Demonic Possession and Exorcism
Possession has four stages. There is temptation and invitation, which can be at the subconscious level. The next two stages are typical poltergeist activity. Infestation is when objects around the victim are affected and move about. Next is obsession, when the victim's body is affected. The final stage is possession when the demon takes control.
I was a guest on PI Joe Alercia's call in talk show, "You be the Detective." We had two minutes of time left when there was a caller. The question was about demonic possession. I still laugh when I think about Joe's expression. He looked like the clichéd dog who caught the car and did not know what to do. I said that I, as a parapsychologist, would investigate stages two and three to try to determine if it was a poltergeist. The rest is the domain of the church. Then, because we ran out of time, I felt like I was giving the guy the proverbial bum's rush, however, I was on the show a few weeks later and answered the question the way I felt it should have been.
When a priest suspects someone is possessed, he reports this to the diocese. The Bishop will appoint an exorcist and if there is not a qualified local priest, he will request that one be brought in from another diocese.
There is a French priest and exorcist, Father Henri Gesland who investigated 3,000 cases of alleged possession between 1968 and 1974 and found only four he believed to be demonic. The percentage of possession was .0133%.
The exorcist will rule out all causes other than demonic when he investigates. Scientific causation will be ruled out. Is the cause natural phenomena? Fraud and trickery are examined. Medical causes are eliminated. At one time, Tourette's syndrome was thought to be possession. Psychological and psychiatric causes are delved into. Usually, there is a psychiatric evaluation. The paranormal is also ruled out. Could the cause be divine? It is only after other possible causes are ruled out and the case is believed to be demonic that the exorcist will decide that exorcism will be done. It is the priest's decision, not the bishop's.
The Church recognizes symptoms of possession. There is revulsion to the truths and symbols of religion, but this, in itself does not prove possession. It must be accompanied by one or more of the following. These include a stench, a feeling of coldness, telepathic powers involving moral and religious patterns, unusual distortions of the face, unlined skin, poltergeist-like activity, unusual physical heaviness and/or levitations.
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