Jennifer Fultz, a Portland homemaker and mother of two, sought counseling with clinical psychologist Sophia Carr. During the three years Fultz was in therapy, Carr treated her with hypnosis, exorcisms, speaking in tongues, and dream interpretations. She diagnosed Fultz as having Multiple Personality Disorder and convinced her it was caused by past trauma as a victim of Satanic Ritual Abuse. A colleague of Carr’s, Chyril Walker, examined Fultz’s two children and convinced Fultz they had been sexually abused by their father. In child custody hearings, however, the court found no evidence for the boys had been abused. During testimony in the hearings Fultz said things began to click, and she cannot even explain how these ideas even seemed plausible. Michael Dwyer represented Fultz in a case successfully suing the two therapists. Dwyer is a Portland trial lawyer. He has been extensively involved in cases concerning psychological issues such as sexual abuse and recovered memories. He is currently a member of the Procedures and Practices Committee of Oregon State Bar.
Michael Dwyer will be joined in a panel discussion by Loren Pankratz, a founding member of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation and serves on its Scientific and Professional Advisory Board. Pankratz is a consultant psychologist at the Portland Veterans Administration, a professor in the department of psychiatry and medical psychology at Oregon Health Sciences University, and a CSICOP Fellow.