New Book Alert! Revisiting the Assault on Truth

by Kate McMaugh
It is now 40 years since Jeffery Masson caused a major scandal in the psychoanalytic world with his 1984 book, The Assault on Truth. This book, which ended the psychoanalytic career of its whistle-blowing author, exposed Freud’s attempts to grapple with his patients’ reports of child sexual abuse. While initially believing his clients, he eventually came to believe that their reports were the result of fantasy. This about-face undoubtedly caused deep suffering for many victims, but Masson’s expose was not well-received in many circles.

This recently released book, Contemporary Perspectives on Freud’s Seduction Theory and Psychotherapy: Revisiting Masson’s ‘The Assault on Truth’ does not just revisit this story, it masterfully explores the space of those 40 years since Masson’s book was written, including the ongoing impact of both Freud’s theory as well as Masson’s book.

This collection, edited by two past presidents of ISSTD, Professors Warwick Middleton and Martin Dorahy, brings together the perspectives of a broad spectrum of trauma experts who reflect on Freud’s Seduction Theory, psychoanalysis, and the reality of child abuse. With a forward by John Briere and an opening chapter by Jeffery Masson himself, the book kicks off very well. This is followed by contributions from leading thinkers in the trauma and dissociation field, including many members of ISSTD, such as Jennifer Freyd, Christine Courtois, Richard Kluft, Lynn Crook, Kate McMaugh and Orit Badouk Epstein.

In reviewing the book, Ross Cheit, emeritus professor of Political Science at Brown University, writes ‘This powerful anthology unites diverse voices around the problem of sexual abuse and its denial, and the challenges of therapy. The book raises important questions and gives Masson’s groundbreaking work the recognition it richly deserves.’ The book is available from Routledge and Amazon.

Conference Call for Submissions

The Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT) has announced that the Call for Submissions for the 22nd Hawai`i International Summit, scheduled for April 6 – 10th 2025, is now officially open! This event will be held at the Hawai`i Convention Center in beautiful Honolulu, Hawai`i. This year’s conference theme is The Power of Connections: Uniting Communities for Action.

IVAT has extended an invitation to professionals and experts from all disciplines and philosophies, dedicated to the prevention and intervention of violence, abuse and trauma. This is your opportunity to share your expertise and insights with a global audience.

Submit your presentation abstract today!
Submission deadline: October 18, 2024

Welcome to ISSTD’s New Members in September

Do You Have News ISSTD Members Can Use?

Please share your news with us! We need your help to make News You Can Use a great feature for ISSTD community members. Do you have a book or book chapter coming out about complex trauma or dissociation? Have you received an award for your work in the field? Have you been part of developing a new website or training course? Have you had a chance to develop something creative and unique that you wish to share with others in the field? If so, we want to hear from you! Don’t be shy, submit your news to us so that we can share with other members. (Please be aware: we do not offer book reviews, but a chance to share with others that your book has been published.)

Send to ISSTD News Editor, Alexis Arbuthnott: aeiarbuthnott@gmail.com
Submission Deadline: 20th of the month