Possession and exorcism

For two successive Fridays, Xarabank raised the complex and profound procedure of satanic possession and exorcism. No one would expect a four-hour presentation to possibly do justice to the subject. In fact it did not.

Had the presenter of Xarabank curbed his tendency to repeat himself, at times ad nauseam, on issues close to his heart, the panel made up of six priest-exorcists and two psychiatrists would have had more time to reply to questions fired at them mainly by the younger members of the audience. Moreover, had he adopted a more holistic approach to the selection of panel members, the programme would have made a greater impact on the audience and viewers alike. For instance, an anthropologist, a lawyer and a psychotherapist on the panel would have been a major asset.

On the first Friday of the airing of the programme, the panel rightly stated that genuine possession was a very rare phenomenon. Human evil, on the other hand, is common. Since the relationship between possession and ordinary evil is obscure at best, it would have been in order for someone on the panel to devote more time to this issue. For instance, what is the relationship between satanic activity and human evil?

While genuine possession may be a rare phenomenon, the subject presents a veritable untapped gold mine for anthropologists to comment on exorcism-like healing rituals in distant foreign or "primitive" cultures. Is Satan merely a demon that attacks Judeo-Christians or is it a cross-cultural, universal enemy?

Given the gravity of the procedure of exorcism, the issue of free consent by the patient is of the utmost importance. Patients who are compos mentis should know what they are letting themselves in for. During the procedure the patient forfeits a great deal of his or her freedom; hence, this forfeiture should be under legal conditions and conducted in a legal manner. Patients, or their guardians, should sign an elaborate form, signed by the exorcist and their psychiatrist.

Given that there are persons presenting themselves for exorcism who are possessed and have a mental illness, exorcism can be dangerous and should be done only in cases so severe that psychiatric and psychotherapeutic interventions are doomed to failure. An exorcism might fail and the patient might die as a result of the procedure. Additionally, the exorcist, the team members and the patient can sustain physical and psychological damage in the process.

In 1973, W. Sargant echoed the words of the Jesuit exorcist, Fr Surin: "I have engaged in combat with four of the most potent and malicious devils in hell" (The Mind Possessed: A Physiology of Possession, Mysticism and Faith Healing, New York: Penguin Books, Inc). Fr Surin was soon possessed by the "demons of Loudun" which he exorcised. Mr Sargant states: "Fr Surin finally developed a state of severe persistent melancholia - his mental illness lasted for no less than 20 years".

Apart from the laudable professional practice of exorcists and psychiatrists working jointly, it is imperative that the exorcist and the team have access to a psychotherapist after the exorcism ordeal is over. It is the exorcist who must pick up the pieces after the exorcism, dealing with his own emotions and those of his team members. He has also the task to supervise the patient during the extremely critical period when the patient is utterly vulnerable and requires intensive care.

If you were to ask me: "Who in the hell is Satan?" my answer would be: "I don't know". My knowledge is based on the exegetical study of the Bible, my extensive readings on the subject, and contact with a handful of my ex-clients who, wittingly or otherwise, sold out to him.

In my opinion, Satan may be said to be a spirit of mental illness not yet diagnosed scientifically.