Podcast Summary: The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall, Episode 5: “The Devil in Delaney”
Released: November 17, 2025 | CBC
Episode Overview
In episode five, "The Devil in Delaney," Sarah Marshall dives deep into the personal story of Delaney, a Canadian woman whose life was profoundly affected by the widespread Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 90s. Through interviews with Delaney’s son, excerpts from her own writings (voiced by Janet Varney), and contextual analysis, the episode explores the intersections between personal trauma, memory recovery, and the broader cultural hysteria around supposed satanic cults. This is a nuanced, empathetic look at how societal narratives and therapeutic trends can shape—sometimes warp—an individual’s understanding of their own suffering.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Early Life of Delaney and Her Family
- Delaney’s Son Matt Remembers: Matt recalls his mother as a loving, resilient but often troubled woman who parented mostly on her own, moving multiple times due to his father’s work.
- (00:32–01:45)
- Delaney’s Mental State: In her 30s, Delaney began having disturbing dreams and “flash” memories, which spiraled into dark moods and instability.
- (01:54–02:40, 03:37 [Matt]: "The idea that know some of the abuse she faced was satanic came to her kind of organically while she was going through therapy.")
The Cultural Context: Feminism, Recovered Memory, and Satanic Panic
- Recognition of Abuse: The 70s and 80s saw a shift in how society acknowledged sexual abuse, trauma, and domestic violence.
- (03:03)
- Rise of Recovered Memory Therapy: Influential books like Michelle Remembers and The Courage to Heal gave credence to the idea that deeply buried (and possibly satanic) memories could explain adult difficulties.
- (03:51–05:10, 20:05–21:45)
- (21:13) Notable Quote (Therapist on suggestibility): “One time there was a baby there—” (Patty Burgess: “And they stabbed the baby and killed it, and we all had to drink blood.”)
Therapy, Suggestion, and the Evolution of Delaney’s Memories
- Therapeutic Techniques: Delaney and other women of her era were encouraged to “recover” memories, through methods including journaling, guided imagery, group therapy, bodywork, and hypnosis.
- (22:07–23:10)
- Blurred Lines Between Memory and Imagination: Delaney’s recollections shifted from a single event to ongoing, increasingly gory and elaborate scenarios. Her writing is described as a blend of memory, art, and imagination.
- (11:46 [Sarah]: “This is the book where the line between memory and imagination is blurred.”)
The Personal Impact—On Delaney and Her Children
- Delaney’s Emotional World: Extracts from Delaney’s writings depict a woman overwhelmed by rage, depression, and a desire to heal despite her pain.
- (15:15 [Delaney]: “There is some hidden violence within me, hidden even from myself. I can never escape. I want sometimes to pound someone to death with a club… So great is my rage, and I don't know why.”)
- Family Fallout: Matt describes a home environment shaped by instability, sudden shifts in his mother’s moods, and sometimes frightening outbursts—effects he recognizes as stemming from Delaney’s inner chaos.
- (29:05 [Matt]: “I spent time alone in my room, Lego, Lego, Lego, all day, every day...I never got any of that [help regulating emotions].”)
- (30:07 [Matt]: Recounts Delaney “pounding on the punching bag” as catharsis.)
The Escalation of Memories into the Occult
- Satanic Content Emerges: As therapy and social cues reinforced the possibility of extraordinary trauma, Delaney’s “memories” peaked in graphic ritual abuse, murder, and satanic ceremonies—mirroring the cultural scripts of the time.
- (35:42 [Sarah]: “She wrote of a new memory of holding a baby and killing it with a knife…”)
- (36:36 [Matt]: “I think, trying to come at this child's memory with an adult's understanding and also, you know, with kind of the popular vernacular at the time. This is evil, you know, from her perspective, pure evil. And what's the word that we have to associate with that? It's... satanic.”)
- Broader Societal Spread: Sarah explains how these narratives were amplified at professional conferences, on TV, and by both feminists and fundamentalists, leading to thousands of people becoming convinced of their own—or their loved ones’—victimization.
- (38:14 [Conference Speaker]: “My best guess is...they want an army of Manchurian candidates, tens of thousands of mental robots…”)
The Pushback: False Memory Movement & Professional Reckoning
- Growing Backlash: As more former patients and skeptical scientists questioned the validity of recovered “satanic” memories, lawsuits and insurance clampdowns became widespread.
- (41:22 [Therapist]: “He made you believe that all these pictures going on in your head was reality...Here I am, I'm sick. He's the specialist...and I'm gonna argue with him?”)
