Freud's Therapeutic Mistake with Jung's Disclosure of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Narrative Lessons in the Do's and Don'ts of Validation

Abstract

Amid the swirling controversy surrounding adult recollections of childhood sexual abuse, the clinical technique of validation is of paramount importance. Helping professionals must be able to give clients the opportunity to share their stories in an atmosphere conducive to the integration of those painful memories into a functional life narrative. This study is a systematic analysis of the life narratives of over 25 “victims” and “survivors” of sexual victimization, including that of Carl Jung. These life narratives of traumatic experiences—some of which are successfully resolved, some are not—illuminate validation in a variety of guises. Concrete therapeutic techniques are discussed.