Father Gabriele Amorth is the chief exorcist of Rome. He has a very uncommon job in the church and a very uncommon gift. He is a real person. His stories are not fictional nor are they derived from the imagination of Holywood or a writer. He has performed hundreds of exorcisms and he has also written a book called An Exorcist Tells His Tale. Unless you have been raised Catholic, which I have been, this is a difficult book to read, because Father Gabriel is a Catholic Priest above all else and his writing is deeply religious. However, if you want to learn about real cases of demon possession, he is one of the few experts in the world.
I have read several bloggers lately comment that possession is often confused with mental illness and that people of science would never accept possession as real. One of the most interesting things reading about Father Gabriel does is negate this belief. He describes many of the cases he has worked with in his book and in almost all of them the people he exorcises go the doctors and psychologists and psychiatrists first. They go through years of medication and electroshock therapy and none of it helps, but after the exorcism their torment ends. The psychiatrists and psychologists in many cases have given up.
One of the Father Gabriel's most interesting cases is the case of a man called G.M. G.M describes being heavily involved with two women who practiced the dark arts. Following these relationships, he began to have symptoms which were physical at first. He was tired and weak and sick all of the time. He had chronic headaches. He also suffered from severe depression and thought of suicide. He was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Rome and he found no help there. He sought help at medical hospitals as he was also running a constant fever and for a while none would even admit or treat him as they could find nothing wrong with him. Finally, he was admitted and discharged and again no on could find anything wrong with him. He was overtaken by vomiting fits and shortly after this the demon was able to take his body. During these periods, G.M. describes himself as being in hell. During one of his rare lucid moments, he finally sought the help of his parents. G.M. still believed he was probably suffering from a fugue state or other psychiatric condition. He thought that he probably had schizophrenia and epilepsy as he had also started having seizures. He had studied psychology in college and he was not a man to believe in demons first.
Finally, G.M. talked to a Friar about his problems. The Friar told him that someone had cast a spell on him and that had caused his symptoms. G.M. was astounded. One of his witchy ex's had cursed him when he dumped her. Of course, he hadn't thought anything of it, what rational person would? But the Friar knew this without him even really knowing it himself and the Friar sent him to Father Gabriele. After a simple exorcism, Father Gabriele was quickly able to drive the demon out and G.M. has never had any of the many symptoms that tormented hims since that day.
There are many stories like this in the good Father's book, but this is the only story written by the possessed. It is difficult to read at times, because it is so terrifying, but in the end finding the Father set him free.
