We often don’t think about God until the day the devil thinks about us. When things are going great, we go about life in a state of flow, but when something tragic happens to us—or to the world—it stops us dead in our tracks. And even if we don’t think of ourselves as religious, many of us will try prayer when all else seems to fail.
And nothing is more terrifying than the idea of demonic possession. Because not only has the devil thought about you, he chose you. It’s hard to imagine sharing your body with a demon. But according to a study by YouGov, 45% of Americans believe in demons. Do you?
When I was in my early twenties, I suffered from sleep paralysis. At the time, I had never heard of sleep paralysis and didn’t know what was happening to me. What I did know—or firmly believed I knew—was that a demon stood at the end of my bed at night. Those experiences sent me down a whirlwind of research and spiritual exploration, trying to make sense of what happened to me. So much so that I wrote a novel about possession that began with sleep paralysis.
But sleep paralysis was just the beginning. What happened after made me wonder if that terrifying season of my life opened a door that I may never be able to close.
Sleep Paralysis
Scientists and skeptics would tell me it wasn’t a demon standing at the end of my bed. It was a common phenomenon that happens to 1 in 10 people. During REM sleep, your body enters a state of temporary paralysis. When a person is in that in-between state of sleeping and waking, they become aware, but their bodies still can’t move. They’re frozen. All the while, their minds are racing, panicking. They’re locked in their own body without the ability to move.
But here’s where science and the paranormal converge. During a sleep-related hallucination, the person begins to hear, see, or sense something else is there. And for most people, that something is evil.
Some people, including myself, have the feeling that something is sitting on their chest. It’s hard to breathe. It’s threatening.
For others, though, they may experience an out-of-body experience or even feel this overwhelming sense of joy. But I wouldn’t know anything about that.
What is an exorcism?
An exorcism is the practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other evil spirits from a person or place. The process of an exorcism depends on the person’s spiritual beliefs. It could involve an elaborate ritual or having the entity swear an oath or release its name. It may also include commanding it to leave in the name of a higher power, most notably a religious figure. The practice of an exorcism is ancient and is a part of the belief system of many cultures and religions.
Is an exorcism akin to ritual magic?
The English word “conjurer” comes from the Latin coniurator, a synonym for “exorcist.” According to an article by Dr. Francis Young, church-sanctioned exorcists were often referred to as conjurers even though exorcisms were the church’s answer to remedy against magic. Dr. Young says:
“…until the eighteenth century, the line between the exorcist and the magician was frequently blurred or non-existent.”
Dr. Francis Young
Exorcism in Christianity and the Catholic Church
Christianity is certainly not the only faith that performs exorcisms, but for the sake of time, I’m going to focus today on the exorcisms made famous by Western pop culture—most notably the films featuring exorcisms and involving the Catholic Church.
In Catholicism, the exorcist will perform in the name of Jesus Christ. The church has to give permission for an exorcism to take place. Exorcists follow a rite called the “Major Exorcism,” which is found in Section 11 of the Rituala Roman. It lists guidelines to determine when an exorcism is needed, with careful care to be sure the person does not suffer from a psychological or physical illness.
Every exorcist is an ordained priest that follows specific prayers according to the rubrics of the rite. They may use sacred icons and sacramentals during the ceremony. They call on Jesus and Archangel Michael to help with the exorcism. Oftentimes, one ceremony is not enough to rid someone of demonic possession. It could take several years… which is exactly what happened with Emma Schmidt.
Click above to get the ebook of my novel Soul Breather. The story involves a girl who suffers demonic possession, stigmata, and ends up with a divine gift. Or you can purchase the book on Amazon, here. Please note that this is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission on any sales (at no cost to you).
The Exorcism of Emma Schmidt (aka Anna Ecklund)
Emma Schmidt , also known as Anna Ecklund, was born on March 23rd, 1882. It’s reported that Emma suffered from repeated exorcisms spanning decades. Beginning at the age of 14, she exhibited behavior that her family and a priest believed to be demonic.
