An Unbalanced Balancing Act: Blocked, Recovered, and False Memories in the Laboratory and Clinic.

Abstract

In their overview of relevant clinical and laboratory research, Cleaves et al. (this issue) downplay laboratory evidence concerning false memories and exaggerate laboratory support for blocked and recovered memories of trauma. They also exaggerate clinical evidence for blocked memories of trauma, while downplaying the very real possibility of false memories. The result is an unbalanced view of the literature on trauma and memory that, if left uncorrected, will deepen the split between science and practice and further undermine the status and autonomy of clinical psychology as a profession.