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Anneliese Michel was born in Germany on September 21, 1952. She was a German woman who underwent Catholic exorcism rites during the year before her death. She was diagnosed with epileptic psychosis and had a history of psychiatric treatment, which was overall not effective.
*** When Michel was sixteen, she experienced a seizure and was diagnosed with psychosis caused by temporal lobe epilepsy. Shortly thereafter, she was diagnosed with depression and was treated by a psychiatric hospital. By the time she was twenty, she had become intolerant of various religious objects and began to hear voices. Her condition worsened despite medication, and she became suicidal, also displaying other symptoms, for which she took medication as well. After taking psychiatric medications for five years failed to improve her symptoms, Michel and her family became convinced she was possessed by several demons, including Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Nero, Cain, Hitler, and Fleischmann. As a result, her family appealed to the Catholic Church for an exorcism. While rejected at first, after much hesitation, two priests got permission from the local bishop in 1975.Anneliese Michel stopped eating food and died due to malnourishment and dehydration. Michel's parents and the two Roman Catholic priests were found guilty of negligent homicide and were sentenced to six months in jail as well as a fine.
To be mentally ill back then had to be hell worse than the hell mental people experience it know. The treatments and treatment by terrible attendants and society.
I've heard excerpts of the recordings. If it was just mental illness, it was the most extreme case I have ever heard.
This is case is one reason why exorcists today are trained to consult medical and psychological professionals before entering into the rite of exorcism. Exorcists will be the first to tell you that 95% of the people who come to them, seeking an exorcism, only have mental health or other medical issues. True possession is extremely rare.
I've heard excerpts of the recordings. If it was just mental illness, it was the most extreme case I have ever heard.
This is case is one reason why exorcists today are trained to consult medical and psychological professionals before entering into the rite of exorcism. Exorcists will be the first to tell you that 95% of the people who come to them, seeking an exorcism, only have mental health or other medical issues. True possession is extremely rare.
That is truly frightening, even if possession is very rare...the fact that it DOES OCCUR, is very scary...who are these evil spirits that possess, are they truly 'demons/fallen angels?! More importantly, why and how do they have this ability in the first place?
That is truly frightening, even if possession is very rare...the fact that it DOES OCCUR, is very scary...who are these evil spirits that possess, are they truly 'demons/fallen angels?! More importantly, why and how do they have this ability in the first place?
Check out THE RITE: THE MAKING OF A MODERN EXORCIST. The author went in as a skeptic and followed a young priest through his training to become an exorcist. Great book. (It was actually made into a bad movie --- THE RITE, with Anthony Hopkins; it varies from the book considerably.)
The young priest that the author followed is Fr. Gary Thomas. He has a bunch of interviews on youtube and elsewhere.
Exorcisms are actually a lot less sensational than we see in the movies.
She was obviously mentally ill, and the case breaks my heart. I don't blame the priests, though. She wanted the exorcism, and was not responding to medication.
I hope that she is resting is a well deserved peace.
If she was truly possessed...I have a bad feeling she did not go to the 'good place'!
(if you believe in Heaven and hell anyway).
Why?
A common misconception about possession: Demons only "possess" the body, not the soul.
I tried finding that documentary I watched years ago about this case. It was very objective and examined all the evidence, both in regard to exorcism, mental illness, the failure of the doctors, the failure of the priests, etc. It also included the recordings made during some of the exorcisms. Very chilling. But I couldn't find it. It may still be on youtube, but most of what I found looked to be more of the sensationalist variety.
Listening to actual exorcists speak about their vocation, the one thing that quickly becomes clear is the lack of sensationalism. That's Hollywood. The Italian exorcist who trained the priest detailed in THE RITE (book I mentioned above) admitted, "The devil is boring, mundane, banal."
There are quite a few good interviews with Gary Thomas on youtube. He's the young priest (no longer young) that the author of THE RITE followed through his training.
A common misconception about possession: Demons only "possess" the body, not the soul.
I tried finding that documentary I watched years ago about this case. It was very objective and examined all the evidence, both in regard to exorcism, mental illness, the failure of the doctors, the failure of the priests, etc. It also included the recordings made during some of the exorcisms. Very chilling. But I couldn't find it. It may still be on youtube, but most of what I found looked to be more of the sensationalist variety.
Listening to actual exorcists speak about their vocation, the one thing that quickly becomes clear is the lack of sensationalism. That's Hollywood. The Italian exorcist who trained the priest detailed in THE RITE (book I mentioned above) admitted, "The devil is boring, mundane, banal."
There are quite a few good interviews with Gary Thomas on youtube. He's the young priest (no longer young) that the author of THE RITE followed through his training.
Im not sure what it means that the devil is boring or mundane?
I would think the devils greatest desire is for people not to believe he exists...so its only natural he is not going to do anything that provides evidence of his existence...he probably prefers people to think most of these possession cases are just a form of mental illness.
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