Poonam Sharma
Exorcism is a religious, psychological, and social phenomenon that seems to be more sensationalized by today’s media than ever. Its origins in ancient rituals have adapted to modern contexts, and interest in the subject keeps it under the gaze of scholars from various disciplines. This report takes an analytical, journalistic overview of exorcism: what we know from the data; what is contested; and why it matters.
Origins and Cross-Cultural Presence
Essentially, an exorcism is performed as “an adjuration addressed to evil spirits to force them to abandon an object, place, or person.”
Encyclopedia Britannica .The practice is widespread: from early Egyptian and Babylonian incantations, through Christian ritual forms in the Roman Church and comparable rites in Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and indigenous traditions.
In the Christian tradition, the ritual became formally regulated: for example, by AD 250 a class of “exorcists” in early Catholicism emerged, and by later centuries exorcism was part of liturgical practice.
What the historic and cultural breadth shows is that exorcism is not some sort of a fringe oddity, but a recurring human response to distress, perceived evil, anomaly, and the unexplainable.
Contemporary Landscape & Key Findings
Revival and institutionalization
Various research confirms the resurgence of exorcism in late-modern societies. This rise, according to authors such as Giuseppe Giordan and Adam Possamai, “expresses the logics of action proper to the religious market, using supernatural claims as means of asserting authority and attracting adherents.” Their work shows that, for instance, one Catholic exorcist in Southern Europe handled more than 1,000 consultations in one decade.Nevertheless, only a very small part of these consultations turn into formal exorcism rituals; for example, one study found that about 5% of initial consultations lead to an actual rite.
Psychological, neurobiological, and anthropological dimensions
Modern studies have associated claims of ritual possession or exorcism with diagnoses in the mental health spectrum, such as dissociative disorders, epilepsy, and neuro-psychiatric conditions. An example is a 1990 article that reported that classic exorcism techniques share features with treatments of dissociation: diagnostic rituals, incantations, music, verbal confrontation, aftercare.
scholarsbank.uoregon.edu
One Polish/English study underlined that “negative” possession (uncontrolled, life-diminishing) is more common than “positive” (controlled, enriching) etc.
One Swiss study of psychiatric out-patients found that in a sample size of 343 individuals, 37.6% believed their condition may have been caused by evil spirits; 30.3% sought “deliverance prayers” or exorcism. Rates were highest among patients with anxiety or schizophrenia in charismatic churches, at 70%.
Social and spiritual variables
Another line of inquiry has examined how belief in exorcism relates to broader sociological factors. An Australian study found that the lower a participant’s confidence in society, the higher a score was recorded in belief in demonic possession and in the practice of exorcism-especially when moderated by spirituality.
researchers.westernsydney.edu.au
Another aspect of the “over-policing of the devil” thesis is that as religious institutions stress the devil and possession, the numbers of people claiming to be possessed (“possessionists”) increase—even if actual cases of possession do not.
Why the Debate Matters
Ritual, religion and modernity
The revival of exorcism challenges assumptions about secularization. In societies assumed to be increasingly rational and scientific, the persistence or growth of demon-possession frameworks suggests that religious and supernatural categories still retain cultural power.
Health, ethics and safeguarding
Exorcism raises ethical questions about diagnosis, treatment choice, and potential harm given the overlap with mental-health issues. “When Discernment Fails” was the title of a retrospective study which called for outcome studies of exorcism, noting “negative sequelae for some exorcisms”.
It begs the question: where do the boundaries between ritual healing and vulnerability being taken advantage of lie?
Authority and meaning-making Exorcism also works as the lens to look at power, agency, and meaning. In situations of distress, whether social, economic, or personal, the evil spirits and deliverance narrative provides a framework for individuals and communities to make sense of suffering. The ritual, thus, is also symptom and solution. As one study put it, spirituality mediates how lack of social confidence translates into exorcism practices.
Gaps and Contested Areas
Despite the growing research, there are major gaps. Empirical data on the results of exorcism is scant. As Rosik, 1997, so pointed out, there is an absence of outcome-studies and also any standardized criteria for “possession.” OUCI Cross-cultural comparative research remains limited; much of the literature is focused on Western Christian contexts. And the boundary between cultural belief, ritual practice and clinically-defined pathology remains contested and blurred. Key Take-aways It is far from being extinct; on the contrary, exorcisms are still practiced in modern societies. Multiple lenses are needed: religious studies, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and neuroscience to understand exorcism.
Context matters:
Beliefs in possession and recourse to exorcism are higher in contexts of psychosocial distress, reduced confidence in society, and heightened religious/spiritual engagement. Ethical and clinical awareness: There is a need for collaborative frameworks between religious ritual and therapeutic care where there are overlaps with mental health. Research is nascent-more systematic, longitudinal, cross-cultural studies are needed in order to understand efficacy, risks, and social functions of exorcism.
In conclusion, exorcism is not simply a trope of horror movies; rather, it is a living phenomenon that exists at the intersection of ritual, crisis, belief, and suffering. For any society grappling with issues of modernity, mental health, meaning, and belonging, the resurgence and persistence of exorcism call for serious and critical attention.
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