Today I’m talking with Lynn Crook, author of “False Memories: The Deception that Silenced Millions.” After suffering sexual abuse as a child, she sued her parents for damages and won, which led her down the investigation path that inspired her book. Today, she’s here to speak loud about encouraging survivors to speak publicly about their experiences, and combating shame with compassion.
Uncovering Repressed Memories
Lynn was the oldest of six children who were all molested. Her father forced her to repress the memory after punishing her for talking about it, and over her young lifetime, she eventually forgot about it completely. It wasn’t until 40 years later when Lynn was working in a sexual abuse response center that the memories started to resurface in panic attacks and flashbacks.
It took Lynn months to speak about and accept what had happened to her, but when she did, she decided to sue her parents for damages due to sexual abuse. She had the means to go to court and wanted to make the world safer, eventually winning her case. However, her interest turned to the concept of ‘false memories,’ which her parents tried to use in their defense—attempting to claim that Lynn’s memories were made up.
Disproving False Memories
After the trial, Lynn’s excitement from winning died down as she heard more and more people talk about ‘false memories.’ People didn’t believe her or sided with her parents, showing her firsthand the impact of the false memory campaign. Over the next decade, Lynn dedicated herself to investigating false memory claims, and deducted that it was a complete scam.
Lynn told the story of how the false memory campaign began and decided to put it in her book, believing that if people were able to read it, then they would learn more about how child molesters try to silence their victims. “You believed that?” Lynn will say now. “Really?” Her passion project has now evolved into her published book, after she spent 3 years compiling all the information she had learned over the decade.
Living with Confidence
Lynn shares that her panic attacks have now stopped, but the childhood trauma will be there for the rest of her life. She says that it’s up to the individual to find the tools that work for them in order to live a life that’s not impacted by shame or fear. For her, that’s seeing her therapist regularly and making sense of things through journaling.
Lynn wants readers of her book to gain confidence in coming out about what happened to them—even if someone chooses not to believe them. With that confidence, she hopes people will be able to share their story, awful as it was, and start to stop it.
Listen to learn more about where the false memories movement started, the role of women and spouses with child molesters, and what makes Lynn feel empowered today.
Resources Mentioned
Join Me on Speak Loud Platform
Speak Loud Podcast on the web
Connect with Lynn on her website
Purchase “False Memories” on Amazon
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