You've only heard or seen about demonic possession in movies or random books - but how much detail can you handle the reality of a possession? The ghastly phenomenon of being taken over completely - mind and body - by an unexplained entity has been around since archaic times. Did you know that exorcisms are still happening in large parts of the world? There are visible proofs that thousands of people get possessed every year. And even scientists and theorists agree that possession is no myth but a biting reality. So, how much should you know about a demonic possession?
It is basically when your body is possessed or completely claimed by a foreign disturbing entity - kind of like a fever, but much, much more effective. Theorists believe that a body is possessed when a spirit or apparition enters it and claims dominance over mind and soul.
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The normal bodily function are affected - a possessed person cannot speak, eat or communicate like a normal person. They often harm themselves and pose a threat to anybody near them. It is almost never widely discussed owing to the stigma around it.
Exorcisms are mainly ritualistic ceremonies, designed to cast off the evil spirit from one’s possessed body. Most people do not know that they are sanctified by churches. There are various types of exorcisms. The kind of rituals you see in movies are only partially accurate.
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There are various kinds of demonic possessions. While, most people are haunted by evil spirits and then have their bodies invaded, some people invite the spirits into their body - for several purposes. Often these kind of voluntary possessions are part of satanic rituals, but they can be handled through exorcisms too.
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The most brutal case of exorcism would be that of Annaliese Michel, which inspired the 2005 film Exorcism of Emily Rose. She was diagnosed with epileptic psychosis, but she would experience very strong hallucinations, and eventually had to be hospitalized. Her Catholic family relied on a priest for supervision, and she was exorcised. But the intense rituals eventually took her life.
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Due to lack of knowledge, people often confuse signs of a demonic possession with diseases. In fact, films like the Exorcism of Emily Rose have dealt with the issue. Sometimes, even hysteria or depression is confused with possession.
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Possessions can often lead to deadly consequences - as they take control of your mind and body, and often cause extreme mental breakdown. As most of the times, a possession is not correctly diagnosed, they are allowed to escalate without treatment and can be deadly.
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Did you know church officials often carry out exorcisms, and they are sometimes approved by the church? Pope John Paul II had famously carried out an exorcism, and since then churches often deal with the issue of possession.
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Several established theorists believe demonic possessions to be very real and very dangerous. Dr. Richard Gallagher had famously written in an op-ed that he has studied demonic possessions up close and that he fears that they are extremely deadly and gruesome.
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Almost every culture and ethnicity has stories about possessions. From religious sources to spiritual occurrences, possessions have been considered a huge paranormal phenomenon, which has to be dealt with the greatest expertise.
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Some specific religions treat demonic possessions as a spiritual and a partially godly experience owing to its paranormal traits. The history of Satan or Lucifer, of course, contributes to the widespread notion that devil was once a follower of God, and thus makes the case of possessions even harder to deal with.
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The Catholic church of Rome has at least 10-15 official exorcists around the world, who are religious experts and often treat singular cases. Though the church has never officially admitted to the world about the official exorcists, they are a better idea than random spiritual ‘experts’ who claim to have studied possessions, but in reality, have very little knowledge.
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There’s exists an International Association of Exorcists, which deal with exorcisms on a widespread level. The organization is not approved by the Roman church but has worked with and studied demonic control for decades.
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The demand for exorcisms are rising all over the world, and this just proves how much harsher the reality is. In fact, American medical reports suggest that the need for exorcisms are a proof of failing mental health care plans, and that might be partly true.
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Very few films have got the case of demonic possessions right and dealt with it sensitively. The Exorcist, for instance, showed a demonic possession in its true brutal form. Films like The Possession, The Rite and Poltergeist are some of the films which truthfully captured the issue of possessions.
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The film-like Constantine and the 2012 film The Possession do not get details about exorcism right. In fact, some of the Conjuring movies are also pretty sketchy on what a possession or an exorcism entails.
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