Lawrence Pazder
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Pazder (April 30, 1936 - March 5, 2004) was a Canadian psychiatrist
and author. Pazder is known for discredited autobiography, Michelle Remembers
published in 1980, that he co-wrote with his patient (and eventual wife) Michelle Smith, and for his involvement in the satanic ritual abuse
moral panic
.
, on April 30, 1936, and completed his undergraduate medical training at the University of Alberta
in 1961. and received a diploma in tropical medicine from the University of Liverpool
in 1962, practicing medicine in Nigeria
from 1962 to 1964. Pazder returned to Canada in 1964 and completed his psychiatric training at McGill University
in 1968. During his professional career, Pazder worked at two Victoria, British Columbia
hospitals in addition to his private psychiatric practice. Pazder saw patients at his private psychiatric practice in Victoria up until his sudden and unexpected death of a heart attack in March 2004.
Pazder considered himself to be a devout Catholic
. As part of his church activities Pazder founded the Anawim Companions Society in Victoria to provide a day home for people in need as a result of poverty. Pazder also had an interest in African religions and religious ceremonies.
Pazder and his first wife Marylyn had four children together and were married for many years until he developed a relationship with his patient Michelle Smith. Court documents filed in the divorce proceedings indicated that between March 1977 and June 1979 Pazder disappeared with Smith (co-author of Michelle Remembers
) for lengthy periods of time. In 1979 after a rejected attempt at annulment
, Pazder divorced his first wife and later married his former patient and co-author, Smith.
Pazder died in his home of a heart attack
on March 4, 2004.
to help Smith recover memories of alleged satanic ritual abuse
that allegedly occurred in 1954 and 1955 when Smith was five years old at the hands of her mother (Virginia Proby) and others, all of whom were members of a Satanic cult in Victoria. As Pazder believed he was on the verge of uncovering a vast satanic conspiracy, he eventually would spend many hours at a time treating Smith over a 14 month period. So convinced of the problem of satanic ritual abuse, Pazder and Smith travelled to the Vatican
in 1978 to alert the Catholic church about the previously unknown dangers to children posed by Satanic cults worldwide. The chronicles of Pazder's therapy with Smith and the subsequent memories she recovered were detailed in the book that they co-authored Michelle Remembers. Michelle Remembers was the first published survivor account of alleged satanic ritual abuse and was a publishing success earning Pazder and Smith a $100,000 hard-cover advance and $242,000 for paperback rights.
After the publication of Michelle Remembers, Pazder was considered to be an expert in the area of satanic ritual abuse. With the sudden emergence of satanic ritual abuse cases in the 1980s (likely due to the publication of Michelle Remembers), Pazder's expertise was called upon. In 1984, Pazder acted as a consultant in the McMartin preschool trial
. Pazder also appeared on the first major news report on Satanism (broadcast on May 16, 1985), by ABC
’s 20/20. In the report titled "The Devil Worshippers", Pazder discussed the clues that he felt indicated satanic practices. Pazder also took part in first national seminar at which law enforcement were introduced to the satanic ritual abuse of children (in Fort Collins, Colorado, on September 9–12, 1986). Subsequently Pazder was part of the CCIN (Cult Crime Impact Network) and lectured to police agencies about satanic ritual abuse during the late 1980s along with other speakers such as Mike Warnke
. By 1987 Pazder reported that he was spending a third of his time consulting on satanic ritual abuse cases. By September 1990, Pazder had been consulted “in more than 1,000 ‘ritual abuse’ cases”.
Pazder is credited with coining the term 'ritual abuse' to describe the type abuse that Smith alleged. At a professional conference in Richmond, Virginia in 1987, Pazder defined ritual abuse of children as "repeated physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual assaults combined with a systematic use of symbols and secret ceremonies designed to turn a child against itself, family, society and God." Pazder noted that "the sexual assault has ritualistic meaning and is not for sexual gratification." Pazder described the perceived satanic problem as "The pure group of ‘orthodox satanists’ is never seen or identified in public, yet it is this group of invisible satanists who plant the seeds and encourage all the more visible satanic groups."
Further investigations into the allegations made in Michelle Remembers found no evidence to support them. Pazder himself stated in a 1990 interview with The Mail on Sunday
newspaper, that whether the events described in Michelle Remembers actually occurred was less important than Smith believing that they occurred.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and author. Pazder is known for discredited autobiography, Michelle Remembers
Michelle Remembers
Michelle Remembers is a book published in 1980 co-written by Canadian psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his psychiatric patient Michelle Smith. A best-seller, Michelle Remembers was the first book written on the subject of satanic ritual abuse and is an important part of the controversies beginning...
published in 1980, that he co-wrote with his patient (and eventual wife) Michelle Smith, and for his involvement in the satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse refers to the abuse of a person or animal in a ritual setting or manner...
moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
.
