Book now for Seriously Possessed – a demonology debate

If modern science points to sound psychological reasons for belief in demons and possession, why do people across the world still perform exorcisms? Psychologists, historians, occultists, priests and mediums discuss the ‘truth’ at Goldsmiths on Saturday 7 March 2015.

The idea of exorcisms, or casting out demons, has been recorded for thousands of years. The Catholic Church still trains exorcists to this day, and through film and television the subject is alive in the minds of the public.

Priests, monks, healers and shaman across the world continue to perform exorcisms, while scientists point to psychological reasons for possession, holding the idea that mental illness may be involved.

Seriously Possessed – Discourse on Demonology is open to all. 

Speakers include:

• Professor Chris French (Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths) – The Psychology of Exorcism and Possession

• Dr Ciarán O’Keeffe (Parapsychologist) – Are Skeptics and Exorcists Both Wrong?

• Duncan Barford (Occult expert) – Demonic Experience and Rituals in Modern Western Magick

• Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe (Author and Anglican priest) – Exorcising ‘Psychic Entities’

• Jon Kaneko-James (Historian) – Witches, Possession and Papists

• Susan Leybourne (Lecturer and medium) – First Hand Experiences of Exorcism and Spirit Possession 

This one-day event is run jointly by learned society and education charity, the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP) and the Anomalous Psychology Research Unit (APRU) at Goldsmiths.

Previous events include Seriously Staked (on vampires), Seriously Spooked (on ghosts), Seriously Unidentified (on UFOs) and Seriously Strange.

Visit www.assap.ac.uk/Possessed for more information and tickets.

Entry is £15 if booked before the end of February, or £30 after. Students go free.