EXORCISMS
MODERN DAY DEMONIC POSSESSION DOCUMENTED - TRUE STORY OF AN EXORCISM
In February of 2008, the New Oxford Review contained a documented case of demonic possession. The young woman, referred to as Julia, had at one time been a prominent Satanist, appeared to have some powers in the occult and psychic abilities. She agreed to have her story published as long as her real name wasn't revealed and all the details weren't mentioned.
One of the things that makes this particular case unique, is the qualifications of the researcher. Richard E. Gallagher, M.D., is a board certified psychiatrist, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the New York Medical College and a graduate of Princeton University. And, these are just a few of his credentials.
Julia, a middle aged, Caucasian woman living in the United States had first consulted with local clergy and was referred to a priest for help. Right from the beginning, Julia was convinced that she was being attacked by a demon or Satan himself. Gallagher was brought in to offer a psychiatric and medical opinion.
Raised a Catholic, Julia no longer practiced her faith, but had stated that she felt she might need the Catholic Rite of Exorcism. She was a highly intelligent woman and was consistently logical throughout her ordeal. Gallagher had determined that she was "in no way psychotic".
In the presence of witnesses, she would go into a trance which was almost always accompanied by some type of phenomenon. She would spout threats, obscenities, taunts and even phrases such as, "Leave, you imbecile priest", "She's ours" and "Leave her alone".
The voice varied from high pitched to masculine, but most of the comments Julia made displayed a deep contempt for anything that was sacred or religious. When she would snap out of the trance, she would claim to have no recollection of saying anything.
Because the case was so complex, a team was assembled to assist. During phone calls to arrange for the group to gather, the same voices that she had spoken with during the trances would interrupt the telephone lines. Again, these voices would be telling them to "Leave her alone", "She's ours" and "Get away from her."
Even when she wasn't in a trance, objects would fall off shelves and she knew facts that she couldn't have known. Often, she would reveal details about relatives, deaths, illnesses and other personal details about team members, some of whom she'd never even met before. She had even described the decor of some of the team members homes.
Although the exorcism started on a warm day, the room quickly became cold. As Julia began to make strange noises and talk, some of the members began to sweat profusely. Then an unbearable heat inside the room was felt by all of the participants.
At first, she went into a quiet trance, but after the invocations and prayers had been continuing for a while, several voices and sounds began to come out of Julia. She made animal noises, loud growls and spoke in several foreign languages, including Latin and Spanish.
She also exhibited tremendous strength. At one point five people were struggling to hold her down. For around half an hour, Julia levitated about six inches in the air. During the two ceremonies conducted, she also revealed even more alarming information about members of the team and their families.
The entity, or entities that possessed her could also discern the the difference between regular, unblessed water and holy water. When regular water was sprinkled upon her, she showed no reaction. But, when holy water was used, Julia would scream in pain.
One of the most disturbing facts about this case is that although the exorcism rites seemed to help Julia, the demonic possession remained unresolved at the time the documentation was released. The only comfort is that when Julia wasn't under the trance like states, she was completely normal and did not suffer from any mental illness. She never even retained memories from the exorcism ceremonies.
By Connie Corder