Born in 1952 Germany, Anneliese Michel first began to endure terrifying experiences starting in the late 1960s. These occurrences included nighttime paralysis, blackouts, and intense fear. A neurologist suggested epilepsy, but treatment proved difficult and, despite four years of treatment, the young woman began experiencing depression, anxiety, and delusions that connected with her family’s devout Catholicism. She claimed to see and hear demons and began to act as if she were under their control, barking, engaging in repetitive movements, and consuming odd things (including spiders and her excretions).
Eventually, the Michels began to rely on the help of priests alone. Those priests faced the young woman — who sometimes couldn’t bear the image of Jesus and spoke in the voices of Hitler, Cain, Satan, and other evil figures — and performed 67 exorcisms over about six months.
During this time, Anneliese largely stopped eating and spoke of atoning for humanity’s sins, when she wasn’t flinging curses or growling in the voice of Judas Iscariot. Finally, her body gave out — when she tragically died aged only 23, she weighed only 68 pounds, ravaged by dehydration, malnutrition, and pneumonia. Two priests, as well as her mother and father, were charged with negligent homicide. They were convicted, but their sentences were suspended. Michel’s mother, Anna, told The Telegraph in 2005 that she still believed her daughter had been possessed and was in need of an exorcism. “I don’t regret it,” she said. “There was no other way.”
[Featured image by Offenbacherjung via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]
