by Carol Macrae

Dr. Edith Fiore, in her book, “The Unquiet Dead” states: “It is clear that persons who are treated as though they were suffering from a “possessing entity” sometimes report dramatic resolution of their symptoms…”

Places Spirit Attachments Are Most Likely to Happen

Spirits that are lost or hover around are everywhere. This declaration is not meant to frighten you, but it is a fact. Positive as well as the more negative entities are all around us. Hospitals, VA hospitals, prisons, cemeteries, mental hospitals, gambling casinos, mortuaries, and/or places of crime or lower level activities are hotbeds for spirits ready to attach. When proactively keeping a very high vibrational field around us and caretaking our aura, attachments most likely will not happen.

How Spirit Attachments Occur

The use of drugs and/or excessive alcohol, or negative living, in general, may attract negative attachments. This is because constant use of drugs and/or alcohol can severely damage the energy field. They create holes in the auric field that spirits can move into, especially if they wish to continue these very same habits that they too had in life. This only adds to the despair of those who have become addicted to these substances.

If a person is ill or is going through a highly traumatic experience, their auric field may also become damaged. (The aura is the energy field that is an outer layer of energy that emanates around every person.) Their energy field may be damaged by holes and tears or there may be areas of fragility in the auric field – dependent upon the severity of the life experience and/or the emotional strength of the individual. Often someone that is in early stages of addiction recovery or is suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic distress syndrome) is highly susceptible to a spirit attachment. Their energy field is trying to recover but is still vulnerable.

Obviously, the condition of the aura is an important factor. It has been speculated that people whose auras vibrate at high frequency are resistant to spirits of a lower frequency whereas illness, injury, drugs, and severe emotional disturbance may weaken resistance. If the emotions are weak or there is a loss of personal power, spirits trying to attach could find a way in. Let it be understood that not everyone experiencing the above conditions will attract a spirit attachment.

Certain individuals may attract spirits that in life had a similar problem. For instance, those that are suffering sexual abuse may attract a sexual “abuser” spirit or a spirit that has also been sexually abused. This sounds eerily similar to the universal law that “like attracts like”.

Religion and Attachments

Someone that is strongly religious may feel they are automatically exempt from spirit attachments. Spirit attachments have NO religious preference so the religion someone adheres to may not matter. If they are vulnerable, the spirit attachment(s) may find a way in.

History and Spirit Attachments

Throughout history, people that have displayed symptoms of a spirit attachment have been widely misunderstood. History shows this has usually created disastrous results for the afflicted victim. Over millennia, an attachment has often been mistaken for demonic possession – especially in western culture. During the ‘burning times’ in Europe and in early Americana, priests or church leaders, deemed anything unusual or supernatural centered around a person as being demonic. They actually believed this individual was in league with the devil. This usually led to torture and often a gruesome death for the unfortunate victim.

Indigenous Cultures and Spirit Attachments

In indigenous cultures, such as Native American, the shaman of the tribe performed ritualistic ceremonies to rid a victim of some kind of alien infestation. Often this involved asking ancestral spirits to rid the afflicted of “unclean” or troublesome spirits. The victims of the attachment were not considered evil. They were regarded as having a “spirit sickness”.

Many spirit release ceremonies are still practiced today in many cultures that have a greater understanding of spirit attachments than in western society.

Asylums and Sanitariums

Until recent decades, adults that exhibited unusual and unaccountable behaviors were placed in an asylum. A spirit attachment may have been the cause, and an asylum seemed to be the only option for relatives of the afflicted. Whether children or adults, these unfortunates lost control over their lives. Improperly diagnosed, they may have languished in their horror-ridden health-care prison for the rest of their lives. Children were not exempt from this and were often the majority of inmates.

Why Doesn’t The Mental Health Field Today Understand and Treat Spirit Attachments?

