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.
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 possess…
"Between Worlds provides descriptions of the cases of possession as well as analysis of the magical techniques deployed by rabbinic exorcists to expel the ghostly intruders." "Seeking to understand the phenomenon of spirit possession in its full complexity, Chajes delves into is…
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In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the era of the Reformation, thousands of Europeans were thought to be possessed by demons. In response to their horrifying symptoms - violent convulsions, displays of preternatural strength, vomiting of foreign objects, displaying cont…