Histria Books is proud to announce the release of the updated edition of The Assault on Truth by internationally acclaimed author and scholar Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, published under the Histria Academic imprint, which is dedicated to groundbreaking works of scholarship across disciplines.
In 1896, Sigmund Freud stunned the medical world with his “seduction theory,” boldly asserting that childhood sexual abuse was the root cause of many adult psychological disorders. Yet less than a decade later, Freud abruptly reversed his position, declaring such memories to be fantasies—a dramatic retreat that has shaped the course of psychoanalysis ever since.
Why did Freud abandon his own discovery? And why has the psychoanalytic establishment worked so tirelessly to obscure this crucial turning point in its history?
With unparalleled access to sealed papers from the Freud Archives, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson pulls back the curtain on this controversy in The Assault on Truth. Candid, uncompromising, and deeply researched, Masson exposes the uncomfortable truths Freud could not face and the lasting consequences of his decision to turn away from the reality of childhood trauma.
Upon its initial publication, The Assault on Truth ignited international debate, making Masson both a pariah within psychoanalysis and a celebrated independent thinker. This new edition reintroduces a work that remains as urgent and provocative today as when it first appeared—shedding light not only on Freud’s legacy but also on how society grapples with trauma, denial, and truth.
Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson has led an extraordinary intellectual journey. Once groomed to be a spiritual leader (as chronicled in his memoir My Father’s Guru), he went on to become a professor of Sanskrit at the University of Toronto before training as a Freudian analyst. As Projects Director of the Freud Archives, he uncovered explosive documents that changed the narrative of psychoanalysis forever. Speaking out about his findings led to his departure from the field—but also to a celebrated career as a writer on subjects ranging from psychoanalysis to the emotional lives of animals. Masson now resides in Sydney, Australia, with his wife, pediatrician Leila Masson, and their family.
The Assault on Truth is a fearless, essential work that challenges readers to reconsider the foundations of modern psychology and the cost of silencing uncomfortable realities.
