The Science of Spirit Possession (2nd Edition)

(Book Review)

Review
About the Author
Review Letter
Background Reading
Web Links
Other Articles

The Science of Spirit Possession (2nd Edition)
by Dr Terence Palmer

Review by David Furlong

Review
This book, based on Palmer’s Ph.D. thesis, is a scholarly and authoritative exploration into a little understood area of human experience. Palmer sets out his stall in the Introduction where he states:

‘The purpose of this book is to demonstrate that, contrary to popular belief in academic circles and in the collective conscious of institutionalised mechanistic science, there is a scientific framework that can, and does, accommodate the phenomena of spirit possession in all forms and diversity’ (Palmer, 2014:39).

To accept the concept that individuals can be influenced and affected, both mentally and physically, by spirit entities, leading to psychological illness, first necessitates that there is adequate scientific evidence for the continuation of consciousness beyond the death of the physical body. To support his thesis Palmer draws heavily on the work of the now little known nineteenth century researcher, Frederic Myers (1843-1901), who was one of the founders for the Society for Psychical Research. ‘Myers’ primary objective was to pursue scientific evidence that Man has a soul and his conscious personality survives bodily death,’ states Palmer (2014:30). It is clear that Myers’ exploration into these fields was limited by the understanding of his time and, although his posthumous book Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily Death (1903) was well received by some of his followers, his ideas on the unconscious or ‘subliminal’ self, gained no acceptance within psychology or the scientific establishment. Drawing on Myer’s concepts, Palmer brings us back to the central task of true scientific enquiry, which should be the open-minded exploration of all phenomena, of which perceived ‘spirit-possession’ is an example.

Utilising a wide variety of sources, both ancient and modern, Palmer lays the foundation for an understanding of ‘spirit possession’ that strongly supports the notions that separate disembodied spirit entities can access and influence the minds of individuals and, on occasions, take up residence within the psyche. This in turn can give rise to a range of psychological conditions such as schizophrenia, ‘hearing voices’ and similar mental health problems. We are informed how obvious cases of possession were tackled in past-times through traditional exorcisms and how modern spirit-release therapists now approach these situations through hypnotic regression techniques, where the intrusive entity or entities are communicated with, helped and then released. Palmer also suggests methodologies for further research into this field, which is sadly ignored by the medical establishment that broadly prefers to see such conditions as stemming from neurological disorders that can best be treated by medication.

Because the book sets out to challenge the current orthodox position on the causes of mental problems, which it does more than adequately, it is full of scientific terminology and jargon that make it a potentially difficult read for the lay person and this is my main criticism of this book. However, for those interested in, or working with mental and psychological health, where a possible cause could be spirit intrusion in one form or another, it should be a must to have on the bookshelf.

David Furlong
Director of the Spirit Release Forum and author of Illuminating the Shadow.
Malvern, Worcestershire

♥♥♥♥

Background Reading
The following books are recommended as further information to the above review.

Links
The following link to Terry's website may be of interest:

Dr Terence Palmer - http://www.tjpalmer.org/

Background Articles
The following articles are the process of development and will be added to and updated on a regular basis.

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The Soul Journey	Soul/Body Link	Health Issues	Death & Transition
The articles here explore the recent developments in understanding the journey of the soul through various incarnations as well as information about its sojourn in between lives in the spirit realms. The Soul's Journey Reincarnation	In order to experience the Soul needs to be energetically linked into the body. The articles here look at various models that explains how this might occur, providing a further insight into the Soul/mind/body link. The Soul/Body Link Soul Fragments and Retrieval	Imbalances between the Soul and the mind/body can lead to a large range of health issues including mental and psychological problems. Mental imbalances include 'Dissociative Disorders' and 'Trance States'. Causes for Attachments Electromagnetic Pollution	One of the most challenging experiences that we will all have to face is the death of the physical body. The Near Death Experience or NDE tells us what should happen and provides insights into why spirits get trapped. Death and Transition Near Death Exp.(NDE)
Trapped Souls	Psychic Issues	Spirit Attachments	Spirit Release
There appear to be many reasons why Souls fail to make a full transition and become trapped or 'earthbound' and still able to influence the physical planes. We explore here some of the issues involved. Earthbound Souls	Sensitive people can be aware of a whole range of 'subtle' energies that can cause them considerable distress. The articles here explore these various states and the way that negative energies can be deliberately created. Geopathic Stress Curses	Individuals suffering invasions or spirit attachments claim a wide variety of different types of attaching entities, in addition to normal human Souls. We look here at some of the claims that have been made. Spirit Attachments Shadow Entities	We explore the processes that can be adopted to help release trapped or 'earthbound' spirits. The articles here also considers the differences between spirits that attach to people and those that are stuck in places. Spirit Release  - Background  - Places Part1  - Places Part2  - People Background  - People  - Demonic Release Pt1  - Demonic Release Pt2

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