I don't know if this is the right place for this topic, if not, could one of the mods please move it?
I have been reading about people with mental issues or disorders taking exorcisms as a way of alternative therapy. I have a degree in social work, so I take a more medical/psychological view on this subject. In a lot of countries exorcisms are still going on, especially there where mental health care isn't very advanced yet. Surprisingly, it's also still going on in the modern west...
I stumbled upon this guy from America called Bob Larson, who claimed to have done thousands of exorcisms. I've seen a few of his videos and to me it looks like a circus. The people who undergo the exorcism are often women who have a (sexually) abusive past. During the exorcism they are being grabbed and held by two strong men and while being confronted with their past are brought into a state of hysteria. After, they say they feel 'light' or 'relieved' and truely believe that the demon that possessed them is gone and they can finally go on with their life.
It has left me with a troubled feeling. People like Bob Larson are taking advantage of mentally instable people, which makes me sick. But those people also feel really helped and it seems they have been miraculously healed from the consequences of their abusive experiences. It's not clear how this turns out for them on the long term though.
My question here is: Could 'exorcism' be a part of mental health care if performed by non-profit professionals, f.e. with some sort of medical degree? Or is it merely dumbing down patients with a placebo effect as an easy way out from real therapy and medicine? What do you guys think?
(I put 'exorcism' in quotation marks, because in this case we're not dealing with real exorcism. These people cope with serious mental issues, not demons.)
I have been reading about people with mental issues or disorders taking exorcisms as a way of alternative therapy. I have a degree in social work, so I take a more medical/psychological view on this subject. In a lot of countries exorcisms are still going on, especially there where mental health care isn't very advanced yet. Surprisingly, it's also still going on in the modern west...
I stumbled upon this guy from America called Bob Larson, who claimed to have done thousands of exorcisms. I've seen a few of his videos and to me it looks like a circus. The people who undergo the exorcism are often women who have a (sexually) abusive past. During the exorcism they are being grabbed and held by two strong men and while being confronted with their past are brought into a state of hysteria. After, they say they feel 'light' or 'relieved' and truely believe that the demon that possessed them is gone and they can finally go on with their life.
It has left me with a troubled feeling. People like Bob Larson are taking advantage of mentally instable people, which makes me sick. But those people also feel really helped and it seems they have been miraculously healed from the consequences of their abusive experiences. It's not clear how this turns out for them on the long term though.
My question here is: Could 'exorcism' be a part of mental health care if performed by non-profit professionals, f.e. with some sort of medical degree? Or is it merely dumbing down patients with a placebo effect as an easy way out from real therapy and medicine? What do you guys think?
(I put 'exorcism' in quotation marks, because in this case we're not dealing with real exorcism. These people cope with serious mental issues, not demons.)
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