5 True Stories of Exorcisms

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For most people, the idea of an exorcism is something that only happens in movies or books. No one has ever really gone through such a grueling ordeal, right? Wrong! Exorcisms have happened many times in real life to poor souls that believe they have been possessed with evil spirits. To them, the forces at work with frighteningly real and they felt no hope to overcome the demon on their own.

From super strength to speaking in tongues and levitation, these people were terrified of what was taking over their body. The symptoms were enough to scare everyone around them and lead to drastic measures. They had little knowledge of what was going on and turned to Catholic priests to help them in their time of need. Some of these exorcisms resulted in horrible tragedy, while a few came out to live happy lives afterwards.

Here are five real life instances of exorcisms being performed.

Anna Ecklund

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Anna Ecklund’s demonic possession spanned several decades, beginning in 1912 when she was only 14. It is widely believed that Ecklund’s aunt and father prayed for Satan to curse the girl. The first exorcism performed on Ecklund was successful for a short time, but she was said to become possessed by even more demons in 1928. Her second exorcism lasted three sessions at a convent in Earling, Iowa. Nuns reported her hissing, throwing food that had been blessed, and speaking in foreign languages. The ritual was so grueling that it resulted in extreme deterioration of Ecklund’s body. Despite this, the demons were eventually exorcised and Ecklund went on to live a normal life, with only mild possessions after.

Ronald Doe

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Ronald Doe is well-known for his exorcism, and his story inspired the 1973 horror classic “The Exorcist.” At 13, Doe reportedly used a spirit board to try and communicate with his aunt that had passed. However he accidentally invited something much darker into the home. The family became overwhelmed with strange occurrences, including odd noises, furniture moving, and objects levitating. The family pastor declared that Doe needed to see a Catholic priest. During the exorcism Doe slashed the priest’s arm with a bedspring, which halted any further action. The family moved to St. Louis where they saw three more priests who carried out 30 exorcisms on Doe. Eventually the boy was freed from the spirit with no memory of the incident.

Michael Taylor

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Unlike most well-known stories of exorcism, Michael Taylor didn’t ever return to normalcy. Taylor lived in Ossett, West Yorkshire with his wife Christine. The pair joined a Christian fellowship group, and it was then that Michael began to act erratically. He lashed out against his wife and the leader of the group, and admitted he felt an evil presence within him. The leader brought in several other priests, and an exorcism was performed on Taylor which lasted overnight. The priests claimed they had pulled over 40 demons from Taylor, but that several remained inside him when they sent him home. Upon his return, Taylor murdered his wife and strangled the family poodle. He was picked up by police after wandering the streets, soaked in blood.

Anneliese Michel

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Anneliese Michel’s story is so popular it went on to inspire the 2005 film “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.” Michel, a young German woman, had struggled with mental illness all her life. She was diagnosed with epileptic psychosis and experienced visual and auditory hallucinations. Over time, her symptoms intensified and she had a growing aversion towards religious symbols. Both Michel and her Catholic family believed her condition was due to demonic possession. At age 22, Michel began 10 months of intense Catholic exorcism rituals. Nearly 70 exorcisms were performed on Michel and she passed away in July of 1976. An autopsy declared her death was a result of emancipation, malnutrition and starvation at the hands of her family and the priests. They were charged with negligent homicide and found guilty of manslaughter.