I have posted before about Genesis Associates and am now posting more of the documentary about their controversial techniques. This time detachment is the focus of the clip. I believe this documentary is so important as a cautionary tale regarding expressive therapies – such as recommended by Richard Cohen and the Mankind Project.
It is a long (over 8 minutes) but an important clip demonstrating that unfounded ideas can lead to harmful effects.
6 thoughts on “Divided Memories: Genesis Associates and Detachment”
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This whole discussion remains so black and white.
On one side people claiming that recovered – or re-remembered memories are completely unreliable and practically never correct.
On the other side people seeing sexual abuse behind every curtain, and being ready to accept sexual abuse as one of the most important ills of this society.
I tend to think the actual answer is somewhere in the middle. That false memories have certainly been implanted, and done a truck load of damage. That unethical therapists have split up families, and implanted memories. Maybe those therapists had honorable intentions, but the results where devestating.
I also believe that sexual abuse happens – and that it happens in many shades of grey. From the extreme sexual assault cases, to adults who doesnt set correct boundaries around their own sexuality in the home, but still dont actually molest the children.
I also believe that some people forget traumatic experiences, or push them aside to a time better suited to deal with those experiences. Such memories might appear later in a person’s life. It does get dangerous if the memories have been suggested from a person in authority. That doesnt necessarily disqualify all recovered memories.
Furthermore in the cases where there is actual trauma I think expressive therapies can assist in a lot of healing. Its just about finding the right balance when we use such methods.
Now – why such polarized discussions? Why not take the best from all sides of the arguments?
Anyways – I enjoyed the video clip. Maybe you can post more of the show?
Scarey.
Agreed, parents are easy targets.
Narcissism in service of unmet maternal wishes and dependency strivings. Psychotherapy as rebirthing provides a “rush” for the therapist as well as the client.
Severe mental illness, alcoholism and domestic violence create systems where children become “soothing agents” to impaired adults. Thousands and thousands of repetitions of these “soothing behaviors” become deeply incorporated in the child’s problem-solving style at a time when their personality development is quite fluid.
Eventually these repetitions settle into neuronal pathways that were adaptive in childhood, but poorly matched for adult relationships.
Dilemma for the therapist is how to get the person to risk new behavior in the now that is more adaptive to current interactions.
@David Blakeslee:
Thanks for commenting on this. It is an important documentary. I am going to post more soon and then some of the rest of the story. Yes, they recommended detachment for everyone according to the lawsuits…
While there are clearly people who are attached to narcissistic parents, there are some who had average parents held to an impossibly high standard (or even a possibly high standard). Therapists really need something to attribute present day troubles to and parents and their mistakes provide easy targets. The Genesis Associates removed parents and set themselves in their place. Talk about narcissism…
I am afraid this post is going to be overlooked…
Big issue in my work; wounded people still dependently attached to poorly attuned, narcissistic parents…experience abandonment terror at the thought of individuating.
Long and difficult work to build ego strength, face parental limitations and aggressions; set limits and have, probably, a more distant relationship.
Detachment from spouse and children who are not abusive? This is odd.