Her case is considered to be one of the most well-documented cases of demonic possession in the 20th century.
Though sources are a bit vague on this, it’s believed that both of Emma’s parents were German immigrants who moved to Wisconsin when she was a young girl. It’s believed that Emma’s father had made sexual advances toward her when she was just a child, and when she refused those advances, these behaviors started.
People around her claimed that she showed an aversion to holy items and couldn’t even walk into a church. It was also mentioned that she had “disturbed” thoughts and took part in “unspeakable sexual acts.” An article published in 1935 claimed that the source of Emma’s possession came from her Aunt Mina, who was a local witch who put spells on herbs she seasoned her food with. Her Aunt Mina was also reportedly Emma’s father’s lover.
In an unpublished document called the Bunse Manuscript, Father Theophilius Reisinger, a Roman Catholic priest, exorcised Emma in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after first meeting her in New York when she was only 16 years old. In 1912, Reisinger gave her her first exorcism. Two decades later, he’d perform another extended exorcism on Emma that lasted between August and December of 1928. During those exorcisms, it’s documented that Emma had fits of rage when exposed to holy water. She hissed like a cat, hung from a doorway, howled, and even levitated.
All of this broke Emma’s body down. She wouldn’t eat and vomited what appeared to be tobacco leaves. Her limbs became swollen, and she could speak in multiple languages unknown to her. Her behavior was so violent that some of the sisters at the convent where the exorcisms were taking place asked to be moved to a different convent.
It was believed that Emma was possessed by Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, and her father, Jacob, who had cursed her with the help of his lover, her Aunt Mina. During the exorcism sessions, she spoke in a high falsetto voice, which the priest believed to be the voice of Emma’s Aunt Mina.
On the last day of her exorcism, the priest commanded the demons to depart to hell. Emma collapsed on the bed, called out the names of her demons, and repeated the word “hell” several times. She then spoke in her own voice, “My Jesus, Mercy! Praised be Jesus Christ.”
The exorcism was considered successful even though Emma continued to suffer “milder” possessions after that. According to documentation, they were “quite manageable.”
Emma died many years later.
Emma’s story was shared in a 1936 article in Time magazine and inspired the 2016 film, The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund.
The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel
Anneliese Michel was a German woman who underwent 67 exorcisms in one year, ultimately leading to her death. When Anneliese was 16 years old, she had a seizure and was diagnosed with psychosis caused by temporal lobe epilepsy. Soon after, she was diagnosed with depression and treated in a psychiatric hospital. By 20 years old, she’d begun to hear voices, become intolerant of religious objects, and started having suicidal thoughts. For five years, doctors at the psychiatric hospital tried to help Anneliese with medications. When that didn’t work, her family became convinced that demonic possession was the cause of her problems.
So, her family appealed to the Catholic Church for an exorcism. Initially, the exorcism was rejected, but in 1975, two priests got permission from the local bishop. The family stopped consulting doctors and began leaning into the help of the two priests. The 67 exorcism sessions resulted in Anneliese dying of malnourishment and dehydration because she had stopped eating. She was only 23 years old.
Both priests and her parents were convicted of negligent homicide. They were initially sentenced to six months in jail, but that sentence was reduced to three years of probation and a fine. The German priests would later retract their opinion that she was possessed.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Requiem, and Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes were all inspired by her story.
The Exorcism of Roland Doe
Roland Doe, a pseudonym to protect his identity, was a 13-year-old boy who would become the inspiration for one of the most terrifying horror films to date—The Exorcist.
When Roland was 13, he lost his beloved Aunt Harriet. His aunt had been a spiritualist who taught him to use an Ouija board. In January 1949, soon after Harriet’s death, Roland began having strange things happen. He heard scratching sounds from the floors and walls in his room. His mattress would move on its own, and water started mysteriously dripping from the walls and pipes.
His family sought help from doctors, psychiatrists, and their Lutheran minister. But no one was able to help young Roland. Their minister finally suggested reaching out to the Jesuits.
