Possessed

Anyone who wants to know truth behind demonic oppression or possession should read this book and others that discuss the reality behind oppression and possession (Fr. Amorth, Fr. Chad Ripperinger, Fr. Fortea, Padre Pio, or any of the old Church writings on deliverance and demonic possession. Reality of possession and oppression is far different than pea soup spewing out of a little girl’s mouth, even though it makes a great visual.The greatest feat Satan achieved was convincing people he didn’t exist as Padre Pio said.This book explains in great detail how this young man came to be possessed through seemingly innocent activity. His deliverance from his possession was extremely difficult to achieve and took a long time. The author painstakingly chronicles the journey of his deliverance from Satan and to those who are unfamiliar with religion or with the ways of the Catholic Church, some of it may seem repetitious, or “boring”, but it this is how people are delivered. Being freed from demonic possession almost never is able to be achieved in a single session with an exorcist, especially for a non Catholic.I appreciate the excerpts included from the priests diaries as this gives the reader a glimpse into the thoughts of the people who were front and center in this nightmare.Highly recommended.

When I was a little boy, there was one film that I was never allowed to watch on television (even though it was edited). That film was The Exorcist. When I finally did see the fully unedited version I could not make head or tail of it. As a non-practicing Lutheran (now a practicing Catholic), the idea of demon spirits was thoroughly outside-the-box of my reality and thinking. I just believed in God and that was it. No more no less. Having befriended some Catholic priests over the years, I am certainly a lot more open minded, for if God exists, it is only logical that the exact opposite of God must somehow exist, too. But I can’t quite wrap my head around a demon with a pitchfork and horns. I think of evil as being more subtle (not always, however) and snaking into the vulnerability of an individual’s heart, mind and soul. And I believe Thomas Allen’s book personifies that truth clearly. However, in this particular case, subtle paranormal activity evolved into downright supernatural terror.Using a chronological timeline from the actual diary started by one of the Jesuit priests, Allen reconstructs the possession story of Robbie Mannheim (a pseudonym) by first exploring his background, his school and family life as well as his overall environment; all the mundane facets that comprise an ordinary life are looked at. And by all accounts, it was a very typical existence. Nothing screamed, “Aha!” One of the three theories offered in this case is that of a poltergeist or noisy ghost by which an individual is experiencing psychokinesis, the ability to move objects by the mind. But the underlying stressor causing that ability to manifest has to be something remarkably intense in which the individual is not coping with in a healthy manner; there is no outlet in which to release that stress. They are keeping whatever it is that is affecting them “bottled in” and like a pressure cooker that does not have a valve to release its steam, it explodes or rather, the mental energy does. A lot of these things can apparently manifest around a prepubescent age. And “Robbie Mannheim” fit the age bracket for such an experience perfectly. Before the “Mannheim” Family ever consulted a Catholic priest, they turned to their pastor, Reverend Luther Miles Schulze of St.Stephen’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. And this was a theory that he very strongly seemed to believe in. The family consulted doctors and psychiatrists, per his recommendation, but they deemed him healthy and normal albeit high string. But a hospital setting, especially when you’re the patient, can make any one high strung.The second theory that is often bandied about is that the child was dealing with the psychological trauma of sexual abuse. Often kept as a guarded secret by the vicim and often underreported, this could definitely be a major stressor that could be a trigger for any kind of psychokinetic abilities, a perfect storm, if you will. If you are raging in you mind and are unable cope with the plethora of rage and unexplained feelings stemming from sexual abuse, this could be a way to let loose, even if the person is unaware that he or she is psycho-kinetically doing anything. But if that was the the case, why could it not be assessed by the psychiatrists and medical staff? People can be very good at keeping secrets, but secrets do eventually come out, especially in a safe environment like a hospital where one can communicate freely without repercussions. And the shadow of abuse is always ever present throughout one’s life, more-often-than-not leading to drug and alcohol abuse and a future life that is often filled more with thorns than roses. The boy in this case ultimately went on to a successful career in NASA. So sexual abuse does not really sound like the most probable cause.The third theory is the most disturbing one, that being the infestation of a demonic force trying to overtake the child and ultimately possess him. Having dabbled around with a Ouija Board that his aunt-an apparent spiritualist-used and introduced to him, he went back to it upon her death. And it was soon thereafter that unexplainable phenomena started to happen. While I do not think Ouija Boards are bad in and of themselves, I do believe more that it is the person’s intent above everything else that can cause the problem. However, the board can act as a conduit by which things can pass through and go wrong. Ouija translates into the word “Yes” from two different languages, the first being “Oui” in French and “Ja” in German. It translates into: “Yes Yes”. With that kind of eager spiritual anything-goes openness to the supernatural, it is the exact opposite of the Rosary prayer; it is kind of negative prayer or asking under the guise of frameless and harmless goodness, because you’re not asking God for what is deeply in your heart and mind, you’re asking whatever force-diabolical or otherwise-for a fulfilment to be met. And evil does rejoice in deception and despair. The latter theory seems to be the most logical, because the assessment was able to connect everything very clearly. The boy had all the earmarks of diabolical possession: an aversion to religious items, hidden knowledge, a radical personality change, physical attacks, abnormal strength, etc. And yet, he could flip on a dime and function like his old self. It was a duality of extremes. And the priest/exorcist had to maintain a rigid focus on what he was dealing with, not deviate under any circumstances.This was a real interesting read, one that kept me thoroughly engrossed and jumping between belief and disbelief. I think what gave this story more credibility was the fact that the actual recorded diary of the events was included in the work. I was able to go from the diary to some pages within the narrative and see for myself how Allen took a nugget of some of the events and was able to flesh it out into a full-bodied narrative. The diary was straightforward and certainly not florid in language. It was packed with detail of “Robbie’s” suffering and the family’s reaction to it and the steps that were used (exorcism) to rectify it. If you are an open-minded person, this work will only confirm what you probably already believe. If you are not a person of faith, this work will probably jar you because it will give you a glimpse into a disturbed young mind. If anything, that disturbance of the mind, might, too, be a conduit to faith.

