The Satanic Panic

Hannah and Cameron start this episode off with the story of Pati Burgus. Pat went to see a doctor named Bennett Braun after experiencing signs of depression and fatigue after having children. He quickly convinced her that she was part of a violent Croatian bloodline that worshiped the devil. She was suppressing her memories of abuse as a coping mechanism. Pati luckily stopped following Brauns orders and realized that nothing he told her could possibly be true. Crazy right? But even crazier is the fact that he is still peddling these ideas in 2019. How can these ideas of memory regression and false allegations of Satanic Ritual Abuse still be around today? Now what? Where does the psychiatric world stand on False Memories? And what happened to all those gosh danged Satanic Cults?We answer these questions and look to the future on the final episode of The Satanic Panic.

The Satanic Panic reaches its peak in the eighties with the McMartin preschool trials, when a local preschool is accused of ritualistically abusing the children. In 1983, a mother of one of the children attending the preschool accused one of the workers of sexually abusing her son. She claimed that her son told her that ritualistic acts were performed and supernatural events took place. After the allegations spread like wildfire, social workers and therapists used coercive and misguided techniques to further their ideas. This got the ball rolling on one of the longest and most expensive trials in US history at the time. The decade-long trial cost LA a small fortune and dragged on for years, but was there any truth to it? And what became of those accused?

After the Church of Satan formed in 1966, rural America exploded with rumors of sacrifices and aborted fetus, goat children and blood rites. But it wasn't until Papa Warnke, an ex-High Priest of Satanism, stepped up and confirmed that yes, Satan is living among us, that the Satanic Panic began to solidify.Episode 9 covers the life and rise of the devil's funnyman, Mike Warnke! He was a Christian stand up comedian who made audiences laugh while spreading the word of God. His act consisted of family friendly giggles then the story of past, his life as a high priest of Satan. His claims included war hero turned junkie turned head of a satanic cult. But as his celebrity status increased so did suspicions regarding his past. A Christian magazine journalist uncovered the truth. Join us as we discus how Satan infiltrated rock-n-roll by living through The Beatles album art. Also, corporate america is turned on it's head when a rumor started that claimed the president of Proctor & Gamble gives a large portion of his earnings to the Church of Satan.

On this Episode of The Satanic Panic, Cameron and Hannah discus the book Michelle Remembers by Lawrence Pazder. Michelle Remembers was the book that sparked the uprising of recovered memory and memory regression therapy.Michelle recalls the time in her past when she was ritualistically abused by a satanic cult. These memories and therapy sessions were turned into a best selling book that people devoured. But how much of it was true? We also touch on memory studies by our friend Elizabeth Loftus and explain how our memories can be altered to fit the desires of our therapists. We tend to think of our own minds as steel traps, putting faith in the fact that we know what we know. But with the rise of the False Memory Syndrome, one can't help but wonder just how malleable our memory is.

Episode 7 covers the case of Jude Mirra who was murdered by his mother. She believed that her and her son were being followed by a satanic cult who were ritually abusing him. She justified his murder with pseudo-scientific Facilitated Communication. The message “he” typed to his mother said “I need a lot of drugs to die peacefully…I wish u do it soon.” He was 8 years old, and autistic. This horrible story shows how the diagnosis of MPD can lead to catastrophic events if used to explain sever mental disorders. Multiple Personality Disorder(MPD) is not as clear cut as popular media would have you believe. In this episode we explore the complicated relationship between MPD and Freudian psychoanalysis, and where the psychiatry world stands on MPD today.

On episode 6, Hannah and Cameron tell the true story behind the movie Sybil. Sybil started all the fuss about Multiple Personality Disorder and was based the life of Shirley Mason. Miss Mason was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder after a therapist noticed she would sometime appear to be different people. Sybil was viewed by millions of people over 2 nights in 1976 and led to a huge rise in the diagnosis of MPD. With MPD on the forefront of peoples minds, we begin a fascination with the disorder and a slew of examples from entertainment, media, and news sources. Many people know about Multiple Personality Disorder from movies and shows like Split and Sybil, but how factual are those movies? And where does Multiple Personality Disorder come from?

We kick off Episode 5 with a story from Austin Texas, The Oak Hill Satanic Ritual Abuse case. Fran and Dan Keller owned and operated a daycare center in the Oak Hill neighborhood of Austin Texas and in 1991 their lives changed forever. The therapist of a three-year-old child being treated for behavioral problems due to her parents' divorce alleged that the Kellers had sexually abused the child. The allegations went from sexual abuse to ritual abuse as more children were questioned by social workers and therapists. Allegations of sacrifice, murder, drinking blood, and quick trips south of the boarder had parents paralyzed with fear. But how much is true and when do we stop believing the children and start listening to reason?Fear in American culture led for a push in believing the children, and victims, of sexual abuse. But as well intentioned, and absolutely needed, as that push was, it had unfortunate side effects. From aggressively misguided interview techniques, to a new set of laws that awarded money based on the amount of reported abuse cases, American social workers became a key player in the quickly growing Satanic Panic.

On Episode 4, The Satanic Panic is rising and gaining notice from law enforcement officials. Hannah discusses her favorite "who done it" case from 1988, the murder suicide of Tommy Sullivan and his mother. The police treat this as an open and shut crime committed by a 14 year old boy that was mixed up in Satanic forces. Was it that simple or was there more going on?Facing catch-fire rumors of Satanic cults, law enforcement officials across America tried their hardest to adapt to the situation at hand. Unfortunately their methods and ideology were a little too gung-ho, and their earnest attempts to quell the fire only added fuel.

In 1979, James Dallas Egbert III disappeared from the steam tunnels underneath Michigan State University. He was known to play Dungeons and Dragons with his friends as they acted out the gameplay in the maze of tunnels under the school. When he disappeared, a private investigator discovered clues that lead him to believe that the game had something to do with his disappearance. This lead to a media storm surrounding D & D and it's links to the Occult. Cameron and Hannah discuss how games, toys and cartoons became symbols of the ever-growing fear of Satan indoctrinating children. And with broadcast television becoming more of a reality, and the Church of Satan running amok in that damned San Francisco, it didn't take long for worried churchgoers to launch religious programs to counteract the evil.

On Episode 2 of The Satanic Panic, Cameron and Hannah chat about the life of Anton Lavey and how he created the Church of Satan. From a circus performer to a ghost hunter to the arm candy of Marilyn Monroe, Tony Lavey had a life that many would say was unbelievable. We dive in and decide for ourselves. The creation of the Church of Satan in 1966 sparked rumors of Satanism seeping into the culture of the youth. But what's the truth behind the Church of Satan? Are they really that bad?We also bring the Church into the modern times by explaining the difference between The Church of Satan and The Satanic Temple. Here's a hint: The Satanic Temple isn't appreciated as much as it should be.

On the first episode of The Satanic Panic, Hannah and Cameron discuss the case that started them on this journey. Paul Ingram was a man from Washington State that was sent to jail for the satanic ritual abuse of his two daughters. We discuss the media outcry and what really happened to this family in 1988. Because this is our first episode, we want to inform our listeners about what is to come and explain what the Satanic Panic is. We define it as a mass hysteria in the '80's where people believed that a Satanic Cult was invading America. Many were jailed in the Panic, and families were routinely ripped apart in fear. In this first episode we explore the socio-cultural events that were the roots of the Panic.