Spirit attachments are a spiritual aspect of life. They cannot be proven to exist or may be misdiagnosed as some kind of mental illness such as schizophrenia. Most health care providers have never even heard of a spirit attachment or how one might afflict their patients. This is a great tragedy. However, more and more some practitioners are becoming aware of the spirit attachment phenomena and may treat a patient accordingly. A lot of this is due to the ground-breaking work of Dr. Edith Fiore. In her book, The Unquiet Dead: A Psychologist Treats Spirit Possession, 1988, Fiore gives credence to the idea of spirit possession. After treating hundreds of patients, she realized something else was going on with some of her patients that could not be addressed with conventional therapeutic methods.

Signs And Symptoms Of Attachments

How can I tell if I am affected by spirit attachment?

Awareness: There might be a feeling that something is off. The behavior seems to be unusual or even obsessive. One’s outlook on life may turn somewhat bleak, and possibly depression has crept in or been present for many years.

The following is a list of physical and mental symptoms strongly indicative of a spirit attachment. These symptoms might be ongoing, or there was a sudden and inexplicable onset:

• Feeling tired and depleted of energy
• Suffering mood swings and/or impulsive behavior
• Unexplained bursts of anger, sadness, or emotion
• Hearing inner voices telling you things or making negative comments
• A feeling that ‘this isn’t me’ – did I say or do that?
• Problems with addictions of all kinds
• Poor memory, concentration or confusion, inability to focus
• A sudden onset of anxiety, depression, or panic attacks
• Sudden onset of physical problems or pain with no obvious cause
• Unexplained fears and phobias
• Disturbing nightmares or strange faces in dreams
• Feelings of being watched or unexplained sensations such as a distortion of space and time
• Feelings of uneasiness, cold areas in your home or a sense of another presence when nobody else is around

You may notice in other people a sense that someone you know just hasn’t been the same since that accident, since losing a loved one, since moving to a new location – anything involving change whether enforced or chosen. These are all factors to consider.

Note: Many of these symptoms can also indicate medical problems so always consult your doctor. We often deal with people who have symptoms that are inexplicable and have no discernible physiological cause.

How to Treat a Spirit Attachment

Initial Assessment Self Question Quiz:

1. Have I ever felt different from others and never fit in? If so, for how long? Circle one: Yes/ No, if “yes” for how long?

2. Have I ever felt that someone or something else is controlling my life? Circle one: Yes/ No

3. Does another voice seem to answer when I am asking questions in my mind? Circle one: Yes/ No

4. Do I often feel blocked when I try and do something nice for myself? Circle one: Yes/ No

5. A) Do I often feel unexplained pain especially upper neck and back pain? B) Do I feel fatigued and harassed often? Circle one: A) Yes/ No – B) Yes/ No

6. Do I do things I know are wrong for me over and over again? Circle one: Yes/ No

7. Is there an inner dialogue that argues with me when I try to let go of addictions, negative thinking, or old behavior patterns? Circle one: Yes/ No

Answering “Yes” to any of the above does not always indicate a spirit attachment.

How to Treat a Spirit Attachment

The Depossession Instructions here are from “The Unquiet Dead” by Edith Fiore. Instructions may be downloaded as a separate pdf here.

Depossession Instructions

The most effective way to do a depossession is to record it, using the transcript that follows or composing your own, based on the principles I’ll elaborate shortly.

Playing the recording one or more times a day if necessary educates the possessing spirits repeatedly, and calls their attention to their loved ones, who will have stayed with them since the first depossession when they were called upon. Sometimes it takes a while for entities to really hear what is being said–to face their conditions and their options.

Playing the recording also gives you or the person you are helping an opportunity to notice clues that may confirm the diagnosis of possession, for sometimes spirits “hide.” Any reactions, other than neutral interest, suggest the presence of possessing spirits. The reactions to watch for are thoughts that come to mind, such as “I don’t want to hear any more,” “I don’t wont to listen to it!”

Emotional responses during the depossession, such as anxiety, fear, relief, joy and anger, are those of the entity reacting.

Physical sensations are very hard for the spirit to hide; nausea, trembling and pains are excellent clues.

Keeping a journal with dates and impressions can give you an idea of when the entity leaves. If, for example, you feel nauseated four times in a row, and then do not experience it, it could be that the spirit is gone.

