Can experimental memory research adequately explain memory for trauma?

In the debate on memories of traumatic events (especially, childhood abuse) , traumatic memories and dissociative amnesia are central topics. These phe nomena are frequently, described as dissociative memory problems. The aim o f the present article is to assess to what extent memory mechanisms as iden tified in experimental research (such as encoding, storage, and retrieval f actors) are adequate in explaining memories of traumatic experiences. It wi ll be argued that dissociative memory problems can partly be accounted for by processes as identified in experimental laboratory studies, especially d iminished rehearsal, intentional forgetting, encoding specificity, and impl icit memory. A limitation of available experimental studies, however, is th at ethics preclude other designs than inducing artificial, nontraumatic str ess to mostly normal subjects. This research strategy may obscure the exist ence of a possible inverse relationship between stress and memory functions .