Lana Mills-Sowchuk: Paying for torture - how her father was the victim of secret CIA brainwashing experiments

Lana’s father went to the hospital for asthma - but he was referred to another hospital - renowned Canadian psychiatric hospital, the Allan Memorial Institute in Montreal - where they proceeded to secretly conduct experiments on him and hundreds of others over many years.

I had a vague recollection of hearing about the secret CIA brain-washing experiments of the 50s and 60s, but recently I was made aware of a class action lawsuit started by the surviving victims and their families. 

It turns out that in 1977 it emerged that the CIA had been funding experiments in mind-control brainwashing as part of a project known as MK Ultra.

At the time, the CIA was scrambling to deepen its understanding of brainwashing, after a handful of Americans captured during the Korean war had publicly praised communism and denounced the US. 

This so-called ‘research’ was undertaken at more than 80 institutions, including colleges and universities, prisons, and hospitals.

One of the doctors the CIA connected with, was Montreal psychiatrist Ewen Cameron, who was trying to discover whether doctors could erase a person’s mind and instill new patterns of behaviour.

Some of the things he did to his patients, like Lana’s father, are so horrible and unbelievable that it sounds like the stuff of b movie nightmares.

Patients were subjected to high-voltage electroshock therapy several times a day, forced into drug-induced sleeps that could last months and injected with megadoses of LSD.

Other experiments included sensory deprivation, isolation, verbal and sexual abuse and other forms of torture.

After reducing them to a childlike state – at times stripping them of basic skills such as how to dress themselves or tie their shoes – Dr Cameron would attempt to reprogram them by bombarding them with recorded messages for up to 16 hours at a time. First came negative messages about their inadequacies, followed by positive ones, in some cases repeated up to half a million times.

Dr Cameron couldn’t get his patients to listen to them enough so he put speakers in football helmets and locked them on their heads. Reportedly, patients were going crazy banging their heads into walls trying to escape the constant messages. 

So what does Dr Cameron do with these non-compliant medical experiments? He put them in a drug induced coma and so he could play the tapes as long as he wished.

Lana tells how the man her father was - successful and upwardly mobile in his career - was destroyed by these secret experiments. The effects reverberate throughout his family to this day. Lana’s father could no longer work, and they lived in poverty as her mother struggled to put food on the table --- and then she was required to pay for her husband’s shock therapy - as Lana says, her mother was paying for father’s torture.

SHOW NOTES:

0:06:30 Lana grew up in a small town called Chamby, south of Montreal -- Lana's father was known as the crazy guy who rode his bike around town - and this was embarassing for her, she couldn't explain his behaviour to her friends because she didn't understand it herself 0:07:30 Lana's childhood was chaotic and she spent a lot of time with her god mother, her mother's sister- Lana lived with her every summer and helped raise Lana because her mother was always at the Allan Memorial Hospital in Montreal - so it was Aunt Isabel who took care of Lana when her mother couldn't because she was working to try to put food on the table 0:08:30 Lana's father couldn't work any more because he was not able to - the Allan Memorial Hospital is connected to the Royal Victoria Hospital, and is situated on top of Mount Royal - when Lana was in her late teens, she learned of the MKUltra brain washing experiments at Allan Memorial, but it was always hush-hush in the family - she didn't understand at the time, but would find out later 0:09:30 in 1952 Lana's father was attending the Royal Victoria asthma clinic - he was told that if he went to the Allan Memorial Hospital they would cure his asthma - and that's where he was experimented on - he never gave his consent to any of the treatments he endured 0:10:30 The CIA and the Canadian government were funding the Allan Memorial for brain washing experiments in the Cold War era of the 50s with the Soviets - they were trying to experimenting for treatments they could give to soldiers, so that if they were captured, there memories would have been wiped out so they were useless as informants - so they were experimenting on Lana's dad and hundreds of others 0:11:30 Lana got her father's medical records, and there are a whole bunch of blank consent forms with her father's signature, but didn't say what he was being treated for - they just made him sign all these blank consent forms - he was in and out of the Allan Memorial for years and years - one time he was put into an insulin coma for 36 days 0:12:30 While he was in the coma, they had a recording beside him playing constantly: "Your mother hates you. Your mother hates you. Your mother hates you." for 36 days - basically just torturing him - he also went through 54 high voltage shock treatments causing grand mal seizures - he was never the same after that 0:13:30 Lana was born in 1956, so did not know her father before he was experimented on - Lana has 1 sister, 4 years only - Lana's father had no judgment whatsoever 0:14:30 He would steal from the grocery store to feed people on welfare - but not to his family, who were starving - when Lana was a mother, her father his grand kids in a box and put it on top of the car and drove down the road - the kids thought it was great, but they could've been killed - he got Lana's 7 year old son drunk and he spent many days in the children's hospital 0:15:30 When Lana asked her father what he was thinking, he said he wanted someone to drink with - he was a big drinker, but was an Alcoholics Anonymous member by the end of his life - he also smoked a lot - Lana noticed that a lot of the Allan Memorial victims were heavy smokers 0:16:30 It was scary for Lana as a child to go to the Allan Memorial Hospital to visit her father - when she thinks back, it was like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest going in there - her father did not like going into the Allan Memorial - he was either manic or depressed, not in between - other times he was catatonic and unresponsive 0:17:30 Lana was basically a latch key kid - sometimes he couldn't talk and would just stare into space - but other times he would do crazy things - so either manic or catatonic - one time they thought he was in a coma, they called the next door neighbour, a nurse to come over - she called an ambulance and got in the amublance with him - he was flatlining so she punched him in the head, and that woke him up 0:18:30 One time his car broke down in Montreal - he walked all the way home, picked up the tools he needed, and walked back to the car - it took him a couple of days 0:19:30 Lana's father would go to the Allan Memorial for their Day Clinic to regulate his medications - he was on all kinds of meds, lithium - one time when Lana was a teenager her father flushed all his medications down the toilet 0:20:30 The result was that he was high / manic all the time - sometimes her Mom would let the air out of his car tires in the morning so he couldn't go any where - later he lost his driver's license when his car broke down and since he had a case of beer in the car, he started drinking - he was arrested but represented himself in court, wearing his dirty old shorts and bare feet and no teeth - one time he was riding his bike past the dentist's office, stopped ond opened the mailbox - there was an envelope with a $10,000 cheque for the dentist 0:21:30 Her father went to the bank - back in those days they would take a picture of someone who was cashing cheques for large amounts - so he stood there in his dirty old t-shirt, not a tooth in his head because he lost them all from all the psych meds they put him on, proudly holding up the cheque - and the bank cashed it - when Lana's mother figured out what was happening, she went to the dentist to explain - Lana's mother went through hell trying to cover up and clean up because people didn't understand - Lana could have lost her children to social services when her father got her 8 year old son drunk - the doctor who was in emergency at the children's hospital 0:22:30 Lana told the ER doctor that her father was a patient of Dr Cameron at the Allan Memorial Hospital - the ER doctor looked at Lana and said "I understand. I'm not going to call social services" 0:23:30 In retrospect, Lana realizes the ER doctor knew what was happeing at the Allan Memorial - because Lana father couldn't work, they lived in poverty - before he was experimented on, her father was quickly working his way up the business ladder 0:24:30 Just after he went into the Allan Memorial the first time, her father had been given a promotion and relocated to Ottawa, but now couldn't handle working, and ended up with deep depression and back at the Allan Memorial - after that he had occasional odd jobs - Lana's mother worked a 4 hour shift at Bell Canada in Laval, but it took her about 2 hours to get there and back 0:25:30 in 1984, Lana told her Mom they should request her Dad's medical files - when the envelope arrived her Mom couldn't open it, she was too distraught - and Lana didn't look at them, she thought her Mom destroyed them 0:26:30 When Lana's Mom passed away and they were cleaning out her house, Lana found the envelope and her Mom had written Lana's name on it - her father had also passed away by that time - there was the Ex Gratia package (compensation without admission of wrongdoing) for the MKUltra brain washing victims of $100k - but since her father was dead when the Ex Gratia was offered to victims, even though her Mom applied, she was rejected - this is why Lana is fighting today, her Mom left that envelope so Lana could fight for justice 0:27:30 When Lana did open the envelope with her Dad's medical records, she found a lot of medical language that was hard to understand, so she put it back in the cupboard - then her friend phoned her about The Fifth Estate (investigative TV program) was doing an episode about the CIA brain washing in Montreal - Lana and her sister went to see Mr Stein, the lawyer pursuing justice for victims and he confirmed that since her Dad was dead, the family could not get compensation - Lana decided to write a book about her father's experience 0:28:30 Lana hired a writer and she learned more as they researched more - the writer got scared when it became apparent the CIA and Canadian government were involved in the brain washing and talked to a lawyer who said they needed to change the names so they didn't get sued - Lana was against changing their names and the writer refused to continue, so the file went back into the cupbaord again 0:29:30 Lana did not have that same fear - she wanted people to know what happened to her father, that people are held accountable, and that justice is served - so now Lana is part of a lawsuit and got to talk to other people in the same situation and what they find in the medical files 0:30:30 Now Lana is involved in a class action lawsuit headed by the Consumer Law Group - now they are waiting for a judge to appointed to their case - there is a great amount of documentation and recently a lot of documentaries, so people are learning what happened 0:31:30 Thay launched the class action lawsuit in January 2019 - once a judge is appointed, hopefully the case will be certified as a class action and will move forward - the statute of limitations does not apply because the experiments are 'torture' 0:32:30 In October, victims' families held a rally on Parliament Hill, with speeches and marched down to the US Embassy - there are 2 more rallies this April in Montreal 0:33:30 Lana has also filed a freedom of information request to get a copy of her father's medical record, even though she already had the copy her Mom received many years before - when she got a copy of the files, they were only half as much as her Mom had received - so now Lana has a hearing in April about the discrepancy 0:34:30 The Consumer Law Group will represent Lana at the hearing - the Consumer Law Group is working on a contingent fee basis, so it is not costing the patients families any lawyer fees up front - the lawyers will only get paid if they succeed in court 0:35:30 For the rally on Parliament Hill, Lana had to get permits, sign size approved, parking permit, etc and she did everything by the book - but when she arrives they tell her that her name is not in the system and refuse access 0:36:30 Their press release was supposed to be sent to all journalists, but mostly American journalists showed up, which seemed fishy - Lana called one of the Canadian journalists and he said he never received it 0:37:30 Lana is looking for 2 things from the lawsuit: for the truth to come out about the experiments and people to be held accountable, and also to be financially compensated - and an apology - Lana would also like to see a memorial plaque erected at the Allan Memorial Hospital 0:38:30 There are close to 400 members of the group that is suing - their class action lawsuit covers the period from 1953 to 1964 - that's when the funding was coming from the US 0:39:30 Lana's father's 'care' was transferred to the Douglas Hospital, another mental hospital outside of Montreal - but he was also under the care of another psychiatrist at the Montreal General hospital - Lana remembers being there with her father one time, the entrance had a revolving door and her father stayed in there going around and around - he told his family he didn't want to go for shock treatments - part of the purpose of the 'treatments' was to wipe out the memory 0:40:30 One time when her father came home from another stay at the Allan Memorial, her sister was very excited - when he arrived she ran up to the car and he looked at her, but didn't know who she was - at only 5 or 6 years old, Lana's sister couldn't understand what happened her father - that's what happened when they wiped out his memory 0:41:30 She expected him to pick her and throw her in the air like he always did - but he just had a blank face, no emotion, no recognition - the impact was reverberated throughout her family: embarassment, poverty, 2nd hand clothes, lots of potatoes 0:42:30 Lana does not know how her mother did it - the was before medicare, so every time Lana's father went in for shock treatment, she would have to pay the 'treatment' costs - essentially paying for your husband to be tortured - Lana doesn't know how her mom managed to put food on the table - one time Lana asked her mom why she doesn't just divorce her dad - her mom looked at her and said 'its not his fault' 0:43:30 Lana's mom lived another 17 years after Lana's father died - she enjoyed the last years of her own life with the stress of her husband - it was a relief in some sense 0:44:30 Lana worked for the Royal Bank of Canada in Montreal for 21 years and one day decided she wanted to take care of seniors - so she quit her job, even though she was only 1 year away from a pension 0:45:30 Lana started her own business of taking care of seniors and has been doing it for 23 years - she has 4 employees and they give their senior clients the love and care they need - Lana has a lot of clients with Alzheimer's, but dealing with her dad for all those years prepared her well 0:46:30 Lana's dad played the guitar, mouth organ, and could play the piano cross handed - but he would play late into the night, and Lana was trying to sleep for school - she hated it and country music, but now she has her dad's (his name is Iver) song book and it means a lot to her - and those songs help her connect with her senior clients 0:47:30 Lana's sister went to McGill university and is now a teacher - Lana doesn't know how, but her mother found money for the tuition from an obscure bursary for descendants of Scottish people and other grants 0:48:30 Lana went to business college - Lana hoped secret experiments won't happen again in teh future, but she's not hopeful based on what she sees - there is secret stuff going on, but at least by bringing awareness to the topic - when Lana's son was born, the staff wanted to do experiments on him, for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), but Lana did not agree, especially after what she went through with her dad 0:49:30 Lana does not like going to doctors - she will google her symptoms to diagnose herself and then goes to her doctor for treatment - Lana thinks that seniors in nursing homes are over medicated 0:50:30 Lana had a client that was very compulsive, the doctor put him on an anti-psychotic and that didn't work, so the doctor tried medical marijuana and that leveled the patient out and the family was so happy - but what Lana sees in nursing homes is drug them, zonk them, make them compliant 0:51:30 Lana has always been a fighter for what's right, but this fight for justice for her dad is the biggest fight - Lana got a tattoo to honour her parents, it is over her heart, so she has them in her heart 0:52:30 It is hard to fathom how the government and doctors and the health care system betrayed its citizens - Lana says Dr Cameron's face is so publicized now, he's getting recogniable on social media - to find out more about the lawsuit for affected families, Lana says people can contact the Consumer Law Group - or SAAGA (survivors allied against government abuse) online and hook up with the lead plaintiff 0:53:30 Lana says she surprised she didn't cry during the interview, she has before - she thinks she must be getting stronger

