Cathy O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Cathleen Ann O'Brien is an American
who claims to be a victim of Project Monarch, an offshoot of Project MKULTRA
, a program funded by the Central Intelligence Agency
to research the use of drug
s for intelligence
purposes. O'Brien made these claims in Trance Formation of America (1995) and Access Denied: For Reasons of National Security (2004) which she co-authored with her husband Mark Phillips. O'Brien is one of many people publicly claiming to have survived 'CIA mind control' programs.
There is no credible evidence for O'Brien's memories, which were retrieved through the use of hypnosis
. The specific program which she claimed was responsible for her dissociative identity disorder
, Project Monarch, is not mentioned in reviews of MKULTRA, its alleged parent program. Because most MKULTRA records were deliberately destroyed in 1973 by order of then CIA Director Richard Helms, it has been difficult, if not impossible, for investigators to gain a complete understanding of the more than 150 individually funded research sub-projects sponsored by MKULTRA and related CIA programs. She also claims recollection of physical & psychological torture & sexual molestations - done to her and her daughter - by international pedophile rings, drug barons & religious figures. A sex slave aspect to 'trauma based mind control programming' is a key theme of her story. Individuals; from United States
, Canadian
, Mexican
and Saudi Arabian government officials, to stars of the Country and Western music scene; are among those she accuses of these crimes. Investigations produced no credible evidence and numerous inconsistencies.
program named Project Monarch, which is said to be a subsection of Project MKULTRA
and Project ARTICHOKE
. Despite scholarly investigation of the MKULTRA program, there is no evidence for the existence of Project Monarch except for O'Brien's testimony.
and that she has no memory of some of her activities. She also says that she has a photographic recall of the events that she suffered whilst her alternate personalities were in control.
notes that O'Brien's claims are almost entirely unsupported by any evidence outside her testimony or the similarly unverified testimony of others, and studies of MKULTRA have produced no mention of Project Monarch.
Many other conspiracy theorists are skeptical of O'Brien's claims, but despite this skepticism her stories have entered the conspiracy culture, linking claims of satanic ritual abuse
with Project Monarch.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who claims to be a victim of Project Monarch, an offshoot of Project MKULTRA
Project MKULTRA
Project MKULTRA, or MK-ULTRA, was the code name for a covert, illegal CIA human experimentation program, run by the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence. This official U.S. government program began in the early 1950s, continued at least through the late 1960s, and used U.S...
, a program funded by the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
to research the use of drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
s for intelligence
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
purposes. O'Brien made these claims in Trance Formation of America (1995) and Access Denied: For Reasons of National Security (2004) which she co-authored with her husband Mark Phillips. O'Brien is one of many people publicly claiming to have survived 'CIA mind control' programs.
There is no credible evidence for O'Brien's memories, which were retrieved through the use of hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
. The specific program which she claimed was responsible for her dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
, Project Monarch, is not mentioned in reviews of MKULTRA, its alleged parent program. Because most MKULTRA records were deliberately destroyed in 1973 by order of then CIA Director Richard Helms, it has been difficult, if not impossible, for investigators to gain a complete understanding of the more than 150 individually funded research sub-projects sponsored by MKULTRA and related CIA programs. She also claims recollection of physical & psychological torture & sexual molestations - done to her and her daughter - by international pedophile rings, drug barons & religious figures. A sex slave aspect to 'trauma based mind control programming' is a key theme of her story. Individuals; from United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Saudi Arabian government officials, to stars of the Country and Western music scene; are among those she accuses of these crimes. Investigations produced no credible evidence and numerous inconsistencies.
Project Monarch
O'Brien claims to have been recruited against her will by the CIA and her abusive father as a child, through a network of child pornographers he was involved with, and forced to participate in a mind controlMind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
program named Project Monarch, which is said to be a subsection of Project MKULTRA
Project MKULTRA
Project MKULTRA, or MK-ULTRA, was the code name for a covert, illegal CIA human experimentation program, run by the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence. This official U.S. government program began in the early 1950s, continued at least through the late 1960s, and used U.S...
and Project ARTICHOKE
Project ARTICHOKE
Project ARTICHOKE was a CIA project that researched interrogation methods and arose from Project BLUEBIRD on August 20, 1951, run by the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence...
. Despite scholarly investigation of the MKULTRA program, there is no evidence for the existence of Project Monarch except for O'Brien's testimony.
Multiple personality
O'Brien says that she has developed dissociative identity disorderDissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
and that she has no memory of some of her activities. She also says that she has a photographic recall of the events that she suffered whilst her alternate personalities were in control.
Criticisms of O'Brien
Mattias GardellMattias Gardell
Hans Bertil Mattias Gardell is a Swedish scholar of comparative religion. He is the current holder of the Nathan Söderblom Chair of Comparative Religion at Uppsala University, Sweden....
notes that O'Brien's claims are almost entirely unsupported by any evidence outside her testimony or the similarly unverified testimony of others, and studies of MKULTRA have produced no mention of Project Monarch.
Many other conspiracy theorists are skeptical of O'Brien's claims, but despite this skepticism her stories have entered the conspiracy culture, linking claims of satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse refers to the abuse of a person or animal in a ritual setting or manner...
with Project Monarch.