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In this guide to memory and illusion Phil Mollon manages the difficult task of detailing scientific and clinical research whilst giving clear summaries and checklists that are useful for psychotherapists. There are many clinical examples, some drawn from his own experience and others - psychoanalytic, psychological and physiological sources including reports and cases - drawn from both historical and new material.
In addition, the book is very readable and most sides of the debate in this complex area of work are examined. It is also a useful source of contemporary research from many different sciences. The themes in this book include: trauma and false memory, implicit and explicit memory and neuropsychological factors; multiple personality dissociative disorder; repression, implicit memory and dissociation; experience of remembering and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder); hypnosis; Freud and recovered memories (very good summaries of Freud's classic cases: psychotherapy students could be advised to buy this book for this section alone); hypnosis and drugs; true and false narratives in psychoanalysis; evil, cults and ritual abuse; guidelines, summaries and lessons of the debate; and general principles of treatment and management.
There is far too much material in this book to cover extensively in a review. I have chosen, therefore, to concentrate upon the subject of repression and dissociation because this is an important issue for many psychotherapists. Mollon summarizes the complexity of this issue:
Differences between dissociation and repression
Dissociation involves an alteration in consciousness; repression does not.
Dissociation involves splitting of consciousness, whereas repression involves splitting of the mind.
Dissociation is directly observable, either by the patient or the therapist; repression is inferred.
Dissociation evolves commonly, but not exclusively, in response to exogenous trauma, whereas repression applies more commonly to internal conflicts.
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