Science could not exactly prove it, but world renowned psychiatrist Dr. Richard Gallagher fully believes that demonic possession is real.
And what's even more alarming is that cases of demonic possession are on the rise, according to the professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College.
In an article that appeared recently in the Washington Post, Gallagher said unlike most of his colleagues in the scientific field, he believes in the existence of a spiritual world with a "very dark side that goes beyond our physical world."
Gallagher has been studying this dark side of the spiritual world for more than 20 years and has become an authority on demonic possessions. He has been working with priests to help distinguish people who are truly possessed from those who are suffering from serious mental illness.
"For the past two-and-a-half decades and over several hundred consultations, I've helped clergy from multiple denominations and faiths to filter episodes of mental illness – which represent the overwhelming majority of cases – from, literally, the devil's work," Gallagher said.
Based from his experience, Gallagher said demonic possession is more frequent than what is commonly known.
"The Vatican does not track global or countrywide exorcism, but in my experience and according to the priests I meet, the demand is rising," he said.
One indication of the increasing number of demonic possessions in the United States is the increase in the number of church-designated exorcists, he said.
"The United States is home to about 50 'stable' exorcists – those who have been designated by bishops to combat demonic activity on a semi-regular basis – up from just 12 a decade ago," Gallagher said.
He acknowledged that many men and women of science still doubt the existence of demons and evil spirits in our world because they could not scientifically prove them.
But Gallagher said he has "weigh the evidence" of demonic possessions, pointing out that "written historical accounts with numerous sound witnesses testify to their accuracy."
Gallagher said he started studying the phenomenon 25 years ago when "a self-proclaimed witch" became his client.
"She called herself a witch and dressed the part, with flowing dark clothes and black eye shadow around to her temples," Gallagher said.
At first he, being a man of science, was sceptical about her claims. But then he experienced the unexplainable.
"My subject's behavior exceeded what I could explain with my training," he recalled. "She could tell some people their secret weaknesses, such as undue pride. She knew how individuals she'd never known had died, including my mother and her fatal case of ovarian cancer."
Gallagher said he became even more convinced when the "witch" was subjected to exorcism.
"Six people later vouched to me that, during her exorcisms, they heard her speaking multiple languages, including Latin, completely unfamiliar to her outside of her trances," he said. "This was not psychosis; it was what I can only describe as paranormal ability. I concluded that she was possessed."
