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Issues There are various issues that accompany the use of recovered memory therapy. It has been seen in some court cases where individuals used recovered memories from sessions of recovered memory therapy that individuals were unlawfully accused of a crime. Not only are there accounts of false memories being seen in court cases but in individual cases of people who recovered false memories as well. This is an issue because it diminishes the credibility of recovered memory therapy. Credibility begins to diminish as there are more and more accounts of false memories being recovered. It is also important to note that a lot of the topic on recovered memory is very controversial within the science fields and especially with in the field psychology. It is clear that there is not enough information on the subject. The lack of information makes this subject very hard to understand and creates an issue in regards to how trustworthy and reliable the information is. This in itself is a big issue in regards to this form of therapy.

Along with the issue of credibility and reliability, there are also issues that pertain to an individual’s mental health and well-being. An example of this can be seen when looking at the issue the brain suppressing certain traumatic events in order to protect itself. The constant recollection of traumatic and painful events can be damaging to an individual’s mental health and to the individual emotionally. Therefore, by bringing up accounts of past memories this will potentially subject an individual to emotional trauma that they were not prepared to deal with. Also, it is important to recognize the key role that emotions and mood play within memory. For example, when looking at recovered memories it has been shown that mood plays a role in both impairment and enhancement of the human memory. This creates an issue with recovered memory therapy. This is because if an individual who is undergoing recovered memory therapy has a history of depression or other disorders that affect an individual’s mood then may mean they have impaired memory which would make them more susceptible to have false memories implanted. Also, it has been shown that individuals who have mood disorders process stimuli differently when there is emotional content. Often time recovered memory therapy is used for individuals to remember traumatic events from there past such as sexual abuse. This content is very emotional, therefore if an individual with a mood disorder is undergoing recovered memory therapy it is highly likely that they will process the information differently than an individual without a mood disorder.

Along with those issues, there is the issue of susceptibility of the human memory. Often times whenever people undergo recovered memory therapy they are hypnotized and or sedated with tranquilizers. This is an issue simply because it diminishes the validity of what the individual is saying because the individual is under the influence of either the hypnosis or the tranquilizers. By being under the influence of either tranquilizers or hypnosis this only makes the human memory more susceptible than it already is. This is because people who are under the influence are not totally conscious and this is what makes them more susceptible to false memory implantation.