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Full-Text Articles in Anthropology
Facing Our Demons: Psychiatric Perspectives On Exorcism Rituals, Joel R. Sanford
Facing Our Demons: Psychiatric Perspectives On Exorcism Rituals, Joel R. Sanford
The Hilltop Review
Belief in possession by malevolent spirits exists in many cultures and religions throughout the world, and such beliefs often serve as explanations for a variety of psychological and emotional afflictions. Traditional remedies in these cases often involve exorcism rituals, which are believed to expel spirits from a person's mind and/or body. Some of the cases commonly attributed to involuntary spirit possession are diagnosed within the psychiatric community as schizophrenia or some sort of dissociative disorder and treated with psychotherapy and/or medicine. For some in the psychiatric community, exorcisms and their use by patients are viewed as problematic due to their …
Proof Of Heaven?: Controversy Over Near-Death Experiences In American Christianity, Joel Sanford
Proof Of Heaven?: Controversy Over Near-Death Experiences In American Christianity, Joel Sanford
The Hilltop Review
Testimonies claiming firsthand experience of Life after Death have been circulating in many cultures since antiquity. Among these experiences are those occurring at, near, or beyond the point of death or apparent death. Testimonies of this kind of experience, now widely referred to as a Near-death Experience (NDE), were popularized by Raymond Moody's publication of Life after Life in 1975. In the last 10 years, it seems there has been a growing American public interest in these experiences, resulting in a slew of New York Times best-sellers. With such provocative titles as Proof of Heaven and Heaven is for Real …