Satanic Panic: A Modern Myth

By: Rosie Waterhouse

Satanic Panic: A Modern Myth is a forensic journalistic investigation into the origins and spread of what I term the myth of "Satanic Ritual Abuse" - or Satanic Panic - the controversy over recovered versus false memories, and more recently, the validity of the diagnosis of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder. This book is the publication of the thesis of my PhD by Prior Publication, titled "Satanic Abuse, False Memories, Weird Beliefs and Moral Panics: Anatomy of a 24-year Investigation." The PhD was granted by City University London in January 2014. The preface explains why I am publishing it now, almost a decade later. What used to be a rather obscure fringe topic - a belief in so-called Satanic Ritual Abuse - has taken off as a global conspiracy theory, amplified and spread through social media and the dark web. Extremist proponents of the theory claim the world is run by an elite international network of paedophile Satanists who rape and sacrifice babies and children, drink their blood and eat their flesh. Practitioners are supposed to include senior royals, celebrities, politicians, judges, journalists, police and the military - in fact virtually anyone who could be considered Establishment. Believers in the conspiracy are particularly active in the USA and the UK, where I have been following their antics since 1990, when I first began investigating the 'Satanic Panic' for the UK newspaper I was then employed by, the Independent on Sunday. The thesis investigates the first wave of the Satanic Panic and takes us up to 2014. Since then, I have kept an eye on a few key zealots who continue to promote the myth and have published articles in UK newspapers and notably, an occasional series in Private Eye magazine. More recently the Satanic Panic has become entangled in related conspiracy theories like Pizzagate and QAnon and literally gone viral, followed by millions of believers worldwide. My next book will include a collection of a selection of my published stories since the PhD of 2014, plus new material about some weird, shocking and deeply worrying events in this bizarre history, up to date.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0CPJYDXPK
• ISBN13: 9798870691497
• Release Date: December 2023
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 194 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"