Harloween: Unraveling the Gruesome Exorcism of Anneliese Michel (PART 1)
In one of the most infamous cases of alleged demonic possession, Anneliese Michel’s exorcism remains a chilling reminder of the extremes of faith and fear. The young woman was subject to over 67 exorcisms in a span of 10 months before her tragic death in 1976. This case sheds light on the dangerous consequences of unchecked religious fervor and mental health issues. Stay tuned as we delve into the twisted web of events leading up to this horrifying exorcism.
@Rainbowofthefallen
Just commenting for the algorithm ❤️🧡
@christyh3208
Being catholic you should understand that baptism is for protection from evil spirits that is why it’s done when kids are babies
@user-id7tp3by3c
I was raised Catholic. I come from a long line of Catholics on both sides of my family. You acknowledge two things early on in this video: one, that the two doctors/psychiatrists that you reference have a bias towards belief in demonic possession despite being academics, and secondly, that the entire book you read about this case was also written by a Catholic author who, while using extremely romanticised language, is also likely to be skewed towards a biased perspective on matters of 'demonic possession.'
You also mention very early on that as a result of her first doctor consultation, it is discovered that this poor girl suffers from a form of epilepsy and I was hazard a guess that it also transpired that she suffered from a multitude of other horrendous mental illnesses, all of which typically burgeon into existence at the onset of puberty or early adolescence.
Whose account was it that her "eyes went black" and her "hands looked like claws" when she was praying at the window? I would imagine that is NOT an account from poor Annelise herself but the biased Catholic author who was looking to cash in on this story and/or the accounts of the other young girls in her ward in the mental home whose imaginations were a tad over active and who were grateful for a bit of attention, and eager to exaggerate, when asked to contribute to this woman's book.
How much of any of this is Annelise's testimony? Probably none of it, based on the information I'm being provided with here. I like your channel because usually you appear to exercise a healthy degree of skepticism but I cannot help but comment on this one. This girl was severely mentally unwell, her parents were religious fanatics in rural hyper Catholic Germany at a time when psychiatry was, at best, in its formative years, and rather than receiving the attention this girl so badly needed in a mental facility – they isolated her in the house and convinced themselves that her extremely complex combination of psychiatric disorders was the fault of a 'demon'.
The parents and the priest were found guilty of negligent homicide – something I am confident you are aware of. The girl died of severe malnutrition and dehydration and belonged in a hospital.
I really do love your videos but this video I feel is exploitative and encouraging an irrational mindset in people rather than a critical thinking one. Even in 2024 we are battling a tidal wave of hyper religious thinking which bends towards cultish and generally unhealthy thinking.
My final observation is that your audience would have benefited from examining the wealth of psychiatrists and psychologists who took a more rational view of this case, rather than focusing in on just TWO who, like you and I, happen to be Catholic, and despite their critical capabilities when it comes to reasoning and science, refused to look at this case objectively.
Given your passionate championing of the anti Cult movement and increasing awareness of abuses within organised religion, to be honest I was left feeling a bit disappointed with this video.
It is absolutely true that multiple personality disorder cannot be revealed by a scan; but this doesn't mean that we should resort to the kind of Medieval thinking that makes us resort to explanations like 'demonic possession'.
The greatest mysteries still presented to us in science are those of the human brain.
@masha.komadinic
Some pills, like allergy pills for example, and some drugs, and even herbs ~ can cause eye pupils to widen up so large that it seams your eyes turned completely black. In such states of pupil widening ~ hallucinations occur. And from my own experience with allergy pills ~ when pupils widen ~ you start to se facial patterns in everything you lay your eyes at and it is similar to pareidolia but scarier if you do not realize what is going on. She had epilepsy for sure (and many people through ages until XX c ~ considered people with epilepsy to under influence of demonic possession) and since we know now that there are so many different types of epilepsy of which some are not even with typically known symptoms ~ we should have in mind that during such episodes those who suffer from them can become overly strong beyond their obvious body potential strength, and can use bad language / words i.e. curse. But since everything started in her puberty ~ maybe she had an undiagnosed schizophrenia too ~ since hearing tings might be a symptom of it. P.S.: When your imagination and thoughts influence your (for example) allergy pills "visions" ~ it can take what ever form your mind takes you to.
@msspynoodle6505
What if she was possessed by the scariest demon and was protecting her from being hurt by the actual bad guys. But he lost his way due to a curse placed upon him by the others who wanted the saint. And all those “souls” are actually just one reincarnation of one demon who is trying to save humanity the best he knows how. And trying to defeat the bad guys all alone with the saint and lost connection to god, because he forgot who he was because he fell from heaven. Maybe it a relationship between a human and an angle.
