When it comes to the topic of recovered memories, the fields of psychiatry and psychology appear as a house divided against itself. Many practitioners have stumbled upon at least one credible patient who spontaneously "recovers' long- repressed (forgotten) memories of childhood horror and abuse. The remembering of these incidents, along with expressing the accompanying appropriate emotion, seems to afford the patient the capacity to release toxic feelings and begin a journey of healing.

But along comes a group, the False Memory Society (FMSF), who make a persuasive claim that memory can be altered, tampered with, or even created by people of influence upon suggestible others. The natural byproduct of such claims, of course, is the notion that psychotherapists, intentionally or not, may be guilty of creating "false memories" for their clients. Perhaps worse still, these false memories contribute to serious allegations against parents and other innocent adults of abuse of all sorts, especially sexual.

Granted, some less competent practitioners have encouraged the creation and/or embellishment of accounts of childhood abuse and attracted media attention. The resulting skepticism casts doubt over all recovered memories, genuine or not. Likewise, therapists who have facilitated a client's recovery of legitimately repressed memory have also come under fire.

While resolving this issue is beyond the scope of this book, my intention is to illustrate that the mind, for reasons of self-protection, has the capacity to repress traumatic material, create discrete storage compartments (alter personalities), and tuck away memories forever or until stimulated later in life.

This book also explores other controversial issues within (and without) the mental health field: the concept of true multiple personality disorder (dissociative identity disorder); the existence of devil-worshipping cults comprised of people of money, power, and influence; the spiritual reality of God, Satan, and demonic forces, and the impact of such upon human beings.

My purpose is not to settle controversies but to describe what happened to me and around me--a psychologist

--in the course of treating several similarly afflicted patients.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Yet woven throughout the material is hope, courage, and inspiration.

Although I have changed all names and identifying details of my patients for purposes of confidentiality, the book is based entirely on actual events. I would like to thank these individuals for their permission to share the compelling events of their lives. Here are their stories.