Some psychologists claim that when children are sexually abused, they may dissociate which is the defense mechanism. The victims blocked out the memory in order to protect themselves from pain. Suppressing a memory involves a conscious effort to not think about it. Repressed memories on the other hand happen without free will in response to traumatic events and can take years for the memory to fully resurface. I suppose suppressed memories are legit and have a solid proof of, but I am a little bit skeptical about repressed memories. I believe that childhood sexual trauma are unique in altering memories because there has been studies that indicate that extreme stress or trauma can cause physical changes in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal
