Demonic Possession: A Theoretical Analysis

In William Peter Blatty’s novel, The Exorcist, a thirteen year old girl becomes ill. The mother, Chris MacNeil, believes that her daughter is possessed by a demon after doctors are unable to diagnose the child. Mrs. MacNeil seeks help from Father Karras after the doctors tell her to go to a priest. Father Karras, a priest and psychiatrist, declined the idea of performing an exorcism on the girl after Mrs. MacNeil asked him for the favor. Father Karras tried to reason with Mrs. MacNeil that the girl, Regan MacNeil, was likely to have a mental illness. Father Karras finally agreed to perform the exorcism after he was unable to diagnose Regan. In his novel, The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty argues that religion is the antidote to

We believe that Father Bishop was rationally justified in believing that the body of Ronald Doe was possessed by a demon based on documentation of his sensory and personal experiences. Firstly, Father bishop was rationally justified on the basis of his own personal experiences that the body of Doe was possessed. Accounts of witnesses involved such as family members, close friends, and associates that all agree with the claims made by Father bishop can help provide strong support to the truthfulness of his experience. Secondly, due to accurate documentation of his personal experiences we can add that Father Bishop must have used undistorted sensory experiences such as hearing and sight. For instance, the sense of hearing was apparent when he

Haitians who have left their homeland will continue to practice their religious rituals and beliefs once they have settled elsewhere. This is true of Haitian-Americans living in Little Haiti. Among those who practice Voodoo, there is an attempt to cure mental health illnesses by rituals such as having a priest or priestess bathe the patient in special oils and lotions and clearing the environment of bad spirits with candles, incense and special rituals. It should be noted that rituals intended to please or appease supernatural forces that are seen as creating problems is not very consistent with Western thought and culture, but should be respected as a culturally appropriate source of comfort (Voodoo, 2013). Also, many Haitians may be reluctant to discuss mental health and addictions problems with helpers or therapists. “It is very important to be careful when pathologizing” (N. Rudes, personal communication, July 29,

Melancholy, hysteria, and epilepsy are the three most likely causes of weird and abnormal behavior of the possessed.

On a gloomy Tuesday night, a group of teenagers from George Mason University circled around an Ouija board to find out what their final grade from a psychology class, Mystery, Madness, and Murder would be. Soon after, the planchette moved, allowing them to communicate with evil spirits from another dimension. Unfortunately, this communication led them into learning not only their final grade, but also into being haunted by an evil spirit until the end of their lives. This, surprisingly, is a very common practice in the United States. Even the International Exorcists’ Association (AIE) states that the usage of Ouija boards increased the exorcism practices within the U.S. (cite). According to a recent poll on LiveScience, 65% of Americans believe

n antiquity, people forcefully believed in a tangible spirit world. The practice of being hysterical and possessed appears to have occurred as an everyday happening and ‘being filled with lust’ became known as a sign of having a ‘religious experience’ described as a ‘sacred or divine frenzy.’ As mentioned, even aristocratic, Roman women became shameless during such festivals as Bacchanalia, by being immersed in possession by the “spirits of lust;” calling the attack as being overwhelmed with religion. Indeed, the ancient Orphic Hymns connect being “religious” as being possessed by Pan. Numerous references chiefly recognize Pan as being the main provider of this ‘religious’ infilling.

As early as 5000 B.C. there would be attempts to cure the mentally ill. It was believed that an evil spirit would possess the body of an individual by drilling

This article examines the concept of delusion found in Elizabeth Bowen’s short story “The Demon Lover.” Some critics read this story as a war time horror story but, a close examination reveals that it is much more than that. I argue that this story presents the psychological disorder mainly erotomanic delusion that Mrs. Drover, the protagonist, suffers from. The reason of this disorder discovered is the repressed bitter experiences of the past. The effect of this is that she is unable to differentiate between reality and illusion, between past and present.

A shaman who combines these practices may use traditional herbs as part of a healing ritual, but these substances may have scientifically proven medicinal value. He may treat the spirit as well as the body, as he is thought to “travel into the supernatural world to discover the source of illness and how to cure it” (276). The combination of spiritual healing rituals and medicinal substances may have both a physical and psychosomatic effect on a patient and be therapeutically effective.

In the late 19th century there wasn’t a lot known about sickness and cures so it was very likely that people would turn to magic or religion to resolve any conflicts that presented themselves. This method of explaining what is unknown is very common in literature through the use of magical realism; it takes very common and realistic situation that seems to have no logical explanation, and comforts it with words. This can also be seen in real life history; religion and magic are tools that are used to comfort the human mind, when there is nothing else to explain the situation at hand. In relation to Gabriel García Marquez’s Of Love and Other Demons, there is little to nothing known about the illness of rabies as well as it’s cure. This lack of intellect and this misunderstanding is what prompts the characters to blame demonic possession for a young girl’s sickness. Demonic possession is a

Demonic Possession Demons are known through scary movies and scary stories told by people just to cause a scare. But what if they’re real? Demons have been documented well through history, possessing ordinary humans and wrecking havoc. People can laugh it off and say that possession isn’t real, but have they ever seen one? In Africa, this kind of thing happens on the daily and it’s a lot more terrifying than what is shown on t.v. or in the movies.

Moreover, the belief in evil possession in the ancient Middle East led Arab countries to be among the first in the world to establish mental health hospitals. Unfalteringly, due to the Arab people readily blaming the panic of mental problems on the possession of evil forces, religious healers become desirable prior to using psychiatric services. In addition, various ones believe that through the powers of the jinn, voodoo, black magic, witchcraft and mediums can be explained. Subsequently, Arab communities blame the majority of mental problems on super-natural forces such as the jinn or the “evil eye.” Today, in public hospitals, where the main of patients speaks Arabic, the staff and doctor’s note of the presence of the jinn; which they witness and document in complaints from the patients. Virtually, they report demonic haunting, maddening whispers in their patience’s ears; becoming obsessive in scores of people’s

My knowledge regarding Angelology and Demonology has increased with this class. I have a healthy understanding of how the various mythologies of different cultures and societies through these many thousands of years have effected our interpretation of both angels and demons. All of the various readings throughout this course have built layer upon layer as to the diverse ideas concerning angels and demons.

Exorcisms have been part of the Christian faith since the beginning onward to now. The Christian New Testament says exorcisms were one of the miracles Jesus performed. Ever since the beginning exorcisms and demonic possessions have been part of the Christian faith. Exorcisms are still recognized practices of Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox. Over the centuries the practice of exorcisms has decreased, mainly in western society. In the 20th century it was mostly used and found in Eastern Europe and some parts of Africa. Multiple cases of exorcisms have gained attention from the media, the most recent major one being Anneliese Michel. Many exorcisms victims were regarded as mentally ill.

In addition, doctors can learn how to establish a trustful relationship with Haitians by observing healing ceremonies preformed by Voodoo priests. Through this learning process, western doctors will begin to understand the importance of non-western methods for the treatment of Haitian’s illnesses. According to McCabe (2007), the acknowledgement and acceptance of non-western interpretations and techniques is paramount to the process of treating ethnic minority clients. Since traditional healers are acknowledged in their community as being a trusted spiritual healer it is critical for healthcare practitioners to understand the role of the traditional healers in counseling, health promotion and education.