Stephanie Soo

Turns out it's funded by the False Memory Syndrome Foundation.

And everyone will take this paper at face value without realizing that they got paid a fat fee for it.

I mean, I think there is no doubt that hypnosis can create a state of suggestibility.

I don't think anyone is arguing that.

I also do think that the power of suggestion, and I do think memory is a wishy-washy thing in the sense of

I think no one has an airtight memory.

I think you could remember someone wearing a red shirt, but it was a blue shirt.

But overall, most people and most psychiatrists agree that typically the gist of what happened, you do have a strong grasp on that, especially for traumatic events, especially for anything in particular that is of importance.

I'm not doubting that the power of suggestion can be huge on humans, but I'm not sure how it implants full blown memories of prolonged childhood abuse that coincide with other major life events that people have.

I mean, I tend to agree with this one netizen who sums it up very well.

And they write, here's what my therapist told me about quote unquote false memories.

Memories that are completely made up and have no basis in reality, they can exist.

They can.

but must be repeatedly and continuously reinforced in order to be maintained.

And false memories cannot give you trauma.

You would not have trauma responses without the trauma.

For example, if someone tells you over and over and over again that you were in a really bad car accident, but you just don't remember it,

your brain can convince you that you can remember such a thing and you could probably even visualize it.

But it wouldn't make you scared of driving.

It wouldn't give you flashbacks of an accident that never happened.