Saturday, June 11, 2022

The exorcisms of Anna Ecklund - history and course of possession and exorcisms

 Anna Ecklund is an American who was possessed by a demon in her childhood. Her exorcisms continued for many years. The possession of Anna Ecklund probably began when the girl turned fourteen. Anna's last exorcisms took place when the woman was already forty. Is this story true? What film was made on the basis of the exorcism of a possessed woman? See how Anna Ecklund's famous exorcisms took place.

The possession of Anna Ecklund is considered by theologians and researchers of paranormal phenomena to be one of the best-documented histories of exorcism in the 20th century, beginning in 1882 when Anna Ecklund was born on March 23 in Wisconsin, United States. There is little information on the Internet that details Anna Ecklund's early life. Even her name is a topic for discussion - some historical sources say that Anna Ecklund's real name was Emma Schmidt. The changed personal data was supposed to protect Anna from exposure to public opinion. People who did not believe in the truth of Anna's possession could be at least rude to her.

It is known that Anna's father was Jakob Ecklund - her mother left the family shortly after the birth of her daughter. Anna was a good child and a devout Catholic. She went to church several times a week and sincerely enjoyed religious ceremonies and rituals. She spent the first 14 years of her life in health and happiness, although on the Internet you can find information that the girl's father was hindering her childhood. Jakob was not a good father. He drank a lot and opposed Anna's love of religion - he even openly mocked the church and clergy.

When Anna turned fourteen, she began to act completely differently. She began to detest religious symbolism and stopped entering the Church. The clergy considered her possessed and tried to perform the first exorcisms on Anna. When they were successful, Anna's life returned to normal. She was living as she always did. But she seemed more and more worried. At one point, the girl's father died, which caused Anna's mental health to decline. Demons woke up in her again, eager to destroy everything related to the church.

While attempting further exorcisms, Anna Ecklund began attacking the spiritual one, at one point trying to strangle him. The girl also heard voices that were driving her to despair. After unsuccessful exorcisms, Anna tried to find help from local doctors, but no one could cure her. Anna turned to the clergy for help again. The church spent several years trying to diagnose and alleviate Anna's condition. The clergy noticed many strange things, such as that Anna could speak languages ​​that she had never learned. At the same time, she froze, got angry easily, and challenged priests. Then the clergy ceased to have any doubts - a demon entered Anna.

In 1928, after many years of observation, the church officially recognized Anna Ecklund as possessed. The case was taken over by Father Reisinger - known and trusted in the exorcism of the possessed. Anna's time with Reisinger has been fully documented. To this day, it is one of the best-described cases of exorcisms that were performed by a member of the Catholic Church. The details of the ritual were confirmed by Father Joseph Steiger, a longtime friend of Reisinger. A similar possession as Anna Ecklund was experienced by Clara Germanana Cele, Roland Doe, and Arne Cheyenne Johnson. It is worth adding that the Ouija board was only touched by Roland Doe. With her help, Roland conjured up the ghosts that would later possess him.

If you're looking for more similar stories, check also these articles about Anneliese Michel's most famous possession:

Anneliese Michel - was subjected to many exorcisms. Is it effective?

Anneliese Michel

Anna's most important exorcisms took place in 1928. It was considered right that everything should be organized secretly. After the exorcism, if they were successful, Anna was to return to normal life imperceptibly. No one could find out about the events other than those who had direct contact with Anna Ecklund or those who collaborated and assisted directly in the exorcism itself. Father Reisinger found a suitable location for the exorcism in Earling, Iowa Monastery. Anna traveled to the monastery by train with the priests escorting her.

The exorcisms lasted almost continuously from 18 to 26 August. During his stay in the monastery, Father Reisinger was helped by the nuns who also looked after Anna. Ecklund did not want to enter the monastery at first but was forced into it. She also refused to eat because all meals were blessed. Anna was howling and screaming like an animal all the time. This terrified the nuns, who set a schedule to work with the clergyman so that neither would have to stay close to Anna for too long. The exorcisms looked the same every day. Anna reacted angrily to reciting the names of the Holy Trinity. It was hard to control the girl who started bouncing from wall to wall. The clergy had to force her to the bed.

Even though Anna hadn't eaten in weeks, she was vomiting huge amounts of fluids. Without moving her lips, she continued to speak other languages ​​as well - mainly Latin. Thanks to this, Father Reisinger learned that Anna was possessed not by one but by five demons (including her father). On August 26, it was considered necessary to stop the exorcism so that everyone could regain their strength. Anna eventually had to eat something, and the clergy had to rethink a different strategy for performing the rituals. It was decided that the re-exorcisms would begin on September 13. The subsequent exorcisms, however, did not help either, despite the fact that they lasted a whole week. However, Reisinger managed to find out that Anna Ecklund was possessed by Beelzebub himself at the age of fourteen.

On December 15, 1928, the third and last exorcism began, or rather a series of them. From morning to night, the clergy fought the demonic beings who had possessed Anna Ecklund. Steiger declared himself unable to continue working and was absent for most of the last session. Reisinger took it upon himself to continue the exorcisms and performed the rituals incessantly. Father Reisinger, after many days of difficult struggle, finally sent the demons back to Hell. At the end of the exorcisms, the room where the last rituals had taken place shook, and Anna collapsed helplessly on the bed. When she opened her eyes, she smiled broadly and shouted, "Praise Jesus Christ!" Managed to. Anna Ecklund was free again.

Anna's life is back to normal. The woman continued her long-abandoned practice of faith. She also returned to the monastery where her longest exorcisms took place to thank the nuns personally. Unfortunately, all the nuns who were present at the exorcism took turns being transferred, unable to live in the convent any longer with such terrible memories.

Whether you believe the story is genuine or not, it is certainly a very interesting matter - especially in a psychological context. The exorcisms of Anna Ecklund had an impact on pop culture because the film "The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund" (2016) was filmed on the basis of the events. What happened to the heroine of the text? She disappeared from the pages of history, but for the rest of her life, she no longer suffered from demonic possession. Father Reisinger, in turn, continued his work in the Catholic Church, performing standard duties until 1941.

Bibliography:

  • Gabriele Amorth: Exorcists and Psychiatrists, Publishing House Edycja Saint Paul, Częstochowa 1999
  • Fr. Aleksander Posacki SJ: Exorcisms, Possession, Demons, POLWEN Publishing House, Warsaw 2005

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