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  • Demonic Foes

  • My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal
  • By: Richard Gallagher
  • Narrated by: Kevin Collins
  • Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (69 ratings)

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Demonic Foes

By: Richard Gallagher
Narrated by: Kevin Collins
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Summary

The world’s leading psychiatric authority on demonic possession delves into the hidden world of exorcisms and his own transformation from cynic to believer over the course of his twenty-five-year career.

Successful New York psychiatrist Richard Gallagher was skeptical yet intrigued when a hard-nosed, no-nonsense Catholic priest asked him to examine a woman for a possible exorcism. Meeting her, Gallagher was astonished. The woman’s behavior defied logic. In an instant, she could pinpoint a person’s secret weaknesses. She knew how individuals she’d never known had died, including Gallagher’s own mother, who passed away after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer. She spoke fluently in multiple languages, including Latin—but only when she was in a trance.

This was not psychosis, Gallagher concluded. It was, in his scientific estimation, what could only be describe as paranormal ability. The woman wasn’t mentally disturbed—she was possessed. This remarkable case was the first of many that Gallagher would encounter. Sought after today by leaders of all faiths—ministers, priests, rabbis and imams, Gallagher has spent a quarter-century studying demonic activity and exorcisms throughout history and has witnessed more cases than any other psychiatrist in the world today.

In this eerie and enthralling book, Gallagher chronicles his most famous cases for the first time, including:

  • A professional who claimed her spiritualist mother had “assigned” her a spirit who “turned on her.”
  • A petite woman—”90 pounds soaking wet”—who threw a 200-pound Lutheran deacon across the room to the horror of onlookers in a church hall;
  • And “Julia,” the so-called Satanic queen and self-described witch, who exhibited “the most harrowing” case, a “once-in-a-century” possession.

Going beyond horror movies and novels, Demonic Foes takes you deep into this hidden world, sharing in full details of these true-life tales of demonic possession.

©2020 Richard Gallagher (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers
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What listeners say about Demonic Foes

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Not a book for those looking for ghost stories

Interesting topic presented from the perspective of a scientist. A very sober and straightforward approach. I liked it.

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Great listen

A great listen and very informative. Well presented too.
I find this subject very interesting, and although science doesn’t take it very serious at all, it is refreshing to find individuals who do. Whether through personal experience or not.

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1 person found this helpful

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brilliant

balanced, real , informative, fascinating and just an excellent book on demon possession . would recommend

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The best of its kind

Highly recommended. An excellent balance between professional and academic knowledge and actual experience. Definitely one to read.

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occult

very illuminating as I have a fascination on this topic . well presented and not over hypped

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good listen.

May explain slot of the crap that goes on in the world. I am still sceptical about it all.

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Narration Performance

Kevin Collins does a stellar job at bringing this audiobook to life. His use of different voices really immerses the listener into the stories told. If you’re seeking a more grounded evaluation of exorcism then look no further. As a well respected Psychiatrist in his field, Richard’s experiences give a more clinical look into the victims of infestation, oppression and possession and how they compare or differ to the psychiatric disorders that are sometimes attributed to these cases.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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'For we wrestle not against flesh and blood'...

As it says in Ephesians: 'For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.'

I read some books by people who claimed to have been in covens, years ago. The thing is how can we be sure that the person is telling the truth?

I listened to this, having recently come across 'An Exorcist tells his Story' by Gabriele Amorth which is also fascinating. Richard Gallagher is not at all sensational in his writing. He carefully draws the line between mental illness and what he believes is demonic oppression - never wanting to confuse the two. Personally, I've come across 2 people, possibly more, in my life who exhibited some of the signs mentioned in the book.

Of course, an atheist would naturally dismiss it but for the believer it is hard to ignore the number of times Jesus is said to have cast out evil spirits. Richard Gallagher and Gabriele Amorth are consistant with Christian teaching, both are intelligent men and I don't doubt their honesty. Richard's and also Gabriele's book have certainly made me think again about the subject. Also it should be said that most of the time the manifestations aren't that extreme and the prayers for the afflicted aren't all like a horror movie battle of good versus evil. However, these books certainly have examples of the more difficult cases, some which are dealt with successfully and some not.

Definately worth a listen if you are looking for a very different kind of audio book!

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Absolutly enthralling

I have many interests, two of them being Demonology & Psychology.

To actually find a book that incorporates both of these subjects so well, was a great find indeed.

Very well executed, never swaying too far into either camp, Gallagher recounts his cases fondly and thoroughly. Working in a mental health setting myself, I've often wondered just how many cases get misdiagnosed and in fact if there is any malevolent presence in some of the cases I see. I am in no way qualified to decide either way but to see that someone has inadvertently become an "expert" in the feild and has made it into an integral part of their career, fascinates me.

Great listen.

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Good audiobook

Interesting stories, I have listened to this audio book a few times. It's obviously from the point of view of a religious person warning about dabbling in the occult but that aside I enjoy the stories.

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