Product Code Database
Lawrence Pazder (April 30, 1936 – March 5, 2004) was a Canadians psychiatrist and author. Pazder wrote the discredited biography, Michelle Remembers, published in 1980, with his patient (and eventual wife) Michelle Smith, which claimed to detail satanic ritual abuse.
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 heart failure on March 4, 2004.
After the publication of Michelle Remembers, Pazder was considered to be an expert for the topic of satanic ritual abuse. With the sudden development of satanic ritual abuse cases during the 1980s (likely due to the publication of Michelle Remembers), Pazder's supposed expertise was requested. 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 television series 20/20. In the report titled "The Devil Worshippers", Pazder discussed the clues that he felt indicated satanic practices. Pazder also participated in the 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.
Pazder is credited with coining the term 'ritual abuse' to describe the type of 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 alleged that "the sexual assault has ritualistic meaning and is not for sexual gratification." Pazder claimed that "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 and satanic ritual abuse is considered to be a moral panic.
|
|
