Possession is an altered or unusual state of consciousness cause by spirits, demons, or deities. This exists in multiple cultures in many different ways and can be voluntary or involuntary.
Possession exists cultures including Christianity and Native American religions. It can be involuntary or voluntary. Angel Manuel Rodriguez, a theologian, believed that in leviticus the mediums mentioned were possessed by demons. Catholics separate possession between two types of satanic activities ordinary satanic influence and extraordinary satanic influence. They further separate this in 6 different forms of possession. The six forms are possession, obsession, oppression, external physical pain, infestation and subjection.
Possession is where Satan or demons take full possession of a person's body nonconsensual. Obsession is where you have sudden attacts of obsession that isn't normal obsession, this affects your dreams as well. Oppression which is just a series of misfortune one after the other. Infestation is where it not only affects you but your house, things, and pets. Subjection is where you voluntarily subject to possession and Satan.
Possession has four typical signs: extraordinary physical strength that wasn't present before, speaking in languages that you didn't know, knowledge that you didn't know before, and extreme rage or profanity around holy objects.
Most cases of possession can be explained by mental disorders and even medical. So a true exorcist would ask and confirm that an exam was taken prior to exorcism. It can only occur under authority of the bishop.
Catholics are just the most notable influence in possession, however there are different reasons for possession both good and bad in many many cultures. It can also be noted that spirits can also possess humans.
Some believe sin causes possession as no being can possess ypu without your permission. Others believe a curse being placed on you or being cussed out can cause it. Or even more still if you touch something that is possessed or touched by evil.
Now there are many reasons for voluntary possession. Mediums who communicate with the dead can either mentally or physically capture the energy of those who they are communicating with into their body.
Typically to avoid possession you need to be more positive, have a better balance, avoid "sinful" behavior, avoid negative people, carry religious items, and you have free will. Exorcism usually involves transferring the demons into an object which is then destroyed. There are four stages of exorcism: pretence of the entity hiding its identity, the entity reveals itself, the fight for persons body and soul, and the entity leaving the victim.
Of course Catholics aren't the only exorcist out there, for instance in Judaism culture the kabbalah is a type of exorcism though quite different from Christian or catholic based exorcism. Basically a person can be possessed by a dybbuk spirit, which is a lost spirit from Gehanna, who acts more as a spiritual guide. There are good and bad dybbuks, the bad ones are called sod haibbur, and they are only there to cause chaos. The first steps is to treat spirit and person as one and help achieve the goal. The second step is a little more involves 10 people rabbi including surround the possessed individual. Each person represents the 10 kabbalistic sephirot. The rabbi that leads the ceremony also requires a shofar. The group repeatedly recites Psalm 91 and then the rabbi proceeds to blow the shofar in a specific pattern. This "shocks" both the possessed and the possesser, causing the two to loosen. The rabbi then enters in to dialogue with the spirit to find its purpose, and the group proceeds to heal it through dialogue and prayer meant to have it feel it has accomplished its goal.
Hinduism also has exorcism, which is connected to dravidian beliefs in India. The atharvana veda. Unfortunately that's all I know of this. Islam also has exorcism, from spirits called jinn. The belief is they gain control of nonbelievers and causes them to have seizures.
All sorts of cultures have possession and exorcism.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_possession
https://easap.asia/index.php/find-issues/past-issue/item/606-0001-v10n1-p14
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.628925/full
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