An article on repressed memories by feature writer Bruce Grierson appeared in the Sunday July 27th 2003 edition of The New York Times Magazine.**

The article, "A Bad Trip Down Memory Lane", is available from the New York Times website at a cost of $2.95.

The article focuses on a young Harvard researcher, Susan Clancy, who designed a memory experiment in an effort to disprove the validity of repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse. For the experiment, she recruited subjects whose memories are, in her opinion, patently false: "experiencers" of alien contact.

Clancy's opinions are expected to be countered in the article by such noted researchers as Harvard's Daniel Brown, Ph.D., Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. (both of whom are expected to defend the idea that repression of traumatic experiences is a natural, common process), and John E. Mack, M.D. (who will argue that while no one can honestly say if aliens are or are not real, "alien encounters" are external provocations _of some kind_, and are justly covered in the DSM-IV as "spiritual emergences" due to the life-changing effects these experiences have on people. Mack will argue that to attempt to use a real, albeit not yet completely understood, phenomenon to discredit two sets of people whose memories are considered by some to be impossible or unlikely is irresponsible, and does harm to the people who know their experiences are true.

However, despite the inclusion of some comments by these figures, Clancy's opinions are expected to dominate the article, and readers may wish to respond to any shortcomings by sending the New York Times Magazine a letter to the editor. Such letters should be succinct. Please try to be respectful to all the people involved.

New York Times Magazine
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letters@nytimes.com