Get the full experience when you use our app. READ IN APP Accessibility statement Skip to main content Search Navigation Democracy Dies in Darkness Sign in This article was published more than 6 years ago POSTEVERYTHING As a psychiatrist, I diagnose mental illness. Also, I help spot demonic possession. How a scientist learned to work with exorcists. By Richard Gallagher July 1, 2016 at 6:00 a.m. EDT Matt Rota for The Washington Post Gift Share In the late 1980s, I was introduced to a self-styled Satanic high priestess. She called herself a witch and dressed the part, with flowing dark clothes and black eye shadow around to her temples. In our many discussions, she acknowledged worshipping Satan as his “queen.” Get the full experience. Choose your plan I’m a man of science and a lover of history; after studying the classics at Princeton, I trained in psychiatry at Yale and in psychoanalysis at Columbia. That background is why a Catholic priest had asked my professional opinion, whic
Stay Updated on Developing Stories VIEW IN APP Live TV When exorcists need help, they call him By John Blake, CNN Updated 12:23 AM EDT, Fri August 04, 2017 (CNN) A small group of nuns and priests met the woman in the chapel of a house one June evening. Though it was warm outside, a palpable chill settled over the room. As the priests began to pray, the woman slipped into a trance -- and then snapped to life. She spoke in multiple voices: One was deep, guttural and masculine; another was high-pitched; a third spouted only Latin. When someone secretly sprinkled ordinary water on her, she didn't react. But when holy water was used, she screamed in pain. "Leave her alone, you f***ing priests," the guttural voice shouted. "Stop, you whores. ... You'll be sorry." You've probably seen this before: a soul corrupted by Satan, a priest waving a crucifix at a snarling woman. Movies and books have mimicked exorcisms so often, they've become clichés. The 1973