Exorcism, Deliverance, and Psychotherapy from a Catholic-Christian Perspective: A Critical Literature Review

Abstract

In this dissertation, I present a comprehensive summary of peer-reviewed literature on the topics of exorcism, deliverance, and psychotherapy. I identified 73 articles and organized them according to the following themes: outcome case studies, conceptualization of exorcism and deliverance, differential diagnosis, and ethical issues. Several case examples of possession phenomena and interventions in various religious, cultural, and clinical settings were presented from studies. The articles related primarily to understanding the impact of interventions (e.g., exorcism and deliverance) and/or understanding possession phenomena. Several authors raised ethical issues considering abuses and injuries that have occurred in practice in relation to topics of spiritual integration and competency. I provide definitions of terms and a discussion of historical context regarding traditions of exorcism and deliverance based on accounts and descriptions given in both the peer-reviewed literature and supplemental materials. I discuss the articles according to a Catholic-Christian worldview, and provide recommendations for conceptualization, practice, and future research. I further describe models of deliverance along with significant topics that emerged from the literature.