Exorcism

medical knowledge continues to evolve. What was previously considered to be individual's controlled by a demon are now commonly thought to be numerous forms of mental illness, most commonly dissociative identity disorder. “Deliverance, also known as exorcism or expulsion of demons, is the primary mode of treatment for mental illnesses thought to be caused by demonic possession. It is possible for deliverance practices to include violent or dangerous actions” (Mercer, pg. 602). A disorder that…

However, the difference lies in regards to possession. While Catholics were adamant about the possibility of possession and exorcism, Protestants out rightly expressed disbelief and disapproval of the ideas of possession and the practices of exorcism. It means that during the conflicts between protestant and Catholic that there was no either side is support the witchcraft. However, the difference between the two sides was that Catholic…

As the priest is preparing for the exorcism, we see him take out his cross and bible. This would have looked very similar to what other horror films have done with exorcism scenes, where the priest is able to extract the devil out of the body, or at least he has a near-successful attempt. In this film, as soon as the priest starts the exorcism, the house starts shaking, we feel the arrival of the devil even though we can’t really see it…

of the reading that I found fascinating was the history of abnormality and development of the viewpoints to where they are today. Abnormality in the ancient times was viewed as a possession of evil spirits. Treatment for abnormality consisted of exorcism or trephination. Trephination is an operation, which involved removing part of the skull. This treatment was used for treating severe abnormal behavior by allowing a hole for the evil spirits to escape from. Later during the time of Hippocrates,…

In reading chapter one of the textbook, I found that the history of how abnormal behavior was treated to be quite interesting. While I knew that the farther back you go in history the more connected to religion the response and treatment of persons perceived as being abnormal was, the small details have always been missing. For example, the treatment for hallucinations and melancholia (the term previously use to describe depression), was trephination. When compared to today, where we have a…

be real. “Real” events such as murders, massacres and even the spiritual dark side. The moment we realize that what happened is possible, the content immediately becomes more terrifying than what we believe to be fictional and unrealistic. “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”, a famous horror film by Scott Derrickson, released in 2005 that put the fear of god into…

One of the most infamous horror movies ever made, something beyond evil is happening to Regan and she starts acting very strange with violent outbursts. Her worried mother searches for medical help only to find that the doctors cannot find anything wrong or answers to her behavior. Her mother comes in contact with a local priest in town and he thinks Regan is possessed by the devil. The priest calls in for backup, Father Merrin, to attempt to save Regan from the devil inside her soul. “For the…

character is going to school to become a priest, but it is oddly twisted because he is in fact a skeptic of his own faith. This puts a twist to your average exorcism-horror film, since usually the priests are always 100-percent believers performing the exorcism. In addition, towards the end of the film the head priest that performs the exorcism winds up becoming possessed himself. This is so shocking, because he stated that the demons go into the weakest souls it can find. Therefore, the main…

town. It was believed that mental illness was caused by demonic possession, witchcraft, or an angry god (Szasz, 1960). Because they believed that they were possessed (an evil spirit inside of their body), they started to treat them with exorcism. The exorcism was often conducted by a priest or a religious figure other than a priest. The priest often prayed over the person’s body and give them medicinal drinks. They also use trephining which is a small hole was made in the afflicted…

Altered states of conscious, as addressed in chapter 4, is defined “general name for phenomena that are different from normal waking consciousness and include mystic perceptual and sensory experiences, such as medication, hypnosis, trance, and possession” (Shiraev & Levy, 2016, p.128) From the altered states of conscious stated above, I’ve personally experienced meditation as a form of achieving tranquility and a stress-free state. Shiraev and Levy explain that meditation is a “quiet and relaxed…