Since the late nineteenth century explanations of sexual trauma have i
nvoked unconscious mental mechanisms of forgetting. Memories have been
seen as submerged only to be therapeutically recovered. Explanations
and related therapies have tended to be either hotly advocated or decr
ied, not the least were those of Janet and Freud. Once again there is
a vigorous debate surrounding the status of recovered memories. This p
aper was undertaken to contribute to reasoned and balanced dialogue by
exploring an historical dimension. There is a renaissance of interest
in the oeuvre of Janet. In this article Janetian sources are examined
in which he criticised Freud's views on sexual trauma and elaborated
his own position, a position which is yet significant today.