Patrick Clancy opened up about how he dealt with trauma after his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy, killed their three kids in January 2023, revealing that one “miracle” treatment helped him “the most.”
In an extended clip from his Sunday, September 20, interview on 60 Minutes, Patrick, 36, said that he used EMDR to face the murder of his kids “head on.”
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a psychotherapy treatment designed to help people heal from the emotional distress and symptoms from traumatic events.
“It’s unpleasant but they get you used to dealing with that,” Patrick said. “And, eventually, you’re better at processing it … After I did it — all of those sessions — the waking up screaming, the horrible dreams, they mostly stopped. I mean, it was like a miracle.”
Patrick went on to say that the “traumatic” memories from the event were “overwhelming.”
“I think the thing that helped the most was EMDR,” he said. “It’s a little unusual. They put you right back in that place that you’ve been trying to avoid for years and you face it head-on.”
The interview marked the first time Patrick has publicly spoken about the murders after Lindsay’s case was declared a mistrial on September 4. She was on trial for nearly seven weeks after she killed their kids Cora, 5. Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, at their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home on January 24, 2023.
While Lindsay, 36, never denied killing her kids, her defense team argued that she should not be held criminally responsible for the murders due to her struggles with postpartum psychosis. Meanwhile, the prosecution argued she was aware of what she was doing when she killed her kids.
Following extensive testimony from psychologists and investigators, the jury deadlocked 11-1 when they were unable to come to a unanimous verdict. The prosecution has not yet announced whether they plan to bring the case back to trial.
Patrick shared many details about the harrowing experience on 60 Minutes, including the wish he made shortly after Lindsay strangled their kids.
“So, I didn’t have all the details of Callan’s condition,” Patrick said of the former couple’s youngest child, who survived for a few days after the attacks. “I just knew that they got a heartbeat back. So I remember … that night, I … really thought there was a chance that Callan would live. And I remember just thinking, ‘Just gimme one. Just gimme one kid, and I would raise him as best I could, and I would give him the best life I possibly could. I’d tell him about his brother and sister.’”
Patrick added that he was “holdin’ out hope” that Callan would survive. “And then when I got to the hospital, I saw the doctor,” he recalled. “I saw the look on her face, and … I knew that it … it wasn’t gonna be … a good prognosis.”
The 60 Minutes sit-down segment also included updates about his life today, including insight into his relationship with his wife, Rachel Danis, and their plans to start a family together.
Interviewer Ross Douthat later confirmed “they are having a child” on CBS Mornings.
If you or someone you know is pregnant or just had a baby and is in crisis, help is available. Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline for free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).
