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

Publisher's 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

Awesome Audiobook

It is well written and spoken. It does not get way in to deep but keeps it all at a level all can enjoy and understand.

Enjoyable has a little bit of everything

Brings in religion, health, exorcism of Emily rose, the exorcist, the conjuring, I enjoyed it

Amazing and informative

I really enjoyed this book and how it explains the difference between mental illness and demonic possessions and the clinical study of it all. It really makes you think about the possibility of having a true demonic entity enter you or be around you.

Mandatory for all in Deliverance ministries

I was very impressed with the thoroughness and even-handedness of this book. One of my top 3 in the arena of Spiritual Warfare (Daniel Kolenda's Slaying Dragons is another). While this represents a Catholic approach to exorcisms, those of us in Charismatic circles can also learn a great deal of objective knowledge from a very respected source. Some in this ministry are what Catholics call "fast and loose", while others don't have the discipline or Bible knowledge to do it right.

Healthy Dose of Reality

Intelligent. Credible. Honest. Fascinating. Much needed. As a mental health practitioner I appreciate the approach the author pursued in this controversial topic. I also appreciate the nuances he brought to understanding the differences between the natural and the supernatural. I highly recommend!

loved it

I am not sure if this is concrete evidence for all, but I loved it!

An Exceptional Book for Reference and Debate

Although I can't entirely agree with all of Dr. Gallagher's conclusions, and I felt that he expressed too much bias, I found his medical professionalism, knowledge, and dedication towards the subject of possession to be unprecedented. Also, the publisher could not have found a better voice performer for this audiobook. I highly recommend this audiobook, especially if you are involved in the paranormal community.

The audiobook captured my interest so much that I bought the hardcover, which says a lot about the value I found in the doctor's perspectives on possessions from a psychiatric viewpoint. An exceptional book for reference and debate!

Understanding demons are real entities

Richard Gallagher has done all of the difficult and years long research and work to craft a detailed and comprehensive understanding as to why demons do and most emphatically exist, in a world where scientific belief systems are dominated by a very lacking mechanistic foundation of everything. Those that are in control of our schools of learning have done their utmost to eliminate any spiritual associations with humans and belief in a Creator. By demanding that children be taught that they are nothing more than a brief cosmic accident, that their lives have no real or eternal purpose, children grow into very unstable adults, who then defect the reality of a spiritual existence as nonsense. Until they face death that is, or are influenced or possessed by a demon. One of the greatest assaults of the demonic realm is to influence humans that they do not exist. Meaning that many who reject spiritual issues are spiritually compromised by the very demonic realm they refuse to believe in. Read this book and then re-read it carefully. And the narrator Keven Collins does a magnificent job, so heavily consider purchasing the audio book.

excellent balance between disciplines

Mr. Gallagher gives a sobering view point between the spiritual and the medical. Always error on the side of caution.

Shocking reality from a trusted man of science

The Exorcist can't hold a candle to the experiences of a highly trained skeptic. Fascinating accounts of the truly possessed are balanced against humble and sobering treatment of discernment between hucksters and lunatics. This will give you a new perspective on a sometimes not so hidden world around us.