Background
Pazder was born in Edmonton, AlbertaEdmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, on April 30, 1936, and completed his undergraduate medical training at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
in 1961. and received a diploma in tropical medicine from the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
in 1962, practicing medicine in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
from 1962 to 1964. Pazder returned to Canada in 1964 and completed his psychiatric training at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in 1968. During his professional career, Pazder worked at two Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
hospitals in addition to his private psychiatric practice. Pazder saw patients at his private psychiatric practice in Victoria up until his sudden and unexpected death of a heart attack in March 2004.
Pazder considered himself to be a devout Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
. As part of his church activities Pazder founded the Anawim Companions Society in Victoria to provide a day home for people in need as a result of poverty. Pazder also had an interest in African religions and religious ceremonies.
Pazder and his first wife Marylyn had four children together and were married for many years until he developed a relationship with his patient Michelle Smith. Court documents filed in the divorce proceedings indicated that between March 1977 and June 1979 Pazder disappeared with Smith (co-author of Michelle Remembers
Michelle Remembers
Michelle Remembers is a book published in 1980 co-written by Canadian psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his psychiatric patient Michelle Smith. A best-seller, Michelle Remembers was the first book written on the subject of satanic ritual abuse and is an important part of the controversies beginning...
) for lengthy periods of time. In 1979 after a rejected attempt at annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
, Pazder divorced his first wife and later married his former patient and co-author, Smith.
Pazder died in his home of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on March 4, 2004.
Michelle Remembers and satanic ritual abuse
In 1973 Pazder first started treating a woman named Michelle Smith at his private psychiatric practice in Victoria. In 1976 when Pazder was treating Smith for depression (related to her having had a miscarriage), Smith confided she felt that she had something important to tell him, but could not remember what it was. Shortly thereafter, Pazder and Smith had a session where Smith screamed for 25 minutes non-stop and eventually started speaking in the voice of a five year old. Pazder eventually used hypnosisHypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
to help Smith recover memories of alleged satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse refers to the abuse of a person or animal in a ritual setting or manner...
that allegedly occurred in 1954 and 1955 when Smith was five years old at the hands of her mother (Virginia Proby) and others, all of whom were members of a Satanic cult in Victoria. As Pazder believed he was on the verge of uncovering a vast satanic conspiracy, he eventually would spend many hours at a time treating Smith over a 14 month period. So convinced of the problem of satanic ritual abuse, Pazder and Smith travelled to the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
in 1978 to alert the Catholic church about the previously unknown dangers to children posed by Satanic cults worldwide. The chronicles of Pazder's therapy with Smith and the subsequent memories she recovered were detailed in the book that they co-authored Michelle Remembers. Michelle Remembers was the first published survivor account of alleged satanic ritual abuse and was a publishing success earning Pazder and Smith a $100,000 hard-cover advance and $242,000 for paperback rights.
After the publication of Michelle Remembers, Pazder was considered to be an expert in the area of satanic ritual abuse. With the sudden emergence of satanic ritual abuse cases in the 1980s (likely due to the publication of Michelle Remembers), Pazder's expertise was called upon. In 1984, Pazder acted as a consultant in the McMartin preschool trial
McMartin preschool trial
The McMartin preschool trial was a day care sexual abuse case of the 1980s. Members of the McMartin family, who operated a preschool in California, were charged with numerous acts of sexual abuse of children in their care. Accusations were made in 1983. Arrests and the pretrial investigation ran...
. Pazder also appeared on the first major news report on Satanism (broadcast on May 16, 1985), by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
’s 20/20. In the report titled "The Devil Worshippers", Pazder discussed the clues that he felt indicated satanic practices. Pazder also took part in first national seminar at which law enforcement were introduced to the satanic ritual abuse of children (in Fort Collins, Colorado, on September 9–12, 1986). Subsequently Pazder was part of the CCIN (Cult Crime Impact Network) and lectured to police agencies about satanic ritual abuse during the late 1980s along with other speakers such as Mike Warnke
Mike Warnke
Michael Alfred "Mike" Warnke is a Christian evangelist and comedian. With the success of his books and recordings, Warnke became one of evangelical Christianity's best-known experts on the subject of Satanism before his claims of having been a Satanist high priest were discredited in 1991 by the...
. By 1987 Pazder reported that he was spending a third of his time consulting on satanic ritual abuse cases. By September 1990, Pazder had been consulted “in more than 1,000 ‘ritual abuse’ cases”.
Pazder is credited with coining the term 'ritual abuse' to describe the type abuse that Smith alleged. At a professional conference in Richmond, Virginia in 1987, Pazder defined ritual abuse of children as "repeated physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual assaults combined with a systematic use of symbols and secret ceremonies designed to turn a child against itself, family, society and God." Pazder noted that "the sexual assault has ritualistic meaning and is not for sexual gratification." Pazder described the perceived satanic problem as "The pure group of ‘orthodox satanists’ is never seen or identified in public, yet it is this group of invisible satanists who plant the seeds and encourage all the more visible satanic groups."
Further investigations into the allegations made in Michelle Remembers found no evidence to support them. Pazder himself stated in a 1990 interview with The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
newspaper, that whether the events described in Michelle Remembers actually occurred was less important than Smith believing that they occurred.