David Sakheim, PhD

Overview

David Sakheim is a clinical psychologist who believes in satanic ritual abuse and the use of Amytal and hypnosis to access “alters.” As described in Out of Darkness: Exploring Satanism and Ritual Abuse, Sakheim believes magicians use spellbooks to conduct rituals involving cannibalism and eating live animals. He also believes Satanists practice such things as incest and drinking blood. The book features additional bizarre claims, such as the use of aborted fetuses in rituals, consumption of bodily waste and people being placed inside dead animals. He describes a laundry list of abuses allegedly perpetrated by Satanists in the name of indoctrination, including: isolation, electric shock, torture, rape, drugging and hanging people by their hands and feet. These are classic Satanic Panic-era conspiracy theories which were debunked decades ago. Moreover, most mental health practitioners who fell for the anti-Satanist hysteria have moved on; some, unfortunately, have not.

 

In His Own Words

“[To] assess the presence of dissociative defenses ... a hypnotic and/or Amytal™ interview [is used] to establish the presence of hidden alters.” (source)

“Most published grimoires or spellbooks are deliberately altered or left incomplete; the magician supplies what is needed from his own expertise.” (Out of Darkness: Exploring Satanism and Ritual Abuse, p. 21)

“According to the magical world view this power can be absorbed by eating the organism. It is believed to be most available when higher organisms are consumed or when organisms are consumed alive.”  (Out of Darkness: Exploring Satanism and Ritual Abuse, p. 22)

“Many Satanists believe therefore that a relationship exists between incest, magic, idolatry, sacrifice and the consumption of blood since they are mentioned in the same context.” (Out of Darkness: Exploring Satanism and Ritual Abuse, p. 25)

“The consumption of bodily fluids and wastes (feces, urine, and blood) is commonly reported by multigenerational satanic cult survivors, as is the use of aborted fetuses in various rituals.” (Out of Darkness: Exploring Satanism and Ritual Abuse, p. 26)

“A number of survivors have described being placed inside a dead animal that had been cut open, and told that they were being “born unto satan” as they were pulled out.” (Out of Darkness: Exploring Satanism and Ritual Abuse, p. 31)

“This [indocronation into satanic cults] is accomplished in many ways; some of these involve the use of drugs; electric shock; hypnosis; torture; rape; humiliation; illusion; long periods of isolation (e.g., locked in a box or a closet); sleep, water and food deprivation; or being partially drowned or hanged by the hands or feet.” (Out of Darkness: Exploring Satanism and Ritual Abuse, p. 31)

“Another “bonding” ritual described by numerous survivors is the “satanic abortion” in which they are first impregnated by a member of the group and later forced to abort the fetus, which is subsequently killed and consumed by the group’s members as part of the ceremony.” (Out of Darkness: Exploring Satanism and Ritual Abuse, p. 35)