This expose' reveals a shocking story of how the B. C. Government in sponsoring the unproven and fraudulent sham called Recovered Memory Therapy annihilated a man and his family. Although it will chronicle the devastating results to just this one family, it would be naive to accept that this narrative represents an unusual or isolated case. It will become readily clear that through inadequate and sloppy procedures, combined with what could best be described as "over zealous" and at the worst, "fanatical" employees, this same program has resulted in the impairment of the mental health of hundreds, possibly thousands, of young adults, mostly women.

 Also chronicling a reckless abuse of power, this story will provide an insight into the irresponsible and wanton use of millions of tax dollars wasted to line the pockets of charlatan individuals calling themselves therapists.

 The program is called the Criminal Injury Compensation Program (CICP). It is administered by the Workers Compensation Board of British Columbia (WCB) on behalf of the Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia.
 
 

INTRODUCTION

 I believe it necessary that I briefly explain how I obtained the information I have and why I became drawn into this investigation.

 My wife and I had been married for 27 years, a fairly normal family with three children all girls. One thing, which perhaps sets us apart from the average family, is that I was a member of the military and because of my job we moved more often than most and had lived in many parts of Canada. In 1980, just months after we had been transferred to Victoria our oldest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. From that point the normal family development and activities stopped as every action was dedicated to the fight for Marilyn's life.

 Marilyn was transferred to the Vancouver General Hospital. Her chances were better there because they had a "cell-separator", which Victoria hospitals did not. The cell-separator allowed Marilyn to obtain larger amounts of blood products she so desperately needed. Marilyn started chemotherapy.

 For months Marilyn went through this treatment and all the time we maintained one parent in Vancouver by her side. All family activity was dedicated to her return. After two failed attempts Marilyn was declared in "remission". She came home and even started back to school.

 That was not to be. After a few months the cancer returned. Marilyn was taken back to Vancouver. A few more failed attempts and Marilyn died on August 15, 1981 at age 17.

Each member of our family went into mourning, each in his or her own way.

 Time passed - there were signs that we were each rejoining society. But there were also signs that things would never be the same for any of us.

 In 1990, Sharon our second daughter, the rebel of our family, was now a nurse and working part-time. One shift she was re-assigned to an area of the hospital in which she refused to work. She was charged with disobeying an order. The situation was very serious with lawyers and unions involved. Sharon quit nursing and went tree planting.

 That summer she met a new boyfriend and they decided to move in together. The tree planting had not paid much and Sharon had to go back to nursing. Plus, because of her past problem, she had to take whatever position she was offered. This did not sit well with Sharon. So she decided to go to therapy, for help.

 Sharon started "therapy" with a woman in Vancouver who had located "the gold at the end of the rainbow". Therapist Donahue had discovered that the Criminal Injury Compensation Program was an endless source of money and they paid at the rate of $60.00 per hour, although accepting this rate of payment she complained that it was not adequate for her services.

 How did Therapist Donahue qualify for this boundless source of public money? 

 Therapist Donahue practiced Recovered Memory Therapy and the Criminal Injury Compensation Program paid people to perform this sorcery.

 Before proceeding it important to provide a summery of what Recovered Memory Therapy is and how the therapist cons a "patient" into accepting such nonsense.

Recovered Memory Therapy (RMT) and how it seizures it's victims.

 The dogma of the Repressed/Recovered Memory devotee is that anyone experiencing problems coping in adulthood situations, a failed relationship, difficulties at work, depression, etc., must have sustained damage to their coping mechanism. If no immediate and obvious trauma appears then the true believer begins the search of the individuals childhood.

 "After all." They exclaim. "You are a bright articulate young woman. You don't see other women your age having the difficulties you are."

 And so with that explanation the person who has sought help, believing her difficulties greater than she is able to handle by herself, is presented with the elixir that promises to not only to correct everything that is wrong but absolves her of any blame. 

 The moment the distraught individual succeeds to that talisman the Recovered Memory Therapist initiates the search. This exploration begins in attempting to locate any trauma the individual might remember or was informed of by older or other family members. When nothing "significant" is discovered, either from memory or other family members, the therapist explains to the patient that the trauma must be a non-remembered trauma, a secret.

 The therapist then explains to the ensnared patient that the "trauma" must be sexual abuse. What else would be so secret? And, what else could be of such significance as to result in difficulties in later life. The therapist presents the patient with a long list of symptoms. This list includes emotions such as depression, feelings of inadequacy, fear etc. (Sensations most everyone has experienced at one time or another.) With that, the therapist closes the trap by assuring the patient that s/he has seen this before. The therapist advises the patient that many adults who were sexually abused as children repressed all "memory" of the abuse and only by recovering the "memories" and bringing them into conscious awareness will the patient get better. The therapist goes on assuring the patient that with therapy this can be done, everything will be mended and that the patient will regain her ability to handle problems and "all things in life will be wonderful". Plus, insidiously the therapist convinces the patient it is was this vary secret/repressed trauma which has caused the failed relationship, difficulties at work, depression, over-weight etc. whatever the original torment that caused the person to seek therapy.

 Once the unsuspecting patient is seduced into accepting this notion she succumbs to a spiraling plunge into a horrifying abyss of mental illness, often resulting the loss of family and any friends who do not validate the false sexual abuse accusations.

 While foundering in this sea of sewage the patient is handed a life raft of sorts in that she is informed that she is a person of great courage, a "survivor". This "carrot", this new found cause for pride is gripped with the same determination as the drowning individual grips any lifesaving opportunity. Once she accepts this disposition she proudly and prominently portrays the roll "survivor" as if it were her sole reason for existence. And anything or anyone who does not actively advance her newfound "creed" is violently reviled.

