Author(s): Susan A. Clancy

Health, Illnesses and Our Bodies

Calling for an honest look at sex abuse treatment, Susan Clancy tears down the conventional trauma model, arguing that the healing professions don't allow survivors to speak openly about what they really felt at the time of abuse. After years of research and interviews with victims of sex abuse, memory researcher and trauma expert Susan Clancy noticed a pattern: people were describing sex abuse memories and their experiences being molested in ways that did not fit the conventional trauma model. The most common feeling reported was not fear or panic, but confusion. Drawing on the latest research in memory studies, Clancy argues that children do not understand sexually toned encounters in the same ways that adults do, and as therapists treat survivors of sex abuse, they can actually harm their patients by assuming the event was traumatic at the time. What Clancy discovered in her interviews with survivors of sex abuse is extremely intriguing, controversial, and important for the field of psychology and beyond. She argues that although the incident of sex abuse is significant, the reactions of adults involved in the victim's recovery complicate the feelings and actual memories of the abused. Indeed, Clancy's research shows that children are victimized not only by their abusers but by the very industry that is trying to help them. Clancy argues that telling the truth about what sexual abuse is really like for victims will help those affected by alleviating the shame, guilt and isolation they often feel. "The Trauma Myth" speaks directly to victims, empowering them to tell their stories and seek help. It will also assist mental health professionals to better treat and prevent sexual abuse. Startling, bold, and backed by research, "The Trauma Myth" will become required reading in psychology and will provoke intense discussion and debate for years to come.