Exorcism, the ritual practice of driving out demons or malevolent spirits from individuals believed to be possessed, has been a part of religious and spiritual traditions throughout history, including the 21th century.
Few of the well-known cases from the 20th century are the exorcism of Anna Ecklund (there is a movie) and Anneliese Michel, a young German woman, in the 1970s. Although this case is more recent, it gained significant attention in media at its time and later became the basis for the horror film "The Exorcism of Emily Roseโ and German drama film โRequiemโ.
The specific understanding and role of possession in shamanic healing will depend on the particular cultural context and the spiritual traditions of the community practicing shamanism. The shaman, in their role as a spiritual practitioner, is called upon to address the possession and restore balance. There are a lot of films about vodoo, but also few from other cultures such as Italian โIl Demonioโ (gif above), that is based on the anthropological research and for example Chinese โZhong xie (ไธญ้ช)โ.
In Abrahamic religions, demonic possession is generally understood as the state in which an individual's body or mind is believed to be under the control or influence of a malevolent spiritual entity or demon. The concept of demonic possession is most explicitly mentioned in Christianity, but similar beliefs and practices can be found in Judaism and Islam as well, albeit with some variations.
Jewish traditions do acknowledge the existence of malevolent spirits or demons, known as "shedim" or "dybbuks." These entities are believed to be the souls of wicked individuals who did not find rest in the afterlife and instead haunt the living. There are few films about the topic, modern myth film โThe Possessionโ (gif above) and more authentic โThe Dybbukโ (gif below).
In Islam, demonic possession is attributed to malevolent beings known as "jinn." Jinn are supernatural entities created from smokeless fire and are said to exist in a parallel realm, interacting with humans but remaining generally unseen. There are more and more horror films about the jinn, such as โDabbe: The Possessionโ (gif below).
From a psychiatric perspective, experiences that may be perceived as demonic possession in religious or cultural contexts are often understood as manifestations of psychological disorders or mental illness. Various conditions, such as dissociative disorders, schizophrenia, psychosis, or certain neurological disorders, can lead to altered perceptions, behaviors, or experiences that resemble possession.
Psychiatry views these phenomena as originating from within the individual's mind and brain rather than external spiritual forces. Traumatic events and unresolved psychological conflicts can contribute to the creation of internalized "parts" or "alters" within an individual's mind, which may appear as separate entities or personalities. Psychoanalytic and approaches also offer symbolic and metaphorical interpretations of possession-like experiences. They consider that the concept of possession can represent a symbolic expression of internal conflicts, repressed emotions, or unresolved psychological issues.
In my podcast video I will demonstrate how in the case of the Anneliese Michel these omnipotent defence fantasies were present - in both sides. And will introduce all these films more broadly. There is also theory about mental illness & possession in different cultures. (18<)
