Repressed memories - When are they real? How are they false?

In the repressed memory controversy, there are two distinct issues that arise. One concerns the evidence that real memories can be repressed or dissociated and later reliably recovered. The other issue concerns the extent to which false memories can be planted through suggestion. In addition to discussing these critical issues, we present new findings from a diary study which shows that imagining events differently from the way they actually occurred can affect our recollections of our own autobiography. Implications for mental health professionals are discussed.