Page "Satanic ritual abuse" Paragraph 8

In 1980 the book, Michelle Remembers, written by Michelle Smith and husband / psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder, was published.

The book, now discredited, was written as an autobiography and was the first known claim linking the abuse of children with Satanic rituals.

Pazder was also the individual responsible for coining the term " ritual abuse ".

It provided a model for allegations of SRA that followed.

On the basis of the book's success, Pazder developed a high media profile, gave lectures and training on SRA to law enforcement, and, by September 1990, had acted as a consultant on more than 1, 000 SRA cases, including the McMartin preschool trial.

Prosecutors used " Michelle Remembers " as a guide when preparing cases against alleged Satanists. Michelle Remembers, along with others portrayed as survivor stories, are suspected to have influenced later allegations of SRA and the book has been suggested as a causal factor in the later epidemic of SRA allegations.