Another excellent way to do the depossession is to have someone–spouse, parent or friend–read the transcript to you. Or, if you are doing the depossession on someone else, read it to him or her. If you prefer, you can say it in your own words. This is particularly appropriate if you know who the possessors are, especially if they are family members.

You may get a group of people together for the purpose of helping yourself or the person you suspect is possessed. One acts as the depossessor, the others send energy to the body of the possessed by facing their palms toward his or her body, and by placing their hands very near but not touching the body. Ask for help in convincing the entity to leave. Each one of you should surround yourself with White Light. (Visualize a brilliant white light around you.)

If you are doing a depossession for someone else, have the possessed person relax, close his eyes, and imagine himself surrounded with White Light. Then mutually ask for spiritual help. Speak directly to the entity, making the same points as described below. If you know who the spirit is, address him by name. Otherwise speak to him in general terms or read the transcript that follows.

If you believe the spirit is someone who only understands another language, speak to him or her in that language.

When you know the people and the circumstances of their deaths, it is much easier to help them. You can more readily convince them of their conditions by explaining how they died. Then, if they are loved ones, appeal to their love for you in order to persuade them to depart, explaining that their presence is harming you greatly. Reassure them that when people have each other they are never separated, even by death, and you will be “only a thought away” after they leave. Make it clear that they may return from the spirit world to visit you. Once convinced that they are indeed hurting you, and that you will not be separated forever, such possessing spirits will usually leave immediately.

If need be, in order to convince the possessors they are not the possessed, you may use a mirror and have them look at it and see the face of the possessed. You can point out how different it is from their own.

To help the entities overcome the most common fear–hell–tell them that a specialist in religious education from the spirit world is here to help them: priest, nun, minister, rabbi, etc.

If you suspect the spirit was sick and/or old, suggest that in the spirit world they will be able to sleep between comfortable sheets and wake up in a hospital or place where kind nurses and doctors will take care of them.

If the spirits are suspected alcoholics, drug users or heavy smokers, tell them they can have all the alcohol, drugs, cigarettes they need in the spirit world. You can point out that their loved ones are even showing them these substances. From regressions I have done it appears that, in the spirit world, entities are given these drugs and then tapered off by spirit healers and doctors at their own rate.

In problems of addiction, it is extremely helpful for the possessee to abstain from whatever substance the entity is addicted to. The going may get quite rough for a few days. This will help to show the spirit that he is more likely to get what he wants in the spirit world. One entity who had possessed a patient for forty years left because he believed the patient when he said he’d never touch another drop of alcohol again.

A frequent fear of possessing entities is that they will not exist if they leave their possessees. It is imperative to convince them that that is not true. Point out that their deceased loved ones are very alive. Have them take their hands to feel how real they are. Use your ingenuity. But convince them that their lives will continue!

You can call on whatever spirits you need for extra help. For example, a rebellious male teenager might go if the spirit of a pretty girl came for him. If a spirit comes that the possessing spirit doesn’t like, call another. One male spirit detested his wife. When he saw her, he refused to leave with her. I simply called his attention to someone else, and he left readily. You can ask for spirit doctors or nurses to give sedation or tranquilizing shots. You can ask for Saint Michael, Gabriel or Jesus to come.

General Instructions

1. Do the depossession at a time when you will not be interrupted. Allow a half hour, although in most cases this much time is not necessary. Try to be as well rested and as calm as possible. There should be no use of drugs, including alcohol, prior to the depossession.

2. Begin by relaxing for a few minutes in a comfortable chair or couch. Close your eyes and take three or four slow, deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling comfortably through your nose. If you have faith in certain religious figures, such as Jesus Christ, Buddha, angels, etc., call upon them to aid you with this procedure. If you are metaphysically oriented, call upon spirit healers for aid. All this can be done mentally or verbally. However, you may find that it is easier if you speak out loud.

