Many of our clients who were sexually abused as children do not recall the abuse until much later in adult life. This is often referred to as “repressed memory” or dissociative amnesia. Clients who have this condition are frequently abused as children by a close family member, close friend, or person in authority for a long period of time. The trauma is so significant that the memory is placed in a small corner of the mind and not recalled until later in life. When the memories begin to appear, oftentimes in the late-twenties or early- thirties, the individuals often begin to understand what has been happening in their all along. You need to know that mental health professionals are sharply divided as to whether there is such a thing as repressed memory.