Father E. Albert Hughes, the local Catholic priest, sought permission to perform an exorcism on Roland in February of 1949. His request was granted.
Roland was strapped to the mattress during the exorcism. During the ceremony, however, the boy broke off a piece of the mattress spring and slashed the priest across his shoulders. So, the exorcism was left unfinished.
A few days later, Roland had scratches appear on him that read the word, “Louis,” which made his mother believe they needed to go to St. Louis, where they had family, and seek help there. A cousin of the family was attending St. Louis University at the time and put the family in touch with Father Walter H. Halloran and Rev. William Bowden. The two Jesuits agreed to perform an exorcism on Roland with the help of other assistants.
The men experienced the same sorts of happenings as with Roland’s first exorcism—scratches on his body, the mattress violently shaking, and so on. The men observed and documented that Roland’s demeanor was different at night than during the day. During the day, he was calm and seemed almost normal, but at night, he’d scream and have wild outbursts.
Roland would make guttural sounds, and things began to move mysteriously, flying across the room. And Roland had an aversion to religious items.
The letter “X” and a pitchfork-shaped scratch were observed appearing on the boy. These strange and bizarre occurrences happened every night for over a month. One night, Roland urinated on the bed and began cursing the priests. Roland’s parents took him to Alexian Brothers Hospital in St. Louis for further treatment.
On April 18th, Roland woke up having seizures. He told the priests that Satan would always be with him, and the priests surrounded him with holy objects. By 10:45 that evening, after the attending priests had called on St. Michael to expel Satan from Roland’s body, he came out of his trance and claimed to have seen St. Michael vanquish Satan on a great battlefield.
The strange occurrences and behaviors stopped after that, and Roland went on to live a perfectly normal life, reportedly even naming his son Michael after the saint that fought the devil and won.
But a lot of these cases happened in the past. How many people believe they’re possessed today?
Though nearly half of Americans believe in demonic possession, most believe them to happen “rarely.” Yet, an article in Newsweek in June 2022 claims that the demand for exorcist-trained priests has tripled in recent years. There are currently 290 exorcists in Italy, and some see 30-50 cases per day. The exorcists were reaching out to psychologists to help sift through people to determine who was actually possessed and who was mentally ill.
But how do they spot the difference between mental illness and demonic possession?
Signs of possession range but often include vomiting, unusual physical strength, and the sudden ability to speak other languages (namely Hebrew, Aramaic, or Latin). And people who are believed to be possessed will often have a revulsion to religious items.
Conclusion
Exorcisms seems to be veiled with mystery and plagued with misdeeds because of the infamous cases where things have gone awry. No doubt, there are many others where things were resolved or helped. It’s such a broad topic; it’d be impossible to cover everything.
But, to me, it seems that merging the spiritual with science is the only cure. For those who have had paranormal experiences, it’s unlikely that science will ever satisfy and explain away the mysterious things that happened to us. Perhaps there are no satisfying explanations because the science is lacking at this point in history. And for skeptics, it’s unlikely that hearing about any paranormal experience—no matter how compelling it may be—will ever sway them from the science.
But at the end of the day, all good stories are a battle between good and evil, no matter what spiritual doctrine—if any—you choose. And good and evil both reside in the spiritual realms.
But you may be wondering, do I still have a demon at the foot of my bed at night?
Thank goodness, I no longer experience sleep paralysis and haven’t in many years, but I have witnessed evil spirits on a couple of occasions. I’m hesitant to even mention it for fear that people will think I’m crazy, but that’s why I’m so fascinated by this topic. Is it possible the encounters in my early adulthood opened that door? I can’t say, but I sometimes wonder if that door has always been open for me. But that’s a story for another day.
I believe neither science nor faith has all of this figured out, making experiencers feel a little out of place. But I’ll make a point to study both just in case the devil ever thinks about me again.
Music:
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Gregorian Chant by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3825-gregorian-chant
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Day of Chaos by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3620-day-of-chaos
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Long note One by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3992-long-note-one
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Ghostpocalypse – 6 Crossing the Threshold by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
