Can the contemporary psychology of mental illness reasonably explain all the phenomena associated with what is widely known as demonic or spirit possession? This question is of interest to hundreds of millions, if not billions, and has been over the past couple of centuries at least. In Bondage to Evil by T. Craig Isaacs, an expert in both psychology and spiritualism, explores both sides of the debated divide.
Isaacs does the needful – introducing readers to the basic concepts of and key distinctions between a number of similar concepts – for example, voluntary versus involuntary possession – before proceeding to discuss the details of diagnostic criteria for recognized mental disorders that are often cited as alternative explanations for the possession phenomenon. Of the most well-known theories in psychology that are used in treating cases of mental disorders and has good room for accommodating spiritual issues, Isaacs discusses Jung’s psychology of archetypes in great detail and shows how it can explain cases of spirit possession.
Individual documented cases of demonic/spirit possession are included in the book to illustrate key points of the author’s approach to understanding the possession-related cases. These descriptions offer a closer look at the kind of underlying factors, or vulnerabilities, leading to a person experiencing possession, whether voluntary or involuntary. By applying various diagnostic criteria of the recognized mental disorders, Isaacs is led to the conclusion that a new category – the “possessive states disorder” – is due so as to adequately address the diagnostic and curative needs of such patients.
In Bondage to Evil offers a good deal of history in both psychology and spiritual traditions with a focus on involuntary possession in the latter chapters of the book. Instead of pushing a narrative, the author offers a more synoptic view of the possession phenomenon over the course of the history and proceeds rationally to his suggestions for reforming the approach to what is considered evil or demonic.
This book is a valuable contribution to the knowledge of supernatural observations we have long attributed to either the work of invisible entities or mental illness. Some chapters of the book lean more on the academic side, demanding a great deal of attention to grasp the logic and meaning. But Isaacs does a great job in making it as reader-friendly as any good book for a general reader.
For the academic and the lay reader alike, In Bondage to Evil takes the debate over possession onto a new path that can lead to the solution and relief for millions.