@taylorrobinson1990
This is my thing if it was epilepsy then how did her autopsy show she had no signs of it at all?also if she was schizophrenic differnt parts of her brain would have either been swollen or shrunken so that doesn't make any sense either
@taylorehrhart3552
Anneliese’s story sounds very similar to the conjuring story of the girl in Britain, I don’t believe they were possessed but very disturbed and suffering from mental health and it escalated to the point to where their minds could have been conjuring it making them truly believe at that point. I think our minds connect to different realms somehow spiritually. So anything that happened after the first episodes, everyone already had their mind fixated on possession.
@Kaygottics
They still could've put in a feeding tube, at the very least. Sometime could've sat with her in rounds to keep it in place. I mean…
@heninejordaan4714
I have a PhD in Economics, living in South Africa, I have seen as it was explained to me, a fore father spirit making a calling. I am super rational but what I have seen kept me awake at night. If you get a calling it is so real as regressions are to me
@k8tdydsk886
Damn, my birthday is Sept 21st too, but many years later.
@boydsinclair7606
Eyes described as "all black" could be pupil dilation.
These days we'd think it was like a movie effect, fully black, no white visible…
But she was having hallucinations: she could have had "plate eyes" huge pupils, no iris visible. 😮
@weedwitch666
also, baptism, is a form of exorcism..
@kathleenhamilton7608
St. Padre Pio was a Catholic holy priest and a mystic. He was truly a living saint who had many gifts from God, such as Bilocation, meaning he could be in two places at once. Also, many people from all over the world flocked to him to have him listen to their confession. He would often remind you about sins you may have forgotten! He had the gift of reading souls. Often, chosen souls of God are attacked by Satan and demons, because they hate holy souls more than regular people. God allows it for the sanctification of poor souls.
@kathleenhamilton7608
Really? You don't lose touch with reality if you are deeply religious.
@Angela-dx6cs
This is one of your best yet. I appreciate the softness and compassion displayed and the balance in exploring all sides.
@nicolewolfcry7408
It makes me wonder if there was any trauma in her background because what she was experiencing sounds a lot like what i have been dealing with for the last 10 years. PNES or Psychogenic Non Epileptic seizures. These are seizures that are caused by PTSD and they are terrifying. Sometimes i pass out. Other times my entire body stiffens, doesn't shake or jerk but unlike most epileptic seizures I am fully aware of everything around me when the seizure happens. I can feel, I can see, I just can't respond. my chest feels like a weight is sitting on me. sometimes i shake and whimper uncontrollably other times i am just frozen totally at the mercy of whatever is going on in my mind. I don't remember a year of my life and have been in therapy for years now. i can sort of control them when they are triggered now, but I can 100 percent see thinking i was possessed by demons if i had been born in that time. Sometimes the jaw muscles shake and you try and talk and it sounds like demonic gibberish.
edit to add: When I go into a seizure my pupils dilatate which can cause you to be more aware of light differently and the muscles in my hands tighten. Causing the egal claw sort of shape sooooo further curious.
@SteveMHN
It seems like she's suffering with a multitude of conditions such as sleep paralysis, epilepsy and some kind of psychotic illness, as well as her other illnesses.
@viviennejohnston2669
Thank u Stephanie 😻
@heatherwhelan1376
A German Karen. LMAO
@RhythmBulzara
I'm not a religious person, but yet this case really is scary. How did she go from a very intelligent young girl with good grades, pretty, and totally normal, to a girl who refused to eat or drink unless it was urine or insects, would vomit the food she consumed, mutilate herself, and her soft voice becoming so scratchy and demonic sounding? If this was mental illness and not demon possession. I think it is a mental illness that is extremely rare.
@chrislastname1994
Way too many tangents.
@padmeraven7290
I just want to speak on behalf of atheist and agnostics. We don't just not believe because we can't see something but instead we believe with proof that can't be disputed. Your channel documents this notion every time you talk about a crime. To convict a criminal you need evidence and unfortunately witness testimony isn't enough, there needs to be physical such as photos, finger prints, murder weapons, a body. And the exact same goes for things like possessions. A psychologists' testimony isn't enough, doctors can be paid off, priest can be dishonest (like the ones that have molested young boys), and parents most definitely can abuse their children stave them until extremely thin, and cause bruises. So again I am not saying she couldn't have been possessed, I just need more evidence.
