by Teresa West
Paranormal Underground e-Magazine

In the latest podcast for Paranormal Underground Presents the discussion turned to the topic of demons. The conversation was very educational and interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I found myself taking notes instead of participating! I asked Karen Frazier, writer for Paranormal Underground and our moderator, if I could write a blog to coincide with the release of the podcast to express a few more of my thoughts on the topics. I think this will tie some of my comments together as well.

The topic of demons came up. I listened and wrote. J. D. Harrison had a wealth of information on when and where the concept of first appeared in written history. Chad Wilson contributed the Greek word “daemon” which I actually had heard: which is a negative thought form. So, I asked myself: “Do demons really exist or do we create them?”

I am not attacking anyone’s belief system. But the word “belief” did come out quite a bit. How do you prove a demonic possession? What happens to the “demon” when it is exorcised? Can we exorcise the demon into a little jar and question it? Is exorcism something created by the church to explain away mental illness? Is the possession real, or is it fabricated, wittingly or subconsciously by the possessed? Is it linked to mental illness or chemical imbalance?

I lived in a home with mental illness. My oldest sister was clinically depressed. While she never had thoughts of killing her children, she certainly thought of killing herself. No amount of medication, counseling or coddling could make her happy. Do I believe there were demons involved? Only the ones she loosed upon herself. My friend’s sister is bipolar and mildly schizophrenic. She stands in a room and picks nothing out of the air for hours at a time. Demons? Again, I don’t believe so. When she takes her medication, she is a functioning member of society. The mother of another friend once reported that she was being raped by demons. She was a severe manic depressive and schizophrenic. Again, medication stopped those episodes.

So, I guess by this point you can see where I am going to go with the question of brain chemistry…The human brain is a complex machine. We still have marginal understanding of how it works. We have limited understanding of how and why the human body functions. I believe the body functions because of the chemical processes within the brain and body. These processes misfire at times and the body reacts in kind. Is it possible then that demonic possessions are no more than a chemical misfire? Yes, possibly, and maybe probably. Some say that walking onto the premises of a demonic possession they sense oppression, feelings of dread, abject fear and doom. Could this be preconception? Has exposure to movies such as “The Exorcist” soft-wired the brain to fear something that does not exist? As you see, I have more questions than answers.

Next we get to the movie section of the discussion. The latest movie addressing demonic possession is “The Haunting in Connecticut”. I have not seen this movie. I am familiar with the story associated with it. Of course, “The Amityville Horror” came up. This made me think of the case of the Glatzel family. All three cases have three things in common: New England, mental illness of one kind or another and Ed and Lorraine Warren. I apologize if I offend anyone with my comments on the Warrens. I have the same opinion of all supposed demonologists who promote themselves as such. My stance is this: If demons do not exist outside of the human mind, wouldn’t demonology be a false science? Until I have answers to my questions about demons I don’t think I can see it otherwise.