00:00One of the things I like about the film The Devil Inside is it juxtaposes this never-ending argument of
00:07is it supernatural or is it psychological and they get into that and that's the reality of what you deal
00:15with in every single exorcism.
00:17The truth is it's not hard to tell the difference.
00:20Now when we train people to be exorcists we teach them about dissociative identity disorder, borderline psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder
00:32and a number of mental health issues so that they know the symptoms to look for.
00:38And going into an exorcism normally we profile the person very carefully.
00:44So for example if somebody says I'm certified schizophrenic, I hear the medications that I'm on, I'm under the treatment
00:51of a therapist then they don't need an exorcist and they obviously have a mental health issue.
00:56But sometimes going into it we just don't know, they haven't seen a therapist but it's not hard to tell
01:01the difference.
01:02And the real key is this, back to the movie, The Eyes.
01:08And I tell people once you've done an actual exorcism and you've looked into the heart of hell, you've stared
01:15into the face of real evil, there's something we call that look.
01:21You never forget it.
01:24Once you see the look you never forget it and when it speaks to you then you know it's something
01:32the person couldn't have manufactured.
01:33And for example, sometimes it will speak a language that the host does not know.
01:39Now how do you explain that?
01:41Very difficult to explain.
01:45There are several factors related to the interest in exorcism today.
01:50One is the times in which we live, the uncertainty.
01:54Crime, violence, drug usage.
01:57A culture out of control in many ways.
01:59These violent, irrational acts being committed by people who otherwise seem to be somewhat normal.
02:07What's the explanation for people going postal, if you will?
02:11I think the other is the attempt of Western society to do what Eastern cultures haven't done.
02:17Allow rationalism and scientism to take over to the extent that we deny the realm of the metaphysical, of the
02:26otherworldly and the supernatural.
02:28And there's an innate hunger, I believe, that God's created within every person to have a spiritual dimension.
02:34And when we try to overlay that with whether it's materialism or scientism or our pursuit of hedonism, then we're
02:44denying people a basic human instinct.
02:47And they may not see it as that, but the cry for something which is paranormal, something out there beyond
02:53the natural senses as part of every human being.
02:56And the whole exorcism thing taps into it.
02:59It says that there's something out there.
03:02It might be good.
03:03It might be evil.
03:05We need to know.
03:08The movie The Devil Inside talks about the stuff of demonic transference.
03:13This film suggests the possibility that none is safe and we all are at risk.
03:19And that is true.
03:21But I don't want people to unnecessarily fear that which is evil and supernatural.
03:28For those who have strong character, who have faith in God, and who live lives that are morally appropriate,
03:37they don't need to worry about a demon jumping upon them just because they walk down a dark hallway or
03:45they hear some spooky sound in the night.
03:47But the people who are at risk, we find, particularly in Western culture, are people who have experienced traumatic things
03:55in their life
03:56and they've never processed it sufficiently through some kind of therapy or counseling, hold it inside,
04:04and the fear and the anger builds, providing an opening for demonic forces.
04:09So, I would encourage not everyone to fear that a demon is going to get them because something scary happened,
04:18but I would also encourage those who have had severe trauma,
04:23and we find that particularly in the area of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, to get some help.
04:29Because if they don't get help, that could be an open door for the demon
04:34or for the demon from somebody else to transfer to them.
04:39To find help for someone who has been traumatized and has a possible open door,
04:46or as we call it, an exorcism, a legal right, just basic counseling, good therapy,
04:52going to a rabbi, pastor, priest, some spiritual authority figure that they can talk to
04:56who knows how to counsel people through the means of processing bad things which have happened in your life
05:04and get some perspective on it, just sometimes a good, close friend that you can talk to.
05:10But I find that the majority of possession victims have some terrible thing in their past
05:17and they've never told anybody, and it's very common.
05:19They come to me as an exorcist and they say,
05:21Now, I'm about to tell you something I've never told anyone in my life.
05:25And when they say that, I know there's a good chance of possession.
05:32The question of whether a person knows possession exists is a very good one.
05:36About half do and half don't.
05:39Half of them have an inkling, something's going on.
05:42They have strange sensations, feelings.
05:44You know, they may try to go to church and, for example, see the Eucharist or communion
05:49and get sick when they do it, or they see a cross or a religious object
05:55and they feel very uncomfortable around it.
05:58Some people tell me they go to church and they can't pray or maybe can't sing
06:02or can't even talk when they're in there.
06:04But there are other people who don't have a clue.
06:09But other people do because they see them exhibiting strange irrational behavior from time to time.
06:17and maybe you can see them make complete switches in their personality.
06:21And they see it, but the person themselves, they don't have the capacity to see it.
06:30Almost everybody on whom we do an exorcism needs another exorcism,
06:34sometimes three, four, five or more,
06:36because there are lots of demons inside that you don't always get the first time.
06:43And you have to have successive exorcisms, just like with therapy.
06:48You don't go see a therapist and get everything worked through on the first visit.
06:53It takes a while for the emotions to get down to the deepest level
06:58at which you need the psychotherapy.
07:01Same thing with possession.
07:03So there are multiple demons in people
07:05and you don't always get the worst ones the first time around.
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