The Very True story that inspired William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist. which is way scarier then Blatty's book or the 1974 movie. It prove that truth is not only stranger then fiction but way scarier as well. It tell the story of a boy not a girl who became possessed during the 19440's after trying to contact his favorite aunt using what else The Ouija Board. The book gives insight into the Catholic practices of The Right of Exorcism and just why it isn't for the Novice and not anyone except for a trained expert is meant to do it. I highly recommend this. and if your a fan of The Exorcist you'll love this insightful story. I also recommend it to any Christin who wants to learn more about the ongoing fight between God and the Devil.

As a Roman Catholic, the subject is interesting and the author goes into much detail about the actual "Robbie Mannheim" (alias) case that started outside Wash DC and ended in St Louis. The amount of priests involved and the secrecy kept was politically motivated as the 'modern' church did not want to appear to be going back to medieval times, although those are its roots. This account was so frightening that I could not read it at night, I wound up reading it during daylight. I was surprised at some details, such as the Society of Jesus (Jesuit order) where it takes 15 yrs. to complete fully the training of a Jesuit. They are the scholastic and theological foot soldiers of the church with a rigorous training agenda. Most of the priest involved were Jesuits as well as protestant ministers. The first priest to attempt an exorcism received over 100 stitches from his shoulder to his wrist from a bed spring the boy tore loose during the opening rites. He was never the same mentally after that it seems, having stared into the face of raw evil

Fast delivery and well packaged. This book is well written. Based on the actual diary documented by one of the priests present on orders of the church, and written respectfully, especially so with regards to language and those involved. Reading between the lines the language used and the violence was terrible but the author kept it light. Impressed with the historical and factual detail regarding the priests and religions, their views and involvement. It’s not a “scary” book - it sticks to the facts and doesn’t run away with itself! The author has done his homework! Recommend.

Really well written account of the 'true' events that partly influenced William Blattys The Exorcist. The book goes into a lot of detail with regards to the history of the young boy in question and the actual events of the exorcism and the stages of demonic possession.Great read.

I found this book captivating and could not put it down...I read the full book within 3 days...I felt like I was there in the room with R and my heart was pounding out my chest,a book had never done that and it was all down to how it had been written x

This book has a very interesting topic but the Kindle version is very poor with lots of repeated characters and text.

This is the book the film The Exorist was based on