A primer on possession

Demonic possession is a condition recognized across religions worldwide going back to humans’ earliest existence.

Traditional Christianity believes the universe has two sources of supernatural power. First, there is God, along with Christ, the Holy Spirit and angels, who combine to make up the forces of good; second is the power of Satan and his demons, who comprise the forces of evil.

A demon is defined as an evil spirit, which can possess a person, or is a malignant supernatural being.

The Bible tells of many demons, of demon possession and of Jesus delivering people from their grip. It includes Luke 11:14, where Jesus drove the demon from a mute man, who then spoke, to the amazement of the crowd. Luke 8:1-2 tells of Jesus traveling to towns and being accompanied by his disciples and "some women who had been cured of evil spirits and disease," including Mary Magdalene, "from whom seven demons had come out."

In Luke 13:10-13, Jesus meets a woman "crippled by a spirit" for 18 years. "She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity. Then he put his hands on her and immediately she straightened up and praised God."

Public awareness of demonic possession soared with the 1968 film "Rosemary’s Baby" and the 1973 movie "The Exorcist," based on the a novel by William Peter Blatty.

Best-selling author and psychiatrist M. Scott Peck recently published "Glimpses of the Devil: A Psychiatrist’s Personal Accounts of Possession, Exorcism and Redemption" (Free Press, $26). He said he had once not believed in the existence of a devil.

In his psychiatric practice, he had not seen anyone who might be possessed. But in 1978, with the publication of his book "The Road Less Traveled," Peck was contacted by the late Malachi Martin, widely known authority on exorcisms and author of "Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Americans." With Martin’s help, Peck carried out extensive studies of two of Martin’s most troubled subjects.

Peck said what he observed and experienced, including watching exorcisms, made him a believer — things like a woman named "Jersey" who would "scream at me while simultaneously smiling" and the woman saying she felt sorry for her demons: "They’re rather weak and pathetic creatures."

He notes that the Roman Catholic Church is the only religious tradition to "have maintained, over the centuries, formal instructions concerning the diagnosis of possession and its exorcism." But he calls for the church to go beyond its criteria for diagnosing possession — criteria that emphasize the "presence of supernatural signs or happenings and tend to insist that such signs be present before an exorcism is attempted."

In January 1999, the Vatican released its new Rite of Exorcism. The 84-page document, replacing the Roman Ritual of 1614, acknowledged the existence of both "angelic creatures" and "demons" and confirmed the "victory of Christ and the power of the church over the demons."

The liturgical ritual, performed by authorized exorcists, centers on "supplicatory prayers to God and imperative prayers to the devil" commanding him to depart. It calls for the exorcist to put hands on the person during prayers and blessings, the sprinkling of holy water, a litany for the saints, a readings of the Psalms and the Gospel and questions, including "Do you renounce Satan?" A kissing of the cross, final prayers and a "proclaiming the triumph of Christ and his church" finish the ritual.

In his new book on exorcism, Peck offers many observations, including:

• The devil or a demonic world does exist.

• Exorcism can, in seriously possessed patients, be either curative or strikingly beneficial beyond what the remedies of traditional psychiatry can achieve.

• Possession is not an accident.

• In becoming possessed, the victim must, at least in some way, cooperate with — or sell out to — the devil.

• Possession is a deepening process over time unless the victim reneges on the pact.

• The more recent the possession’s onset, the more likely the exorcism will be successful.

• Exorcism of genuinely possessed people should be expected to be combative, and some physical restraint will be required.

• It’s unwise to perform exorcisms where the victim has an inadequate support system of friends and relatives.