3. In order to protect yourself from any possible negative forces or entities, it is important to form a defensive spiritual barrier. Use the White Light technique. Do this by imagining that you have a miniature sun in you solar plexus (a circular area slightly above and below your navel). Imagine that this sun is radiating a brilliant White Light, completely surrounding you with a dazzling aura that extends about an arm’s length outward from all parts of your body, including your head and feet. Impress upon your mind that this aura protects you totally from any negativity or harm.

4. Address the possessing spirit, either mentally or out loud, whichever feels more comfortable, in a kindly and loving manner. If you know him, call him by name and explain that you are now aware that he is with you.

Impress upon him that he is a spirit, cohabiting your body since his own body died, and remind him of the circumstances of his death. Tell him that we are all spirits and never die–that only the physical body dies. Explain that upon his physical death he found himself outside his body, completely conscious, at which time he should have gone directly into the spirit world, where his loved ones were waiting for him. Instead, he joined you. State that, without realizing it, he has been harming you by draining your energy and confusing you, since you cannot tell his thoughts and emotions from your own.

At this point, direct his attention to his own spirit loved ones who have come to take him home to live with them. If you suspect that a certain person (his mother, his wife, etc.) is there, tell him to look for her. Instruct him to take his “escort’s” hand and urge him to go with her. Explain that he has a wonderful life ahead, that he will be in a perfect body, and that it is important to you and him that he go, now. Tell him that hell does not exist, and that there are teachers from the spirit world to advise him about his.

Bless him as he leaves, sending him off with your love. Say “Go in peace, light and love with my blessings” or say any other prayer or affirmation that is appropriate.

5. Continue to relax. Thank your spiritual helpers and spend a few minutes in a calm state.

Summary of General Points to Make

1. You are not (possessed’s name).
2. Your body is dead.
3. You joined (possessed’s name).
4. You are harming yourself and (possessed’s name).
5. Your loved ones are here.
6. You will be in a perfect body.
7. There is no such thing as hell.
8. You will have a wonderful, peaceful life.
9. Go in peace with my blessings.

Transcript

The following is a verbatim transcript of a typical depossession that I use in my office. Sometimes I vary it depending on what I know about the entity. I’ll describe these changes later in this chapter. In order to illustrate, I’ve used an arbitrary name, Mary. Substitute the possessed’s name, or your own.

Read slowly, pausing frequently.

Depossession Technique

You’re here with Mary, but you’re not Mary, are you? You’re somebody else completely different from her. You have a different name, different personality, different needs and ideas and attitudes. And there was a time when you were living in your own body, long before you joined Mary. (Pause.) See if you can remember back to that time. Think of a pleasant event while in your own body. (Long pause.)

And then something happened to that body and it died. (Pause.) When your body died you found yourself alive, just as you had been moments before, but outside of your dead body. At that moment you should have gone directly into the spirit world. Helpers were there, loved ones who came from the spirit world to escort you into your new life.

But, instead, you remained in the physical world without your own physical body. (Pause.) Perhaps you were confused and didn’t realize that your body had died, and therefore you didn’t understand what was happening to you. (Pause.) That’s where you made a very serious mistake, because at that moment you became a lost soul. (Long pause.)

Do you remember that you tried to talk with people and they didn’t answer? Or if you touched them, they didn’t seem to notice your touch? And they seemed to look right through you, as though they didn’t even know you were there? Perhaps you felt very confused–upset and lonely–and frustrated, and maybe even angry with them.

The reason they didn’t respond to you is because you are an invisible spirit. You weren’t in a body, and so they couldn’t see you. They didn’t know that you were there. It’s not that they were ignoring you, they just didn’t realize that you were there. (Long pause.)

And then at one point you joined Mary, and that’s where you made an even worse mistake. Because, you see, up until that point you had just been hurting yourself, by keeping yourself from the wonderful life you could have been having in the spirit world with your loved ones and having all of your needs met. But when you joined Mary, you started hurting her. The very least that you’ve done is to use her energy, causing her to be tired. And you may confuse her, because she can’t tell your thoughts and wishes and needs from her own.

