American Hysteria

For part one of our two-part series, we will learn about the lives of some of the most influential abductees and the people who've studied them in order to set the stage for part two, in which we will use every intellectual tool at our humble human disposal to try to better understand what on earth, or off of earth, is going on.Become a Patron today to get access to our follow-up talk show 'Hysteria Home Companion' and much moreHead to truebill.com/americanhysteria to start saving money today American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-SmithSound design by Clear Commo StudiosCo-Researched by Riley SmithProduced by Miranda ZicklerVoice acting by Will RogersFollow American Hysteria on social media:Twitter: @AmerHysteriaInstagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcastFind our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Satanic Ritual Abuse in Space? To get us ready for our two-part series on Alien Abductions, we are talking about the flurry of spurious satanic ritual abuse memories that were unintentionally implanted by therapists during repressed memory hypnotherapy. As it turns out, the majority of stories of alien abductions were also recovered using the same techniques. Join us next Monday for part one of Alien Abductions!Become a Patron and support our show!Check out The Constant: A History of Getting Things WrongFollow American Hysteria on social media:Twitter: @AmerHysteriaInstagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcastFind our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a little more information about our new Patron's-only talk show Hysteria Home Companion, in which producer Miranda Zickler and I dive deeper into the show's current topic and share all the gossip from the cutting room floor as well as a little more of our personal experience with the whole self esteem thing. Our most recent episode focuses on the strange circle that surrounded writer and conservative cult leader Ayn Rand, how she used philosophy to get what she wanted, and like many insufferable people, she only wanted what she couldn't have. We've all known an Ayn Rand.Head to patreon.com/americanhysteria to get access to Hysteria Home Companion and much more!Original music by Emily Westman, check out her work at emilywestmanmusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed host the feelings/movie podcast 'You Are Good'. On this episode, we talk about our own self-esteem, the movies that made us, and break down the secular myths we've created. Sarah is also the host of 'You’re Wrong About', so expect lots of Satanic Panic content too.Become a Patron, a new 'Hysteria Home Companion' is out MondayFollow @youaregoodpod on twitter and InstagramHead to truebill.com/americanhysteria to start saving money todayAmerican Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-SmithSound design by Clear Commo StudiosProduced by Miranda ZicklerFollow American Hysteria on social media:Twitter: @AmerHysteriaInstagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcastFind our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the late 1980s, a New Age America began telling children that they were special, that if they just believed in themselves all their dreams would come true. Not only that, but spiritual seekers and psychologists began making claims that programs in self-esteem could solve all our most pressing national issues, an idea soon supported by law and order conservatives as well. The value of self-esteem as a social savior has settled into our culture as an almost unquestioned truth, but what if it is all based on a lie? Today we follow the long journey of one charismatic leader who knew how to get both sides of the political spectrum onboard with his vision of utopia.Become a Patron! to get access to our follow-up talk show 'Hysteria Home Companion'Head to truebill.com/americanhysteria to start saving money today American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-SmithSound design by Clear Commo StudiosCo-Researched by Riley SmithProduced by Miranda ZicklerFollow American Hysteria on social media:Twitter: @AmerHysteriaInstagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcastFind our merch at americanhysteria.comCheck out Will Storr's book Selfie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This rerelease episode is about America's lifelong obsession with Get Rich Quick magical thinking. It will help us put into context next week's brand new episode called Self-Esteem and the magical thinking behind a movement that promised to solve all of America's ills, inside and out, based entirely on a lie.To listen to Flash Forward, head to flashforwardpod.com or anywhere you get your podcasts!To listen to Morbidology head to morbidology.com or anywhere you get your podcasts!Become a Patron and support our show!Follow American Hysteria on social media:Twitter: @AmerHysteriaInstagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcastFind our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to learn more about the topics covered on American Hysteria, subscribe to our Patreon talk show with myself and producer Miranda Zickler in which we gossip about all the juicy stuff left out of the episodes, share our own experiences with the content, and chat about what else we've been interested in this month. Today we reveal a little more about McKamey Manor and Russ McKamey, talk more on the institution of the haunted house and our own experiences with fear, give you our thoughts on the Elizabeth Holmes trial, and of course, much more.Head to patreon.com/americanhysteria Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk to the wonderful Shar Mayer, a 45-year veteran of Scare Acting known in the haunt community as "The Mother of Monsters".Become a Patron, 'Hysteria Home Companion' starts MondayLearn more about Shar MayerWatch Haunters: The Art of the ScareCheck out Web Crawlers hereAmerican Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-SmithSound design by Clear Commo StudiosProduced by Miranda ZicklerFollow American Hysteria on social media:Twitter: @AmerHysteriaInstagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcastFind our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we'll be talking about the fake-blood-covered history of Haunted Attractions, their raucous origins wrangling violent pranksters, the gory charity haunts that once ruled the scene, and the extreme iterations that still scandalize and fascinate the nation. We ask the burning question: Why do some of us love to be scared?Become a Patron! 'Hysteria Home Companion' talk show coming this month!American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-SmithSound design by Clear Commo StudiosProduced by Miranda ZicklerFollow American Hysteria on social media:Twitter: @AmerHysteriaInstagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcastFind our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This ghostly re-release (with a new introduction) is here to help us fit next week's brand-new episode 'Haunted House Attractions' into a larger American haunted history. Re-listen or listen for the first time, you might be surprised by what the "other side" has to say.Become a Patron and support our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices