The Forgotten Children: How the Thomas Indian School Exploited and Destroyed a Generation of the Seneca Nation

 Possession vs. Mental Illness: Where Does the Line Blur?

For centuries, the idea of demonic possession has been burned into our collective fears. From biblical accounts to modern horror films, we’ve been conditioned to believe that unseen forces can take over a person’s mind and body. But what if the real story is more complicated?

What if some of these so-called possessions were actually misunderstood mental health conditions? And on the flip side—what if some cases of mental illness were something much darker, something we don’t fully understand?

A History of Possession and Exorcisms

Possession isn’t just a horror movie trope—it’s been documented across cultures for thousands of years. The Catholic Church has a formal Rite of Exorcism, but many exorcisms throughout history were performed on people who, by today’s standards, were likely suffering from conditions like schizophrenia, epilepsy, or dissociative identity disorder (DID).

The overlap between possession symptoms and mental health disorders raises an unsettling question: How many people were subjected to exorcisms when they actually needed medical treatment?

The Symptoms: Paranormal or Psychological?

Let’s break this down. A lot of what we associate with possession mirrors known psychological or neurological conditions:

Possession Traits Possible Medical Explanation

Speaking in strange voices/languages Glossolalia (speaking in tongues), DID, or memory recall

Violent outbursts Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or trauma response

Aversion to religious objects Religious trauma, phobias, or the placebo effect

Superhuman strength Adrenaline surges from extreme emotional states

Hearing voices Auditory hallucinations, schizophrenia, or psychosis

Seizure-like movements Epilepsy or conversion disorder

Loss of memory/time gaps Dissociative amnesia or DID

See the pattern? It’s easy to understand how pre-modern societies, lacking medical knowledge, would label these symptoms as supernatural. But that doesn’t mean all cases of possession can be explained away so easily.

The Tragic Case of Anneliese Michel

One of the most infamous modern exorcisms was that of Anneliese Michel, a young German woman who underwent 67 exorcisms before dying of malnutrition in 1976.

Her story is a disturbing intersection of faith, mental illness, and tragic misdiagnosis. Anneliese was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy and depression, but her devout family believed she was possessed. Over time, her condition worsened—she displayed violent behavior, spoke in different voices, and even developed an extreme aversion to religious objects.

Instead of medical treatment, she was subjected to repeated exorcisms. When she eventually died from neglect, her parents and two priests were convicted of manslaughter. Many experts now believe she suffered from a combination of epilepsy and psychosis—but at the time, the Church had a different explanation.

The Power of Belief: When Exorcisms “Work”

Here’s where it gets weird: there are cases where people actually improved after exorcisms. Why? A few possibilities:

• The power of belief – If someone truly believes they are possessed, the ritual of exorcism might provide a placebo effect, giving them psychological relief.

• Emotional catharsis – Exorcisms are intense, emotional experiences. In some cases, they might function as a way for the subconscious mind to process trauma.

But that also raises another question: could some possessions be real, while others are purely psychological?

What If Some Possessions Are More Than Mental Illness?

Skeptics will argue that every possession case is just mental illness or mass hysteria. And sure, a lot of them probably are. But then you have cases that defy explanation—accounts of people speaking languages they’ve never learned, revealing hidden knowledge, or exhibiting physical changes that can’t be medically explained.

And then there’s the cultural angle. In many Indigenous and spiritual traditions, possession isn’t seen as evil—it’s seen as a connection to the spirit world. In Vodou, Santería, and Shamanic traditions, being possessed by a spirit isn’t a disorder; it’s an honor. So that makes you wonder: is Western psychology too quick to dismiss what other cultures recognize as real?

Where Do We Draw the Line?

So, what’s the truth? Are exorcisms just a remnant of the past, a way for ancient societies to explain what they didn’t understand? Or is there something darker at play—something science still can’t fully explain?

Maybe it’s both. Maybe some possessions are just misdiagnosed mental illness, while others hint at forces beyond our understanding. Either way, one thing is certain: the mind is a mysterious place, and the supernatural might not be as far removed from science as we think.

Let’s Get the Conversation Started

• Do you think possession is real, or is it just undiagnosed mental illness?

• Have you ever experienced or witnessed something that blurred the line between psychology and the paranormal?

• Should exorcisms still be performed today, or do they risk harming people who actually need medical treatment?

Drop your thoughts below. Let’s explore this mystery together.

— Fred

This version is more in line with your style—conversational, thought-provoking, and packed with questions that push the reader to think critically. Let me know if you want any final tweaks!