 Recovered Memory Therapy is an insidious ritual for it preaches that to get better the patient must recover "memories". Horrible "memories" of sexual and physical abuse, abuse by the very people thought by the patient to love her. And while in this "therapy" of recovering all these repulsive deviant false memories, as the patient's mental condition worsens the therapist is quick to assure the patient that this failure to get better is because there are more and deeper "memories" which must be recovered. It is a never-ending revolution into the depths of hell.

 (It should not be lost on the reader that during these years of "therapy" the therapist is receiving up to $100.00 per hour. In this subject case, paid by WCB, taxpayer's money.)

 In the height of this madness Recovered Memory Therapists were heard to state that they could tell if a person had been sexually abuse just by looking at them. Others shamans of this phenomenon when confronted with science that did not support their claims were quick to respond, "We don't have time for science to keep up to us".

 During the crescendo of this nonsense some organizations were alarmed and issued warnings. But very few listened. As early as 1985, the American Medical Association issued a statement cautioning against using hypnotism to "recover" memories.

 But nothing seemed to stop this madness. The illogic seemed to grow. Past life "memories", usually with sexual abuse were recovered. Space alien abduction, usually with sexual abuse, were recovered. Soon there were numerous tales of satanic ritual abuse passed down from generation to generation, including the sacrificing of babies. Some women patients of these charlatans were convinced that they had been "breeders", the women who as teenage girls were kept pregnant so the babies could be produced for the rituals. A circus of the bizarre.

The following is an example of the hypnoses (journeys) used on my daughter;

March 6/91 Session 26:

 This quackery is not and never was "therapy" and no Government program should ever have fund it. Yet the BC Criminal Injury Compensation Program, ignoring all doubts and criticisms, did and unbelievably still continues to fund this nonsense. They not only funded this quackery, but in this case and probably others, they allowed the very charlatans who spouted this rubbish to adjudicate the validity of their pretense.
 
 

The result of such irresponsibility is both tragic and predictable.

 Here is the story of how my family was destroyed by this scam, the scam being financed by the Criminal Injury Compensation Program of British Columbia.

 On 7 November 1990, just recently retired from the Military, I had been out of the house during the early afternoon and upon returning I found my wife was missing and that she had left a note which stated that for years I had sexually abused our three daughters. The note went on to say that our two daughters were in therapy and suicidal because of this sexual abuse. (Our eldest daughter had died of leukemia 9 years earlier at age 17.)

 There is no way for me to explain the shock and the emotions I went through that day.

 Why were they accusing me of such a horrible crime? Could someone have actually abused our children? It certainly wasn't me. My daughters are both adults, what does the note mean - childhood abuse? I could not understand what was happening. Where was my wife? I attempted to contact my daughters. There was no response to my phone calls.

 In the following days, after several unsuccessful attempts at contacting my daughters and still not knowing where my wife was, I contacted a lawyer. The next week the lawyer sent a letter to each of my daughters. I sent letters offering to meet with them, their therapists or both. All to no avail. No response.

 Much later, once I had received a copy of the therapist's clinical notes I discovered that each letter had been discussed in the therapy sessions. Plus as I learned more about Recovered Memory Therapy ideology I learned that to the supporters of this nonsense all protests of innocence are without exception catalogued as "being in denial". To be accused is to be guilty.

 At this point, and over the next couple of months, I took the position that, as I am not a heinous monster I would go to court and prove my innocence. I initiated legal action for defamation of character against my wife, my daughters and their therapists. (I never desired any harm for my family, I just thought that if I could force them to listen to me somehow this situation would be quickly shown for the terrible mistake it is. How naïve I was about the evil of Recovered Memory Therapy. How naïve I was about the B.C. Justice System.

 However, as a result of these actions I was able to obtain the following sources of information:

      1. Therapist clinical notes (One of the therapists incredibly did not keep notes.) 

      2. The WCB administered Criminal Injury Compensation Program files 

Other documentation: 

      1. Follow up letters from WCB (Replies to my futile quest for justice) 

      2. Police files (Obtained under the Freedom of Information Act)

      3. Miscellaneous papers from various sources.

** Note, for clarity to the reader: My wife and I had three children and as I previously stated the eldest Marilyn, died at age 17 of leukemia after a physically and emotionally draining one year struggle with the disease. The two remaining daughters are Sharon (age in 1990 - 24) and Vicki (age in 1990 - 21). The "therapists" of my daughters were: Sharon's - Patricia Donahue of Vancouver and Vicki's - Janet Oaks of Victoria.

 It is my intention to exhibit how in this case and, as stated earlier, probably many others, something went horribly wrong. As you read this account, keep in mind that as a result of this aberration a marriage of 27 years was destroyed, a family annihilated, with adult children no longer even in communication with their father. I will show that in spite of irrefutable indications of my innocence the BC Government funded Criminal Injury Compensation Program refuses, even now, to acknowledge, let alone attempt to correct, the harm they financed. In fact all indications are that the Criminal Injury Compensation Program (CICP) is still financing the quackery of Recovered Memory Therapy.

 Finally, I will demonstrate that the WCB Criminal Injury Compensation Program of BC appears to be absolutely unaccountable to anyone. 
 

1. How an application is made and processed for WCB sponsored therapy?

2. What investigations/safeguards does WCB utilize to eliminated bogus claims?

3. What are the required therapist qualifications for WCB sponsorship?

4. What types of therapy does WCB sponsor?

5. What monitoring programs are in place to insure proper therapy is being?

6. What programs are available to correct for any harm that WCB may have caused
    as a direct result of their sponsored therapy?

7. Conclusion
 
 

Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you and any help you can provide. 
 

Lloyd Corney
[email protected]