Not a bad book, I didn't agree w/much of it but it was hard to put down. More of a mainstream type book.

Wow! ¡Qué decepcionante libro! La idea de que un psicólogo/ psiquiatra diera un análisis serio sobre el perfil del poseído y las posibles diferencias con otras enfermedades mentales o manías sonaba interesante. Pero la realidad fue otra y me vi en la necesidad de interrumpir la lectura porque la siguiente mitad del libro fue más de lo mismo.
El autor es amigo del famoso jesuita, exsacerdote, exorcista Malachi Martin y presenta dos casos donde el autor realizó los exorcismos. Primero, presenta la historia personal y familiar de cada paciente y cómo concluye que están poseídos, procede a realizar el exorcismo con ayuda de un sacerdote de la iglesia más cercana. Reúne a un grupo de personas que considera que pueden ayudar a sostener al poseso durante el ritual y cuando es necesario, hace llamadas a Malachi para dar reporte y solicitar consejo.
Puff! Se me presentaron muchos problemas durante el desarrollo de sus “exorcismos”, primero que el psiquiatra no era católico, sino ateo recién bautizado episcopal - metodista, segundo, no recuerdo la autorización por parte de la Iglesia católica y del obispo o cardenal para realizar supuestos exorcismos y tres, no es una persona con entrenamiento teológico y espiritual, un hombre con altos estándares morales, éticos y espirituales para realizar semejante ritual sin autorización de la Iglesia Católica. En resumen, el hombre se saltó varios puntos importantes que demanda el ritual y la Iglesia Católica. Después de haber leído a los Padres de la Iglesia y su filosofía escolástica (San Buenaventura, Santo Tomás de Aquino, San Agustín, etc) algunos tratados como De Malo y Suma Teológica, algunos libros sobre otros exorcistas como el Padre Fortea o al Padre Amorth, encuentro decepcionante la ligereza con que se trata el tema en este libro. No pude terminar el libro y no lo recomiendo si se busca un contenido interesante.

The only time I found myself able to sit down and read this book was between 2 and 4 am. Don't ask. Masochism. Needless to say, the detailed cases of exorcism the author speaks about, and his description of his subjects was so real I felt I was right there. Dr. Peck quite successfully freaked me out. A nice read for those interested in the subject but with a less fictional approach.

I don't believe in the devil, and I didn't believe after reading this book (but I doubt anyone is going to be convinced of something that big from reading a short book,) and I can't even say that I thought Dr. Peck was being ethical in his practice, but was I entertained? Yes, I definitely was. I had a fun time reading this!

Deep and revealing of the potential extent of the real phenomenon of possession, whether you see it as an actual entity or a cognitive "virus".

I found this book to be an interesting read, and I finished it in a couple of days. I was a little disappointed that it didn't go over more varied exorcism cases, it only went over two people, but they were interesting because it followed up on what the clients did after the exorcism.

I like that the author was very thorough and descriptive in his account, as well as having credentials as a licensed psychiatrist from a prestigious educational background.

However, there are some things in the book that were a little questionable. I don't think that Mr. Peck is trying to embellish or dramatize his cases like he says Malachi Martin did. I suppose I just find it hard to believe in some of the things he talks about in the exorcisms and the conclusions he sometimes draws from them. For example, in the second case, with Becca, he says that Judas was in her. Yes, the very original Judas who betrayed Jesus for 12 silver coins. I was kind of confused because this would change the nature of the Bible itself. The Bible claims that the spirits of humans who die don't come back to earth. There are no incidences that I know of in the Bible where actual humans come back as demonic entities. Mr. Peck claims that Becca is being possessed by Judas because her obsession with trading in a less-than-legal stock market mirrors Judas' greed for money. I don't know if maybe Scott is contriving things and supposing the demonic entity is actually Judas, he maybe misheard, or the demonic entity is just coincidentally called Judas. I just felt that part was a little bit off.

Another instance is with Becca turns into almost a serpent, and then uses strong imagery such as 'snake' and 'serpent' as if she has become a snake. Wow, there are lizard people among us after all! Bust jokes aside, Jersey's physical 'transformation' was a little more believable in that she twisted her face like the Green Goblin. That was just a little bit unbelievable. Mainly also because he said that her 'transformation' wasn't shown on the recording camera and the only thing is he and his other colleagues in the room agreed that her appearance changed and became serpentine. I'm not saying that he didn't see it or it didn't happen, maybe those kinds of changes are in a kind of dimension or realm outside of our physical one that human senses can only pick up. I just thought that part felt like it was dipping into the fantasy realm for a little bit. Then again, I wasn't there to see it and understand it.

I don't know why other people in the comments are saying that Peck made the demons out to be weak and that it seemed unbelievable. They are age-old entities, but we don't know how intelligent they are. Just because things are old, doesn't mean they are wise. Especially if they never learn from their mistakes or adapt and change. In the Bible, they are shown to not be omnipotent and omnipresent like God. So we don't know if they are super intelligent and cunning. Maybe they are broken pathetic creatures and not like the powerful creatures we see them as portrayed in media. So I don't think it rubs me the wrong way about how the beings he speaks with don't display otherworldly intelligence. He could've been conversing with extremely low-ranking demons of low intelligence. It's hard to gauge their intelligence and if they are smart or not since they aren't human. Other than that, if people want to discuss more about the book, I'd enjoy the discourse.

