47. VBT in History (1980s): Satanic Panic and Recovered Memory Therapy

A satanic panic in the early 1980s culminated in the McMartin Preschool abuse trial, the then-longest and most expensive criminal trial in American history. The trial centered around 359 allegations of ritualistic satanic child abuse and concluded with zero convictions and a new understanding of the unreliability of recovered memories.  The satanic panic has subsided, but its indirect effects are still present today in how therapists work with childhood trauma.

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Show Notes:

• Conviction of Things Not Seen: The Uniquely American Myth of Satanic Cults
• Michelle Remembers (Wikipedia)
• Proof Lacking for Ritual Abuse by Satanists
• The Dark Truth About the "Dark Tunnels of McMartin"
• Interviewer's Methods Seen as Key Issue in Preschool Case
• The Most Dangerous Idea in Mental Health
• Recovered Memories
• Interview with Dr. Loftus: Does Repressed Memory Happen?
• 'Some days I think I was molested, others I'm not sure': inside a case of repressed memory
• Ground Lost: The False Memory/Recovered Memory Therapy Debate
• Very Bad Therapy: Website / Facebook / Tell Us Your Story