- Delaney’s Turn to Questioning: With time—and a somewhat more measured therapist—Delaney is encouraged to let go of the need for perfect recall and focus on her personal healing and well-being.
- (43:51 [Sarah]: “Her therapist urged her to drop the question of [her memories’] validity and to look past that as the ultimate point...”)
Coming to Terms: Delaney’s Later Realizations & Legacy
- A Revelatory Conversation: In 2013, Delaney revisits her manuscript and speaks with an old friend about the memories’ origins. She considers local Masonic ceremonies as possible sources for her symbol-laden “memories” and recognizes the possibility of cultural contamination and suggestion.
- (47:38 [Delaney]: “Finally, as I looked more closely, I saw far too many references to ritual and satanic abuse. Either this was a fantasy or a tragedy. I felt lost and confused. Why remember actions and circumstances I cannot imagine happening?”)
- (48:38 [Delaney]: “An illusion created to scare a child into submission.”)
- Understanding the True Source: Sarah and Delaney both conclude that the real threat was not Satanism, but the mundane dangers of a patriarchal society—and that the fantasy of satanic cults was a way for people to explain inexpressible personal and cultural pain.
- (49:28 [Delaney]: “Why? Because they could.”)
Reflection & Healing
- Delaney's Acceptance: Delaney learns to live with ambiguity and focuses on healing through art, community, and service rather than through endless searching for “the truth” of every memory.
- (45:19 [Delaney]: “I have moved from frantic distress to reluctance and embarrassment, to a wandering, comfortable roadmap where I can begin to build a sense of myself.”)
- Matt’s Retrospective: Matt comes to a place of understanding his mother’s struggles, appreciating her efforts under impossible circumstances.
- (46:29 [Matt]: “Like, the house was on fire before you even started. And so how can you kind of expect to have a really good outcome here?”)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Silence and Secrets:
- [05:10] Delaney: “Silence is the understood prerequisite for maintaining family secrets and family violence. Silence is taught.”
- On Therapy and Memory:
- [08:40] Dr. Lenore Tur: “We know that this exists. And we also know that some of these children who go through repeated abuses or repeated terrible experiences do something with their memory so that at some point they don't remember part of it… Then, for some reason, in adulthood, these memories come tumbling out and they come on cue.”
- On Recovered Memory Therapy:
- [21:45] Patty Burgess: “I clearly could see the moon was shining down...They were lighting him on fire.”
- False Memory Backlash:
- [41:22] Therapist: “He made you believe that all these pictures going on in your head was reality, was real stuff.”
- On Acceptance:
- [45:19] Delaney: “I have moved from frantic distress to reluctance and embarrassment, to a wandering, comfortable roadmap where I can begin to build a sense of myself.”
- Matt on Forgiveness:
- [46:29] Matt: “Like, the house was on fire before you even started. And so how can you kind of expect to have a really good outcome here?”
- On Cultural Memory:
- [50:52] Matt: “She recovered tremendously. But she was never going to go off and be like, well, that's done...Like, it was always going to be something that continued for her…”
Selected Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:32–03:03 – Matt’s introduction & Delaney’s background
- 03:51–05:10 – Roots of Satanic Panic & Recovered Memory in pop culture
- 11:46–13:58 – Blurring memory and imagination in Delaney’s writings
- 20:05–22:07 – The impact of The Courage to Heal and therapy’s role in memory
- 29:00–30:35 – Family dynamics and the personal cost to Matt and his siblings
- 35:26–37:05 – From memory of abuse to claims of ritual satanic abuse
- 38:14–39:07 – Conferences, experts, and the spread of the Satanic cult narrative
- 47:38–49:28 – Delaney struggles with the implausibility of her memories; the Masonic Lodge connection
- 51:10–52:02 – Reflection on how moral panics repeat and the importance of building community
Tone and Language
Sarah Marshall maintains a compassionate, probing, and sometimes poetic tone throughout, privileging nuance over sensationalism. Delaney’s journal and poetry excerpts contribute a deeply personal, raw voice. Matt’s reflections combine gratitude, sadness, and clarity. The episode is rich in empathy and focused on restoration and understanding, not blame.
Conclusion
This episode offers a powerful, detailed case study of how personal pain, cultural anxieties, and flawed therapies can intertwine to create suffering—and how, in the end, finding peace often means accepting complexity rather than chasing an ever-receding certainty about the past. Through Delaney’s journey, listeners are encouraged to question both cultural scripts and clinical dogmas, and to value healing, connection, and acceptance over perfect clarity.