feelings,
and experiences of the violence/abuse.
This impact of trauma and its impact on memory are widely
recognized by mental health professionals. This includes
the identification of memory distortions as one of the key
diagnostic features of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The delayed retrieval of traumatic memories, accompanied
with psychological distress by military combat veterans has
been the subject of clinical reports since the early part of the
last century.
Background:
The reliance upon a victim’s recovered memory as one
evidentiary element of a criminal and/or civil action has been
controversial since it was first utilized in the courts in the
1990’s. Memory which is remembered either after some period
of time, through a trigger event, therapy, interview, or other
means has been debated as unreliable and described as “false
memory.” As a result, the existence of “traumatic memory”
resulting from a trauma such as sexual assault/abuse has also
been challenged, in professional and public realms.
The debate and confusion caused by these challenges may
cause distress to victims/survivors who experience recovered
memory, and other forms of traumatic injury. This distress
may lead to reluctance by victims/survivors to seek counseling
and other mental health assistance, or confusion as to where
that assistance may be found. Criminal and civil justice
professionals, working with victims/survivors, may advise
them to avoid therapy and other forms of support in order to
minimize the possibility of the creation of “false memories,”
delaying needed mental health intervention.
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape may issue statements
regarding public policy affecting sexual violence victims
and rape crisis centers. All position statements adopted by
the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape will be viewed as
the official position statement, the center, when publicly or
privately voicing oppositions to the statement, will do so in
the capacity of an independent program and in no way as a
member of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.
Last updated June 18, 2013 © Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape 2013. All rights reserved.