Consumer Law Group for class action lawsuit.

Survivors Allied Against Government Abuse (SAAGA) for support and connection.

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Scott Simpson: 

Counsellor + Patient Advocate + (former) Triathlete

I am a counsellor, patient advocate, and - before I became sick and disabled - a passionate triathlete. Work hard. Train hard. Rest hard.

I have been living with HIV since 1998. I was the first person living with HIV to compete at the triathlon world championships.

Thanks to research and access to medications, HIV is not a problem in my life.

I have been living with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) since 2012, and thanks in part to medical error, it is a big problem in my life.

Counseling / Research

I first became aware of the ubiquitousness of medical error during a decade of community based research working with the HIV Prevention Lab at Ryerson University, where I co-authored two research papers on a counseling intervention for people living with HIV, here and here. 

Patient participants would often report varying degrees of medical neglect, error and harms as part of their counseling sessions.

Patient Advocacy

I am co-founder of the ME patient advocacy non-profit Millions Missing Canada, and on the Executive Committee of the Interdisciplinary Canadian Collaborative Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Research Network.

I am also a patient advisor for Health Quality Ontario’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, and member of Patients for Patient Safety Canada.

Medical Error Interviews podcast and vidcast emerged to give voice to victims, witnesses and participants in this hidden epidemic so we can create change toward a safer health care system.

My golden retriever Gladys is a constant source of love and joy. I hope to be well enough again one day to race triathlons again. Or even shovel the snow off the sidewalk.