Exorcist Explains How to Tell If Someone Is Possessed

Of course, most of us would like to believe that people can’t become possessed, and demonic entities don’t exist. After you read this article, you might still hold that belief, and we don’t wish to change your mind. However, if you find the subject interesting, one of the leading exorcists in the world just shared some of his wisdom regarding the topic. Maybe you just don’t know how to spot the signs of possession, so this exorcist will clear all of the fog about the subject.

Exorcist Reveals: If These Things Happen, You May Be Possessed

Father Cipriano de Meo, who has been doing exorcisms for 64 years now, told the Italian Catholic News Agency that you can tell whether you’ve been possessed or suffer from some sort of mental illness based on your reaction to the exorcist and the prayers themselves.

He explained that the exorcist will usually say “a prolonged prayer to the point where if the Adversary is present, there’s a reaction. A possessed person has various general attitudes towards an exorcist, who is seen by the Adversary as an enemy ready to fight him.”

Of course, the adversary here is the demonic entity. Demons fear exorcists and cause extreme reactions in the person they choose to possess, because the demon only cares about keeping its energy intact. If the exorcist expels the demon, it will have no place to call home anymore. Demons feed off the energy of humans, and therefore, can be considered a form of “energy vampire.”

If you are possessed, you won’t respond well to the exorcist’s prayers. It might not happen like it does in the movies, but you will experience adverse reactions to the words being said.

Father de Meo said: “There’s no lack of frightening facial expressions, threatening words or gestures and other things, but especially blasphemies against God and Our Lady.”

In short, you’ll know when something takes over you, because you’ll feel totally out of control and unsettled.

You might still not believe in exorcisms or demons, and of course exorcists themselves understand this. Furthermore, the Catholic Church also knows that those who have a tendency to become possessed and experience symptoms might not actually have a demonic presence inside of them, but may have another mental illness. You probably will never get to see a possessed person in your lifetime (and thank goodness for that).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church talks about knowing the difference between mental illness and demonic possession: “Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.”

In 2015, many exorcists gathered at the Vatican to undergo training to understand differences between mental health issues and demonic possession.

In the unlikely event you’d like to become an exorcist yourself, Father de Meo runs a school where you can get the training you need, and has been doing so for 13 years. In today’s world, you might actually get use out of your schooling, because in 2014, the International Association of Exorcists (AIE) found that a rise in occult activity led to a “pastoral emergency”.

How can you avoid getting possessed? Well, the Catholic Church believes it starts with prayer, which leads to a pure, sinless life, according to the church. You should also avoid anything dealing with Satan, revealing the future, or attempting to talk to the dead.

Furthermore, the Catechism states: “Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.”

You can do with this information what you will, and we can’t tell you what to believe or not believe. However, if you or someone you know has ever dealt with demonic possession, we hope you find this information useful and informative.