Baltimore: Sister Cathy's Psychology of Abuse 1

Foul Play: A Historical True Crime Podcast

Shane L. Waters, Wendy Cee, Gemma Hoskins

True Crime, History, Society & Culture

4.5 • 992 Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2019

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this first installment of a compelling three-part series, our hosts Shane and Gemma examine into the complex psychological terrain of abuse with Dr. Ellen Lacter, an expert on the harrowing effects of extreme and ritual abuse. This episode offers a sobering look at the mechanisms of dissociation, a survival strategy for victims during overwhelming trauma, and how these fractures in consciousness can echo through a lifetime of aftereffects. Dr. Lacter's insights into the psychological responses to abuse, from the body's automatic reactions to the enduring inner turmoil of self-blame, provide a stark backdrop to the ongoing story of Sister Cathy Cesnik's unresolved case.

The conversation takes on an even more profound dimension as it explores the insidious influence of religious authority in perpetuating abuse, a painful thread woven through the dark the history uncovered by The Keepers. Jean Wehner, whose story of survival and search for truth was a focal point of the Netflix documentary, joins the discussion, offering a first-hand account of the devastation wrought by such crimes and the arduous path towards healing.

As Shane and Gemma, together with their guests, work through this difficult but necessary discourse, they also share Dr. Lacter's therapeutic approach. By helping victims reframe their trauma, Dr. Lacter aids in reclaiming the narrative of their lives from the clutches of their abusers. For listeners who are grappling with similar shadows, this episode could be a beacon of understanding and hope.
We invite you to continue this journey with us, as we seek to uncover the layers of trauma and recovery intertwined with Sister Cathy's story. Visit itsfoulplay.com to learn more, share your insights, or find resources if you or someone you know needs help. Together, we keep the conversation going, in pursuit of healing and justice.

Visit us online at itsfoulplay.com Our Sponsors: * Check out Kensington Publishing: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com * Check out Mood and use my code SHANE for a great deal: https://mood.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm going to Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Jimma and I have two special guests today. We have Jean Wainer and Dr. Ellen Lachter.
0:37.0	So everyone remembers Jean. She was of course in the Keepers.
0:41.2	You'll remember her as Jane Doe during the 90s trial
0:43.7	gene you always I feel like you don't really need an introduction.
0:47.4	Gene is aware that the topic we are about to discuss is difficult to hear so she warns the conversation you are about to hear. So she warns that the conversation you are about to listen to is painfully raw and can't help be
0:58.9	upsetting, especially if you are a survivor.
1:01.9	However, it is necessary to talk about such things in order for us to separate victim from abuser so we can see how systematically premeditated maskle and other perpetrators are in their efforts to make their victims believe that they are solely responsible for what happened to them.
1:20.0	Knowing how triggering it is for her just to talk about what the abusers made her do feel and think,
1:26.6	she recommends that survivors have their therapists or close supporters listen to this three-part interview before or with them.
1:35.0	As always, don't feel that you need to listen.
1:38.0	But to you, Dr. Lachter, you're probably new to most listeners, so can you tell me who are you and what it is you do?
1:45.1	I'm a psychologist who started as an art therapist back in the 70s and then I think
1:51.1	82 and marriage a familyapist and Psychologist in 1986
1:56.0	started working with abused children with art therapy and later play therapy and that took me into the world of working with children who had been
2:05.0	subjected to extreme abuse including ritual abuse and other kinds of
2:09.8	statistic abuse or production of child rape materials, etc.
2:14.4	Then through that I connected with people who were working with adult survivors of ritual abuse
2:21.5	and learned more about what that is and because almost everybody
2:26.9	subjected to ritual abuse has dissociative identity disorder I learned
2:31.9	beginning in about 1986 about dissociative identity disorder and then
2:37.6	learned a lot about it so a long learning curve to understand it but I have and ritual abuse is also very hard to understand because it's so
2:47.7	evil and calculated and so secret but I feel like I've got a reasonable understanding which is a lot to have because it is so hard to get information on it and I've published things about it to speak about it at conferences and I'm an activist against extreme abuse and a lot of therapists come to me for help, information, guidance and I just try to do whatever I can to wake the world up to some of the horrible things that are happening,
	...

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