Psience Quest Interview No. 7: Bruce Greyson

[Laird]

There is a danger of course with openly acknowledging it as a possibility because then we are back into territory that was abandoned in the middle ages in the 'enlightened' population(s) but is still the domain of the less developed, if you see what I'm getting at (exorcism etc and casting out of malevolent spirits for all kinds of reasons) which is not going to be the way to proceed, I would have thought.

I take your implied point that these practices can be abused and misapplied, e.g., by attempting to physically beat or starve the malevolent spirits out of presumed-to-be possessed persons. Nevertheless, exorcism does still occur in developed countries - the Catholic Church in particular never abandoned it, and to this day retains priests who are officially sanctioned to perform exorcisms. Apparently, demand for exorcists is even growing in at least the USA. Here are a couple of links I've previously bookmarked on this topic. The first one I am not a big fan of as the author (a psychiatrist) takes a condescending view of those sufferers whom he considers to be genuinely "mentally ill", and merely deluded in their perceptions of spirits, but it does document the ongoing practice of exorcism in the USA:

As a psychiatrist, I diagnose mental illness. Also, I help spot demonic possession.

The Devil and Father Amorth: Witnessing “the Vatican Exorcist” at Work

[Edit: Just to be clear, I'm not claiming to myself be "possessed"; certainly not in any way that would warrant the sort of exorcism described in those links.]

In any case, a more modern approach (although it probably has been or is practiced by other names in other cultures/times) is Spirit Release Therapy, which has been raised and discussed a little in a previous thread on PQ:

Psychiatry and spirit release therapy

I'd like to give it a go but it's been difficult to find practitioners here, and they aren't cheap when you do find them.

I take your implied point that these practices can be abused and misapplied, e.g., by attempting to physically beat or starve the malevolent spirits out of presumed-to-be possessed persons. Nevertheless, exorcism does still occur in developed countries - the Catholic Church in particular never abandoned it, and to this day retains priests who are officially sanctioned to perform exorcisms. Apparently, demand for exorcists is even growing in at least the USA. Here are a couple of links I've previously bookmarked on this topic. The first one I am not a big fan of as the author (a psychiatrist) takes a condescending view of those sufferers whom he considers to be genuinely "mentally ill", and merely deluded in their perceptions of spirits, but it does document the ongoing practice of exorcism in the USA:

As a psychiatrist, I diagnose mental illness. Also, I help spot demonic possession.

The Devil and Father Amorth: Witnessing “the Vatican Exorcist” at Work

[Edit: Just to be clear, I'm not claiming to myself be "possessed"; certainly not in any way that would warrant the sort of exorcism described in those links.]

In any case, a more modern approach (although it probably has been or is practiced by other names in other cultures/times) is Spirit Release Therapy, which has been raised and discussed a little in a previous thread on PQ:

Psychiatry and spirit release therapy

I'd like to give it a go but it's been difficult to find practitioners here, and they aren't cheap when you do find them.

 Noted Laird, I'll certainly check out the final link. And I'm quite certain you're not possessed BTW. Ye shall know them by their fruits-- and actions

Based on my own personal experiences which have been so labelled, "psychosis" occurs when malign entities in our company gain significant influence over our psyches, typically such that we become aware of their presence and communication. I tend to disagree, then, with Dr Greyson's suggestion that "the vast majority of psychotic visions originate in the individual’s mind". My view instead is that (at least in my case) these visions originate, or are at least provoked by, (typically malicious) external entities.

Y'know, I recently read a comment by a former exorcist saying that he had been told by a more experienced practitioner that 8 out of 10 cases he dealt with were precipitated by Ouija Board use. Just thought you might like to know.

[Laird]

Y'know, I recently read a comment by a former exorcist saying that he had been told by a more experienced practitioner that 8 out of 10 cases he dealt with were precipitated by Ouija Board use. Just thought you might like to know.

Oh, I find that very plausible. I think my own problems were exacerbated by a naive Ouija session in 1997 (the only time I used a Ouija board), although my aunt tells me that even before then - earlier that year - I had told her in confidence that I was occasionally hearing disembodied voices. I don't remember that, but I take her at her word. In the Ouija session, four of us foolishly and randomly called out for a spirit to make itself known to us. I think we stipulated that the spirit must be benevolent, but I might be misremembering, and I'm not sure it makes any difference anyway. Just after we verbalised that desire, a strong wind swept through the room, even though there were no open windows or doors in the house. This freaked us all out, and it became clear that something non-corporeal had indeed responded to our call.

I think the other cause/exacerbation of my problems was semi-regular experimentation with psychoactive substances, which I believe opened up my psyche to external influences (spirit entities) that it shouldn't have been open to. This would explain why I was hearing voices even before the Ouija session.

Based on this, my strong caution to especially youth but also older adults is do not experiment with drugs, Ouija boards, or any spirit-related practices, especially if you (1) are a sensitive person, and (2) do not have a reliable and knowledgeable guide, such as a genuine shaman. If you do experiment, you could very well find yourself battling with, and being sectioned and forcibly treated by, the mental health system / coercive psychiatry.

While this is not directly related to the intercession between psychiatry and parapsychology debated here, this superb piece of investigative journalism concerning the systemic corruption in psychiatry is nevertheless worth reading:

https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/09/ana...blic-good/

While this is not directly related to the intercession between psychiatry and parapsychology debated here, this superb piece of investigative journalism concerning the systemic corruption in psychiatry is nevertheless worth reading:

https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/09/ana...blic-good/

So odd, as there is a group called the "Skeptics" that claim to be the self-appointed guardians against Pseudoscience?

What were they up to when all this corruption was happening?