Malignant Narcissism: The Need For Deliverance

Please Note: following this article are disclaimers that the reader should peruse.

Narcissism:

The Face of Evil in our Contemporary Society?

To better understand evil, it is worthwhile to consider the conclusions of scholars, such as M. Scott Peck, Erich Fromm, Martin Buber and others who devoted a good part of their lives to the study of the nature of the workings of the minds of evil people. Although many thinkers, ethicists, theologians and behavioral scientists have written volumes on the subject and many of those have influenced my thinking, I gained my clearest perspective after reading Peck’s book, “People of the Lie.” [i]

Meet America's top exorcist, the inspiration for 'The Rite'

The sun was shining on the Santa Cruz Mountains. The freeway from the San Francisco airport to San Jose was still buzzing in my ears when I stepped into the parking lot of an unassuming church and the most famous exorcist in America walked up.

“Hello, I’m Father Gary Thomas.”  At 57 years old, he has an easy smile, an abiding love for the Giants and strong convictions about the nature of evil.

“You believe there is a devil?”  I ask him as we settle in at a small, beautiful chapel near the church.

“Yes.”

To read the rest of the story see: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/07/the-real-exorcist-no-sympathy-for-the-devil/

'It's real': Priest reveals exorcism rituals

Apart from heads spinning in 360-degree circles and streams of flowing green vomit, real-life exorcisms are remarkably similar to what you see in the movies, an Australian exorcist says.

Father Barry May – an Anglican priest, exorcist, author and former police chaplain – has performed dozens of exorcisms in his 40 years of ministry.

The 73-year-old Perth man says more Australians are seeking exorcisms, and as such, over the past four years he has dedicated his life solely to ridding people of their demons.

Father May tells anyone sceptical about the ancient Catholic ritual to “get real” and psychologists have backed the man, saying exorcism “has its place” in society.

“I’ve been spat at, yelled at, grabbed at, sworn at, had people trying to rip my crucifix off my throat, gouge my eyes out, fighting, assault. I get all that stuff and you tell me it’s superstition?” Father May said.

“No, get real. And that’s exactly what it is, it’s real.

Read the rest of the story at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-06-30/its-real-priest-reveals-exorcism-rituals/2777946

Psychologists: Perhaps Exorcism is Beneficial

We find the following quote on the Psychology Today web site;

Perhaps it’s time psychologists start asking some of those same questions. What is exorcism? How does it heal? Can we learn something valuable about psychotherapy from exorcism? Are there certain techniques employed by exorcists that psychotherapists should consider when treating angry, psychotic or violent patients? Are there vital existential or spiritual questions addressed by exorcism–for example, the archetypal riddle of evil–that psychotherapy detrimentally avoids or neglects?

To read the entire article, see: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evil-deeds/201201/the-devil-inside-psychotherapy-exorcism-and-demonic-possession

Exorcism Thriving in U.S., Say Experts

The devil must be busier than ever in the new millennium.

Exorcism, the ancient rite of casting out Satan and his demons from the souls of the possessed, is thriving in America and was long before recent revelations that Mother Teresa underwent one and Pope John Paul II performed them.

“It is a big phenomenon,” J. Gordon Melton, a Methodist minister who directs the Institute for the Study of American Religion, says of exorcisms in the United States.

“There is a lot of exorcism going on.”

Read more of this article at http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92541&page=1#.UKcmFIbNkwg

What many might consider an archaic and obscure rite has been front-page news this year.

The Story of a Modern-Day Exorcist

When he first heard about a Vatican-sponsored course on exorcism for priests, journalist Matt Baglio was intrigued by the idea of this ancient ritual taking place in the modern world. In his new book, The Rite, Baglio follows American priest Father Gary — sent to Rome to train as an exorcist — and his apprenticeship with Father Carmine. Baglio talked to TIME about belief, skeptical priests and the particulars of the exorcism ritual.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1885372,00.html#ixzz2CSLk5FJW

An Article On Exorcism

The dark shadows of skyscrapers are falling across New York as an elderly white-haired priest leaves the reassuring comfort of his home and heads through the streets towards the apartment block where the others are waiting. He walks quite slowly, carrying a small black case filled with the essential paraphernalia of the ritual he is about to perform. The room has been prepared to his precise instructions: cleaned, sprinkled with holy water, and stripped of movable objects. Of those now gathered inside, only the priest – his face drawn and solemn – has any idea what to expect. Or rather, what to expect. After 30 years as an exorcist, Father Malachi Martin has learned to recognize the natures of the demons he pursues.

A Modern Day Case of Demonic Possession

By Dr. Stephen Yulish – November 22, 2010

I just ran across this case study in the February 2008 issue of the New Oxford Review Vol. LXXV, Number 2. What was so intriguing about it was not only the valiant attempt to document an alleged “clear cut case of demonic possession”, but more importantly to me at least was the scientific qualifications of the researcher. Richard Gallagher MD is not only a board certified psychiatrist in private practice in Hawthorne, NY but also is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at New York Medical College and on the faculty of Columbia University Psychoanalytic Institute as well for a Roman Catholic Seminary. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Princeton University magna cum laude in Classics and was trained in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine.
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Signs Someone You Love Might Be Possessed

A couple of centuries ago, innocent people who suffered only from medical or psychiatric conditions—such as Tourette’s syndrome or Epilepsy—were falsely accused as being possessed.  However while modern day churches have accepted the findings of modern science and usually insist that all psychiatric and medical avenues of treatment be exhausted before the Rite of Exorcism can be performed, science and the church are still butting heads. 

What Is Spiritual Guidance?

Each and every day, untold numbers of Americans seek the assistance of personal trainers to guide them through their physical fitness regimen, some people hire personal chefs to prepare their meals for them, some have executive assistants that handle a substantial amount of their business affairs leaving them free to concentrate on the more important details and not to be bogged down with the ordinary and mundane.  Some people take time out of their schedule regularly to visit their dental hygienist; some retain psychological analysts as part of a “mental hygiene” regimen.  However, isn’t it ironic that few people take time to consider their spiritual hygiene, few bother to retain a personal spiritual “trainer” or have even thought about the need of a spiritual analyst?  Why is it that while so many feel it important to maintain their physical bodies, they often neglect—the spiritual body—the soul?
“Okay, I think I need a spiritual guide, who do I turn too?”