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There is no other area of therapy that has been so poorly documented as spirit releasing therapy. The skeptics in the therapeutic world dismiss cases of entity attachment or demonic possession as fantasy or fiction, limiting the focus of their activities to conventional problems and traditional methods of treatment. However, in the course of a hypnotherapy or a past life therapy session, a therapist can be confronted with such issues. An a-priori denial of the spiritual dimension and of the client’s experience inevitably results in failure to address the client’s concerns and an inability to help the client. No matter how unusual or bizarre is the client’s experience, it is important to acknowledge it and accept it as valid and worthy of serious attention.
Some clients approach a therapist with prior awareness of the possession and may report feeling controlled or influenced by the entity. Some present with unexplained symptoms, such as a sense of not being oneself, a sensation that something extraneous is residing in one part of their body. Others are totally unaware of any attachment until they discover it during the course of therapy or of past life regression. The verification of a suspected entity can be carried out using procedures that are client-centred and rely entirely on the client’s perception and awareness. A diagnosis of entity attachment or possession should not be forced upon a client, if the client is not prepared to entertain such beliefs.
Common entities a therapist has to deal with are earthbound spirits, demons, aliens, a sub-personality, a past life personality fragment or even the energy of a living person. Spirit attachment is reported to be the commonest type of possession. A sense of unfinished business is thought to be responsible for the possession and there may be a past life connection between the possessor and the possessed. There are accounts of people who felt possessed by spirits of people who had been hostile to them when they were alive, and the possession may be interpreted as a way to get revenge (Fiore, 1993). It is not uncommon for a client to feel influenced, or possessed, by the energy of a living person who has played an important role in their life, e.g. a parent or a lover.
It is believed that earthbound spirits retain the personality characteristics, attitudes, interests and fears they had at the moment of death. Spirit attachment can then result in a sudden profound personality change in the host. Mental health problems in the client, such as lack of concentration, anxiety, depression and phobias, may be imposed by the entity on the host and may relate to the entity’s death or other traumatic experience. Crabtree (1993) reported that most cases of spirit attachment involve invasion and control by the spirit of a blood relative. Sometimes the possessing entity is someone upon whom the host had a great dependency in life, e.g. a parent. The living parent’s possessive invasion becomes possession after death.
Symptoms of attachment or possession are often reported spontaneously by clients in the course of a session. One of my clients communicated the presence of an entity by saying that she felt the weight on her heart did not belong to her. “It’s like a being who is shaking and kicking. It’s part of me, with me, but it’s not me.” In such cases, further questioning may lead to the discovery and identification of an entity.
A differential diagnosis may be carried out in order to establish whether an entity is present and to identify the entity. The entity may be questioned directly and may respond by speaking through the host and referring to the host in the third person. When the entity is engaged in a dialogue with the therapist, there may be a change in voice quality and in facial expression in the client. The entity is questioned on his/her name, age, gender, personality characteristics, last death experience, the time and circumstances of the attachment, and the reasons for its continuation. Information about the circumstances of the attachment can clarify whether there is a present or past life connection between possessor and possessed, and what is the client’s vulnerability that may have led to the attachment.
Some cases of attachment are reported to be accidental and unintentional. Some entities are aware of the attachment but do not know they are exercising control and affecting the host negatively. The entity is often confused, trapped and needs to be helped to move on. This can happen in cases of sudden death, particularly suicides. The therapy for such entities consists of informing the entity of where s/he is and what are the effects on the host. Once this knowledge is acquired, the entity may go willingly to the Light, if invited. If the purpose of the possession is selfish, a greater effort is required to persuade the entity to relinquish the attachment. Any conflict between the possessor and the possessed needs to be resolved in order for the unhealthy attachment to be dissolved. There may be more than one entity attached to a client, and there may or may not be boundaries between the entities themselves. In cases of multiple attachments, entities can be invited to go to the Light in turns, if the number is small. Alternatively a group exodus can be organized with a larger number.
Whatever the reason for the attachment, earthbound spirits are reported to be invariably confused, frustrated and unhappy, finding no lasting satisfaction for as long as they inhabit other people’s bodies. This argument is used by the therapist to persuade the entity to move to the Light, which is the goal of spirit releasing therapy. The therapist may argue that the entity will not fulfil his/her expectations and will not satisfy his/her cravings by remaining earthbound, since what they believe they are experiencing is not a true need but only a memory. The entity that supposedly had attached to one of my clients said that the reason for the attachment was “Having fun…eating and drinking a lot…being depressed”. I seized the opportunity to point out the contradiction in that statement. “Having fun? It doesn’t seem to me as if you are having much fun being depressed!” My argument silenced my interlocutor and we swiftly made progress with the release of the entity to the Light.
The host may be just as responsible for the possession as the attached entity. A client may have a hidden attachment to being possessed. The client needs to be helped to recognize their contribution to, and responsibility in, the attachment or possession in order for it to be relinquished. The entity and the client may be tied together by long-standing emotions, such as obsessive love, anger or resentment. Any outstanding emotional conflicts or unfinished business between them need to be resolved and healed before the entity may be prepared to move to freedom and fulfillment in the Light.
Spirit releasing therapy, unlike the rite of exorcism, is gentle, kind and compassionate towards both the entity and the host, and there is no coercion at any time. The diagnosis and release of the entity is usually carried out with the client in an altered state of consciousness or hypnosis. The departure of the entity can be verified by asking the client, who usually reports feeling lighter, stronger and freer. The release of the entity can also create a feeling of loss in the client because what has been released, although unwanted, was a part of the client’s life. It may be necessary to grieve on order to complete the healing.
Since its origins from the spiritualism of the 19th century, and following the important work of authors like Fiore (1987) and Baldwin (1992), spirit releasing therapy is gradually gaining acceptance among complementary health practitioners and healthcare professionals, as attitudes towards healthcare are shifting towards a more holistic and transpersonal paradigm.
References
1. Baldwin W.J. (1992) Spirit releasement therapy –A technique manual. Falls Church, VA: Human Potential Foundation Press.
2. Crabtree A. (1993) Therapy for possession. In: Lucas W.B. (Ed) Regression therapy: A handbook for professionals. Volume II: Special instances of altered state work. Deep Forest Press, California.
3. Fiore E. (1987) The unquiet dead. New York: Ballantine Books.
4. Fiore E. (1993) Release of entities. In: Lucas W.B. (Ed) Regression therapy: A handbook for professionals. Volume II: Special instances of altered state work. Deep Forest Press, California.
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