Two intriguing case studies of demonic possession and exorcism. The author is aware that demonology is not likely to become a scientific discipline anytime soon, but he urges that we all take more seriously this hidden and dark dimension of human experience. If demons do indeed exist, it would be well for us to know who they are and what they're up to. . . .

Recommend

Good, worth the read with you care for psychiatry and the spiritual world. A good companion to Hostage of the devil!

I love psych vs. geniune evil books. Peck has a great book called People of the Lie and after many years published what he witnessed at exorcisms. Love the unexplainable and I have a wild imagination. I really enjoyed the book. anything "based on a true story" has appeal just about these days, doesn't it?

Interesting, but having done this work myself extensively, I can tell you that it is flawed. Many great points. The results show the lack of lasting effect. Trust me, there can and should be lasting freedom afterwards.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is a pretty terrifying read.  For some reason, I have read a fair amount of books that deal with the problem of demonology [1], and this book adds yet another volume to that genre that I am familiar.  Before finding this book in my local library's system, I was unaware that the author had written about his own involvement in exorcisms, which, to put it very mildly, is on the far edge of psychological practice.  Despite having begun his exorcism practice--which appears limited to the two cases discussed here, thankfully--when he was but a very new Christian, he certainly wished to convey an understanding of exorcism within a general interest in the problem of evil and in his own growing awareness that there were indeed forces of great evil and that human beings readily recruited themselves to it.  Moreover, the author has some very similar views as I do about the way that Satan tends to target those who are viewed as threatening to him and that, frequently, this targeting is done through child abuse and neglect of some kind, sometimes making for generational patterns of evil and abuse.

This book takes about 250 pages to discuss the author's thoughts on two exorcisms he engaged in during his time as a practicing psychiatrist.  After introducing the subject and his own interest in the area, he talks about his mentoring of sorts by the late exorcist and generally scandalous and unreliable man Malachi Martin.  The first four chapters look at the author's first exorcism, with a woman named Jersey, going through a diagnosis (1) of demon possession, an account of the four-day long exorcism itself (2), the follow-up treatment (3), and some commentary on some insights that the author gained from the experience (4).  The second part deals with a darker experience, an unsuccessful exorcism of a woman named Beccah, also looking at the diagnosis (1), the unpleasant and ultimately unsuccessful three-day exoricism (2), and the intermittent follow-up that took place afterwards (3).  The author then closes with a discussion of what possession is and provides an epilogue that seeks to place demon possession as a scientifically viable, if highly controversial, diagnosis.  Throughout the reader gets a good sense of the way in which people become ensnared by evil and how difficult it is to break free from it.

By and large, this book is pretty humble and unsparing.  The author admits his own faults and comments on areas where he was not quite as competent as he could have been.  This is readily understandable, though, since the author only had two exorcisms over the course of a long and busy career, and exorcisms appear to be a rather rare sort of phenomenon even for the best of practitioners.  The author's discussions point to the way that people are exposed to the influence of demons by showing an interest in writings that deal with astral projection and New Age spirituality and demonism, and show that demons often begin their influence with people during childhood in the context of abuse and neglect from their parents.  As someone who has seen the demonic destruction of families and engaged in my own long and bitter spiritual struggles, this is a book that I found rather chilling and also rather insightful.  If Peck does not come off as the most competent of exorcists in this book, he does at least demonstrate to the reader his own glimpse of the horrors of satanic involvement in people and the ways that people can be caught up in great evil.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...

An interesting account of two exorcisms. I found most of it believable. It didn't answer all of my questions but some. Overall, it was a good read. Very different than the M. Scott Peck that I "knew" in "A Road Less Traveled". Good writing style.

This book emphasizes that our choices matter. Fooling around with compromising-with-evil intentions--while it won't lead one into league with the devil per se--is utterly damaging to one's inner self. Evil's consequences are more real on whatever level we take it to than we like to think, operating as we all do on the surface of things most of the time. This book encourages the reader to stop and think about exactly what we are up to in our everyday choices.

Excellent account of a man of science who deals with at least two demonic possessions. Told from the perspective of a cynic turned exorcist, this book delves deep into the dark corners of humanity where one might catch glimpses of the devil. I highly recommend this book to skeptics and believers alike, as it is told from a unique perspective.

The author lets the readers know right away that he felt that Malachi Martin was a fraud, and goes into his experiences with devils and demons, even though he was not a believer. He became a believer once he realized that his specialty of psychiatric opinions did not properly fit the individuals. However therein lies the only problem with this book as well. One's own worldview can oftentimes lead to error if all options are not exhausted.

For example, a patient who needs psychiatric care will exhibit strange behavior, and the author concludes that the patient is demon possessed simply because she did not fit the mold, so to speak. He treated it as if it had to be possession because his field of study did not allow for anything else. This is where I find most scientists to be blind to the paranormal because their worldview does not allow for any other option outside of science. Therefore, if something inexplicable occurs, there is a need on the scientists part to explain it through known scientific methods. They do so to their own peril at times, going so far as to create their own religion.

Case in point: Science does not allow room for a God, so they create their own god and call it a universal conscience, some invisible entity that acts as a guide for all organisms to function in a certain way called instinct. No one ever questions this, they just accept it as fact, though will accuse the religious man of doing the very same thing with their faith in gods.

Fortunately, this book is balanced in its beliefs and I can appreciate that. Nothing is worse than to have a book with an agenda present only one side of the argument.

A very singular outlook on a very complex issue. One has to be careful looking into the abyss.

Good book

I' be always been drawn to understanding true evil in an attempt to protect myself from demonic attack. You cannot deny the devil and his angels. Doing so will not make them go away!

Interesting read again from M Scott Peck!