@oliviafair2165
I never knew that Anneliese studied Latin, all the other videos I've seen never mentioned it but they did say that she spoke Latin or her demons did despite her not knowing it
@skotmatthews8940
Demonic possession isnt a thing, though…
@altarush
Only atheists think people are uneducated if they believe in the spiritual, yet they are ver spiritual though they deny existence of god. Agnostics and atheists claim they are free thinkers and open minded people, but they are not.
@danielcrowell8143
Well do you believe that the revolutionary war? Or that we had two world wars even though you didn’t see them. And do you believe Jesus Christ cast out 7 evil spirits even though you didn’t see it! After all it’s all history
@sarahroxanne
I really wouldn't be surprised if her epileptic events made her frightened. And the various antiseizure medications could have unleashed some kind of schizophrenic episodes that really scared her because of how religious she was raised. She was so focused on getting into heaven so it makes sense why her hallucinations were religiously oriented. The smells she talked about make me think about olfactory hallucinations that could have solidified her thoughts it was a devil or evil demon. I feel terrible for this girl and her struggles were very real to her. And as someone that has been on antiepileptic medications, I can say from personal experience that I've had some strange unusual side effects that outweighed the benefits.
@claudia4448
Hi! I am from Bavaria not that far away from where she lived – i can't wait to watch your detailled documantary. i just stumbled over your channel last week and I LOVE THIS so much. Thank you. It is so fascinating thinking this happened not far from me, plus my mom has the same birth year so it adds to all of the historical backgrounds.
@examplelife1567
You really need to understand that having these illness would have been considered perfectly normal. Her friends wouldn't have thought anything about her having these illness because they would have had them too.
When I was growing up it wasn't unusual for practically all the kids on our street to be sick at the same time with whichever childhood illness was going around.
@examplelife1567
Having mumps, measles , chicken pox and others were perfectly normal prior to vacations against all these "childhood illness". I had them , my siblings had them all our friends had them.
@stephaniephouotrides2435
I used to be a hard core religious person, but stories like this made me less so. I believe in God. I believe in demons. I don't understand why God would allow a person such as Annelise to be tortured in this way. Rest in peace (I hope).
@deriale6015
I’ve found myself listening to your content a lot recently, because I love your historical videos. You have a real talent for research and delivering a lot of information in an interesting way.
I love your videos for a lot of reasons, but I’ve really been enjoying it because I don’t have to worry about hearing something incredibly harsh about Christianity while I’m just trying to do housework or chill in the evening. I appreciate that while it may not be your personal belief you’re always respectful. That’s been pretty hard to find in my YouTube/podcast listening recently. Just know that it’s super appreciated. ❤️❤️❤️
@lindc1070
I didnt really believe in Possession until I saw a real life case in high school. A classmate. I was present and it went on for 5 to 6 hours. It was real.
@TheCrazyDumbsaint
Also, migraines and seizures can go hand-in-hand. Which might be why things looked "shimmery and bright." I get migraines and the visual aura I get sounds a lot like what Analiese was seeing.
@TheCrazyDumbsaint
"Black eyes" could mean she had dilated pupils, which is a common symptom of seizures.
@heathergreenakers
As a Bible believing Christian, I don’t believe in ghosts. The Bible says that after you die, you go to one of two places, and there is coming back. I do, however, believe in demons. I think that the ‘ghost’ people believe is their long lost auntie Vera, is a demon trying to make you believe it’s her to gain your trust. I believe demons can take any form they choose to do that. They’ll rarely appear with horns and pitchforks lol. A lot of experiences people think are Godly, really are malevolent. Even the Bible says this.
Demons know everything about you, probably more than you know yourself. They would have no problem mimicking close friends or family and even telling you things that no one else would know, or appearing as Mary.
And I do believe that those demons can posses you. However, as a Protestant, I don’t believe that a priest can exorcise them out of you. The only way to get rid of them is become a believer in Jesus and putting your faith in Him. After that, they may be able to OPPRESS you, but not posses you. I’ve actually suffered with sleep paralysis for 20 years and saw ‘shadow people’ as well as ‘The Hat Man’ long before the internet was around. After I got saved, I don’t see them anymore. I can still feel them sometimes, but once I call out to Christ, they’re gone as well as the paralysis.
@devynhayley6411
31:18 she had sleep paralysis,..
@devynhayley6411
I’ve heard of this case on buzzfeed unsolved . Very interested to hear more
@jacquelynwhite500
Before a Priest performs an exorcism the individual meets with a psychiatrist to confirm there is no mental health issue. Anneliese probably didn't have a mental health issue.