The Associated Press has reported that a female patient has claimed that a treatment center psychologist implanted frightening false memories during hypnosis to lengthen the time, and cost, of her care - and she's not alone in her allegations.
Once she realized that the thoughts of being raped multiple times, having numerous personalities and being involved in satanic rituals weren't her own, things got worse.
L.N. claims that the sudden onslaught of recollections, due to the implanted memories during hypnosis sessions, caused her to try and take her own life.
L.N. has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Castlewood Treatment Center in St. Louis, its director, N.A. and psychologist, M.S. She claims that during her 15 -month stay, for an original complaint of anorexia, M.S. implanted the memories to make more money for longer-term services.
L.N.'s bill - for services between July 2007 and March 2008, with seven more months in 2009 - had grown to $650,000.
The suit was filed on November 21 and is seeking both the return of medical expenses as well as punitive damages.
Attorney Kenneth Vuylsteke is representing L.N. He claims that other patients have now begun to state that they are also thinking of suing as they were likewise treated: They claim to have also been brainwashed and are now suffering from newly-surfaced, and highly suspect, memories.
Vuylsteke said, "This is an incredible nightmare."
Both the treatment center's director and psychologist are vehemently denying the allegations.
L.N. contends that while she was given psychotropic drugs she was also subject to hypnosis. Following her sessions, she alleges, M.S. gave the victim books about satanic worship - in a further attempt to strengthen the hold of the newly implanted memories.
L.N. contends that the disturbing memories, such as eating babies, sexual abuse, rape and having up to 20 various personalities, caused her to try and locate drugs at the center - that she could take to kill herself.
Vuylsteke said, "Can you imagine how you would feel if you thought you had participated in all these horrible things?"
L.N., after speaking to other female patients, learned that they, too, had discovered that they were also involved in satanic cults - after each had been through therapy at the center.
L.N. further claims that M.S. told her that she would die from her disorder if she didn't return to the center.
M.S. told ABCNews.com that he had never hypnotized L.N., they never talked about satanic cults and she never confessed her part in any illegal acts.
Two experts, with differing opinions of repressed memories, commented. The first, E.L. with UC Irvine, asked, "Where is the proof you can be raped in satanic rituals and have absolutely no awareness of it, then reliably recover those memories later?" And, J.H., with Harvard Medical School said, "Something that happened years ago can be encoded in the brain in various ways, and various combinations of those memory representations may be retrieved, or not, in various ways, for various reasons, at any particular time."
L.N. has since returned to her home in Minnesota and has her anorexia in check.
If you believe that you, or someone you hold dear, have been the unwitting victim of intentional, or unintentional, acts by a physician - you must contact a medical malpractice attorney for help.