This is the seventh of dr. Pecks books read. Sadly he is no longer with us, but has found the truth of what he believed. I found him totally honest and humble here. He said he could convince no one, but told what he lived. I believe him.

It isn’t that this book is bad, don’t get that impression. I am also glad I took the time to read the book. This book is essentially two case studies of demon possessed individuals. While it was interesting, the case studies were very casual and more could have been included about them. It also isn’t theologically very rich. That said, it is an interesting look at possession. Peck continually refers to another book, Hostage to the Devil. He also talks a lot about his other book People of the Lie. I’ve read neither of those books, but this book relied very heavily upon them.

Interesting book but seemed pretty drawn out at times.

Glimpses of the Devil recounts two exorcisms actually performed by Dr Peck along with a team of religious leaders and volunteers. Both exorcisms were video recorded, and in writing the book, Dr Peck called on the recollections of the members of his team, the possessed person and members of her family.
Until Dr. Peck first met the young woman called Jersey, he did not believe in the devil. In fact, as a mature, highly experienced psychiatrist, he expected that this case would resolve his ongoing effort to prove to himself, as scientifically as possible, that there were absolutely no grounds for such beliefs. Twenty-seven-year-old Jersey was of average intelligence; a caring and devoted wife and mother to her husband and two young daughters, she had no history of mental illness.Yet what he discovered could not be explained away simply as madness or by any standard clinical diagnosis. Through a series of unanticipated events, Dr. Peck found himself thrust into the role of exorcist, and his desire to treat and help Jersey led him down a path of blurred boundaries between science and religion. Once there, he came face-to-face with deeply entrenched evil.
Dr Peck’s second exorcism was Beccah, in her mid-forties and with a superior intellect, who had suffered from profound depression throughout her life, choosing to remain in an abusive relationship with her husband, one dominated by distrust and greed. This exorcism, like Jersey’s took four days, but this one was not successful in that Beccah was repossessed. Dr Peck attributed her repossession to the length of her possession, which was thought to be about 40 years. Beccah went back to her fraudulent financial business and died of osteomyelitis or morphine addiction fifteen or twenty years later by which time, Dr Peck was no longer in touch with her.
Dr Peck breaks an exorcism down into stages of Presence, Pretense, Break Point, Voice, Clash and Expulsion, the same stages as mentioned by Malachi Martin on Hostage to the Devil. In Presence, the team becomes aware of a demonic presence in the room. The temperature seems to drop, there is no other outward sign, but everyone can feel it. In Pretence, the demon pretends to be the possessed person, using his/her voice to speak. At Break Point, the Pretense ends and the demon uses the possessed’s vocal chords to speak in its own Voice. Clash, as the word suggests, marks the crucial disagreement with the demon and can include the exorcist, the possessed and members of the team. Expulsion marks the exit of the demon, which happens because the possessed turns against the demon, because of demands made by the exorcist, or (the Catholic church believes) by the intervention of Jesus.
Glimpses of the Devil is not a work of fiction. It is rather scientific work by a nationally recognised doctor. Nor is it one man’s testimony. Videotapes of both exorcisms exist and Dr Peck identifies all of the people involved in each process, though for obvious reasons, they are anonymised. One feels that one is actually present at each exorcism, observing all of the details worth observing. The author does not speculate or draw unproven conclusions. His principle conclusions are that the devil is a real being who is a huge threat to individual human beings, and the devil is afraid of Jesus.
It is a very difficult book to put down!

I'll admit that I have a fascination with scholarly books on exorcism and abnormal psych. I like to read them from the skeptic's or the scholar's point of view, because they're going to approach and document the entire process differently than someone who approaches it from a purely religious standpoint. I appreciate that he started out from the position that he was trying to prove that there wasn't a devil and there is no such thing as possession, and became convinced otherwise. I think he talked a lot about science but relied a lot on his emotions and experiences, but then, in a field as scientifically reviled as demonology (or whatever you'd like to call it), I guess there aren't a lot of text books he could reference.

When it comes to a field as--borderline--as possession, I prefer to echo Hamlet: there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. A concept of some sort of possession has been a part of cultures and religions throughout human history. I'm sure most of it was mental illness or just an excuse for evil behavior, but we may have out-smarted ourselves by denying it completely. If it exists I am sure that 99% of the cases that are "diagnosed" are in fact something else, and I think especially the religious community is too quick to diagnosis possession to explain "the banality of evil." Peck makes an attempt to strike the middle ground between "demons, demons everywhere, demons moved my cheese!" and "there is no such thing." Is he right? I can't say. Is he worth a read and some consideration? Why not? At least having the conversation doesn't hurt anyone, and this seems like a good enough place to start.

I am very confused as this seems like a fantasy but has been written by such a credible person. God knows the real truth behind all these paranormal things.