Richard J. McNally, Harvard professor of Psychology, contends that traumatic experiences are indeed unforgettable and the evidence for repressed memories is surprisingly weak.

Remembering Trauma, video and podcast:
http://forum.wgbh.org...

Richard J. McNally, Harvard professor of Psychology, contends that traumatic experiences are indeed unforgettable and the evidence for repressed memories is surprisingly weak.

Remembering Trauma, video and podcast:
http://forum.wgbh.org...

It's worth following the work of Elizabeth Loftus, who is now a member of the National Academy of Science and a CSI Fellow (nee csicop).

She investigated this relatively new - and suspicious - field of psychology for CSI in 1995 and wrote her findings in the Skeptical Inquirer as the article Living Dangerously.

She followed up in 2002 with a case study of one Jane Doe, (Who Abused Jane Doe?
The Hazards of the Single Case History). Her conclusion: Jane Doe may have been sincere, "recalling" memories which were invented and reinforced by the patient's psychologist and/or legal team, but the team has much to account for, and this is not a persuasive case for memory repression theory.

What did she get for her efforts? A professional ethics complaint and lawsuit that was finally settled out of court last year.