A Case Study on Drug-Assisted Psychotherapy and Recovering and Retracting Beliefs of Abuse

We present the case of a man, JK, who initially came to believe during therapy that he had been abused by his father, but later repudiated this claim. We had access to JK’s clinical records, including detailed notes from a psychiatrist who had intensively treated him. In total, we analyzed and coded 143 documents, including therapy notes, with two primary aims: (1) to examine the veracity of JK’s retraction narrative, and (2) to identify factors relevant to the formation of false beliefs or memories. The records indicated that JK underwent narcoanalysis intended to uncover repressed memories, during which the psychiatrist used suggestive techniques to elicit memories of abuse. As a result, JK came to believe that he had been abused by his father in childhood. Later, after reading a newspaper article discussing the potential for psychiatrists to implant false memories, JK retracted this belief. This case study offers insight into the complex processes by which traumatic experiences can be both recovered and subsequently retracted, highlighting the potential influence of therapeutic techniques and external information on memory formation.