Now you wouldn’t want someone doing this to you. Perhaps you didn’t realize that you were harming Mary.

Fortunately, we can solve your problem right now, because there are people you love very, very much who have come from the spirit world to help you today. (Pause.) These are people you thought you’d never see again when they died, and here they are looking absolutely wonderful…looking even better than the last time you saw them…with great big smiles on their faces.

They’re so happy to see you, because they have been really worried about you. They’ve been looking for you, and searching for you, and longing for you, and now they’ve found you, and they’re overjoyed to see you. (Pause.) And they’re reaching their arms out for you. (Pause.) And now they’re embracing you and giving you a warm, wonderful hug. They’re holding you. Notice how wonderful that feels. (Long pause.)

Now they’re holding your hand. (Pause.) I want you to notice how very real and solid their hands are. If you give them a little squeeze, you can even feel the bones underneath the skin. That’s because they’re in their spirit body. The spirit body is just as real and as solid as a physical body. (Long pause.)

In a few moments you’re going to leave Mary, and when you do, you’re going to find yourself in your very own spirit body. (Pause.) This is your rightful body, to use as long as you need to. (Pause.) And it’s a perfect body in every sense of the word. It’s a youthful and attractive body–a body that will never age, get wrinkles or be sick or have anything wrong with it. If you’re a male, you’ll find yourself in a male body, strong and healthy. If you’re female, you’ll be in a lovely, healthy, youthful female body. (Long pause.)

Now, just in case you are afraid of going to hell, I want you to know that there’s somebody here from the spirit world–a teacher of religious education–who’s going to explain to you that there is nothing to fear, because there’s no such thing as hell. If you were brought up as a Catholic, this teacher-spirit is a nun or a priest. If you’re a Protestant, it’s a minister of your own denomination. If you’re a Jew, this being is a rabbi. Whoever you need is here to explain to you that you have absolutely nothing to fear! (Long pause.)

And now it’s time for you to go on to your wonderful new life. Holding the hand of your loved one and, if you like, taking the arm of your helper, know that in a very few moments, you’re going to be in that Light over there. (Pause.) Perhaps you can see it in the distance, or maybe it’s coming close to you. It’s only seconds away. And you’re going into it, hand in hand with your loved one. And the second that you do, you will be in your new, perfect body. When you go into that Light you’re going to experience something that is beyond words, it’s so beautiful and lovely. It’s indescribably wonderful. You’re going to feel completely loved and accepted. (Long pause.) You have a beautiful life waiting for you. You will be with lots of loved ones, family and friends. You’re not going to be alone anymore. The worst is over. You are all right now–the best is yet to come.

(Long pause.) Now it’s time for you to go. I’m asking Mary to mentally forgive you for any harm that you’ve done to her. (Pause.) And now go with our blessings and our love. (You may say any other prayer or affirmation that is appropriate.)

During the process, you or the person you are helping may experience a variety of intense emotions, including grief, anger, or fear, but when the possessing spirit finally leaves, there is almost always a deep sense of well-being. Sometimes the person’s tense body relaxes, with a sigh of relief and a big smile of joy. When you see this happening or when you feel this happening to you, you can be reasonably sure that a successful depossession has taken place.

Many people reported a feeling of “something lifting” up out of them, usually through the head, rippling up through the body or leaving through the chest or other areas. Some can actually “see” the spirits leave hand in hand with spirit loved ones, going toward a brilliant White Light. Sometimes there is no clear-cut feeling of the entities departing, but rather an awareness that they did-the person feeling lighter, relieved or changed in a positive way. Most claim to just “know” that they are finally freed of the possession. In other cases, there are no indications at the time that the spirit left, but the changes afterward is remarkable.

After the depossession has been accomplished, it is important to dismiss the spirits from your mind as much as possible for the next several days. It is possible, by dwelling upon them, to pull them back to you, if they have not gone completely into the Light. Anytime you think of them, bless them, and reinforce to yourself that they are gone, then deliberately think of something else. This is important when the spirits were people you loved deeply. I have seen cases, especially involving deceased family members, when formerly possessed people inadvertently attracted the spirits back.

