Anneliese Michel (September 21, 1952 – July 1, 1976) was a German Catholic girl who was possessed by demons and subsequently underwent an exorcism. Following the last exorcism and after warning her mother that she could take no more, Anneliese died in her sleep.
Early life
Anneliese Michel was born September 1952 in Klingenberg, Bavaria, Germany. A devout Catholic girl, Anneliese often slept of a bare floor as reparations for others sins. In 1968, when she was 16 and still in high school, Anneliese began to suffer from convulsions. Unable to speak, scream, or call for help, she would later explain that she felt as if a huge body of weight were sitting on her chest.
Psychiatric treatment and exorcism
Soon, Anneliese began experiencing devilish images while praying. She claimed to hear voices, which told her that she was damned and that she would “stew in hell”. Doctors grew concerned when she explained that they had begun giving her orders, either vocally, by whispering, or via an ouiju board. By 1973 Anneliese was suffering from deep depression and considering suicide. Her behavior became increasingly bizarre: she tore off her clothes, ate spiders and coal, and licked her own urine off of the floor. A stay at an unnamed psychiatric hospital did not improve Michel’s health. She grew increasingly frustrated with medical intervention as it did not improve her condition. Long-term medical treatment proved unsuccessful; her condition, including her depression, worsened with time.
Exorcism and death
Two years later (1975), when Anneliese was 23 years old, an older friend of the family noted that Michel was unable to walk past icons of Jesus Christ and refused to drink holy water. She concluded that Anneliese was suffering from demonic possession and suggested an expert be brought in to investigate. An exorcist in a nearby town examined Michel and returned a diagnosis of demonic possession. By this time, Anneliese had begun insulting, beating, and biting her parents. She smashed her teeth on the wall and began to cut her body with knives. She refused to eat or drink explaining that the demons would not allow it.
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