Spirit Possession and Exorcism [2 volumes]: History, Psychology, and Neurobiology 1-2

From The Publisher. From The Beginning Of Civilization To The Present Day, And Across All Major Religions And Cultures, There Have Been Documented Cases Of People Seemingly Overtaken By An Unseen Entity. The Invading Force -- Whether Good Or Bad -- Appears To Replace The Possessor's Soul With The Spirit's Own Persona, Resulting In Mystifying Symptoms Such As Levitation Or Other Supernatural Feats, Speaking In Tongues, And Even Horrific And Inexplicably Accelerated Physical Distortion And Deterioration. This Is A Two-volume Chronological History And Examination Of Spirit Possession That Addresses Its Phenomenological, Psychological, And Neurobiological Aspects, And Its Effects On Societies. Volume One Reviews Spirit Possession From The Upper Paleolithic Era To Modern Times, While Volume Two Focuses On Case Studies And Rites Of Exorcism. V. 1. Mental States And The Phenomenon Of Possession -- V. 2. Rites To Become Possessed, Rites To Exorcise Demons. Patrick Mcnamara. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Page Navigation Copyright Volume 1 Contents Series Foreword Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Cognitive Capacities Involved in Spirit Possession Chapter 2. Spirit Possession and the Origins of Religion Chapter 3. Masking and the Control of Spirit-Possession Experiences Chapter 4. Spirit Possession in the Upper Paleolithic Chapter 5. Spirit Possession in the Mesolithic and Neolithic Periods Chapter 6. Spirit Possession in the Ancient World Chapter 7. Priests, Prophets, and Kings Chapter 8. The Divine Kingship Chapter 9. Spirit-Possession Developments in Christianity Chapter 10. Spirit Possession at the Birth of the World ’ s Religions Chapter 11. Spirit Possession in NonWestern Religious Traditions References Recommended Reading Index About the Author Volume 2 Contents Series Foreword Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Introduction to Second Volume: The Roots of the Demonic Possession Experience Chapter 2. Brain Basis of Demonic Possession Chapter 3. Freud’s Treatment of Religion and Demonic Possession Chapter 4. Cases with Commentary Chapter 5. Nightmares and Demonic Possession Chapter 6. Protection and Exorcism Rituals in Traditional Societies Chapter 7. Demonic Possession and Exorcism in the Ancient Near East Chapter 8. Demonic Possession in Early Christianity Chapter 9. Devils, Witches, and the Birth of Modernity in Europe Chapter 10. The Roman Ritual of Exorcism Chapter 11. Some Concluding Thoughts References Recommended Reading Index About the Author This two-volume text reviews spirit possession throughout history, analyzes case studies from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, and examines rites for exorcism.From the beginning of civilization to the present day, and across all major religions and cultures, there have been documented cases of people seemingly overtaken by an unseen entity. The invading force—whether good or bad—appears to replace the possessor's soul with the spirit's own persona, resulting in mystifying symptoms such as levitation or other supernatural feats, speaking in tongues, and even horrific and inexplicably accelerated physical distortion and deterioration.This is a two-volume chronological history and examination of spirit possession that addresses its phenomenological, psychological, and neurobiological aspects, and its effects on societies. Volume one reviews spirit possession from the upper Paleolithic era to modern times, while Volume two focuses on case studies and rites of exorcism. This two-volume text reviews spirit possession throughout history, analyzes case studies from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, and examines rites for exorcism. From the beginning of civilization to the present day, and across all major religions and cultures, there have been documented cases of people seemingly overtaken by an unseen entity. The invading forcewhether good or badappears to replace the possessor's soul with the spirit's own persona, resulting in mystifying symptoms such as levitation or other supernatural feats, speaking in tongues, and even horrific and inexplicably accelerated physical distortion and deterioration. This is a two-volume chronological history and examination of spirit possession that addresses its phenomenological, psychological, and neurobiological aspects, and its effects on societies. Volume one reviews spirit possession from the upper Paleolithic era to modern times, while Volume two focuses on case studies and rites of exorcism.