The chances of your depossession working depend on how willing the entity is to leave. In most cases, it will be successful immediately, no matter how long the possession has lasted.

Often it may take many repeated depossessions to get the spirit, either a loved one or a stranger, to leave.

Sometimes the depossession is partially successful–the spirit leaves but does not go into the spirit world or into the Light. He or she just slips out of the body and the aura and stays with the formerly possessed person or roams around the area–only to return later. Then, another depossession is called for, with a heavy emphasis on connecting the spirit with his or her loved ones.

In such cases, it is necessary to point out to the spirits that they are still in the physical world, that they didn’t go where and with whom they should have gone, ant that’s what caused the problem. Sometimes the entity comes back badly frightened after one of these forays! I have found, when this occurs, that they are often amenable to leaving at this point.

One particularly fascinating case illustrates this phenomenon: I think of it as a “last chance” syndrome, you will see why.

Roger came to me because of extreme feelings of inadequacy, an inability to make his life work for him. He had a very real and persistent problem, a compulsion to frequent prostitutes in local “massage” parlors on an at-least-daily basis!

After one session, we isolated the cause; a spirit named Bill, who was obsessed by sex. A depossession was performed and he left with his wife who came for him from the spirit world.

Roger looked crestfallen at our next meeting, which was on a Tuesday morning. “I had five and one half days of freedom. I didn’t have the slightest desire to see a prostitute. I couldn’t believe it! Went away for the weekend with my girlfriend. Sex was fine–and normal, only twice. But after dropping her off Sunday night, it hit me like a ton of bricks! I went straight over to the closest massage parlor. Since Sunday, I’ve had fourteen orgasms, with prostitutes and by masturbating. It’s worse then ever! It (the depossession) didn’t work.”

I reassured him that it had worked, but not completely, that “our friend,” Bill, must have come back. Sure enough, under hypnosis, Bill sheepishly confessed to slipping away from his wife deliberately, because he didn’t think he would ever have sex again. He told of walking around San Jose, wondering what to do. He made up his mind to rejoin Roger and have one last fling, since he suspected I would talk him into going for good the next time! So he did. (That’s why I call it the “last chance” syndrome–I’ve seen spirit smokers, drinkers and foodaholics all overdo because they knew they were going soon.)

Bill did leave willingly with his wife when she told him she wanted to make love with him, saying, “Quality is more important than quantity.”

One trump card I reserve for last is to guarantee that the possessing spirits may return from the White Light if they wish. I stress that they need to go into the Light, and that they can consider it as a vacation–with a round-trip ticket that they can use. I stress that they can try it out for ten minutes, if they like, and come back. I get the patient’s permission as I’m doing this. It often is the very thing that they–the possessors–need to overcome their fear of going. I use this infrequently–and it works! If they do return, I convince them that they did not go into the White Light–and to try again, since they know now that they may return. The second time is about one hundred percent effective.

Sometimes, one will remain, hiding. It often is a parent or grandparent; a family member who feels he is a special case. In these instances, I address and work with these spirits directly, and they eventually leave with their spirit loved ones.

Particularly stubborn entities may require the help of a professional. This is a situation in which a medium or a metaphysical minister can be of great help. Or if your own minister or priest is knowledgeable and willing to assist you, he or she can be an enormous help, because the spirit may respond to his or her authority as a man or woman of God.

Throughout the depossession process, it is very important to act as if you take it seriously–even if you don’t believe it, act as if you do. Later, when it is completed, you can be as skeptical or as analytical as you want. But, during the procedure, even if you are not convinced that you or the person you are depossessing has an entity, carry through with the procedure purposefully. There can be no harm in it and, regardless of your opinion, possessing spirits may very well leave.

Never take on someone else’s possessing entities in order to relieve them of their burdens–as a self-sacrifice, because you will indeed be sacrificing yourself–and the possession could last all your life! You can help without harming yourself. If you can’t help, get professional help for the possession.

See Part I here.