Anneliese Michel

Anneliese Michel struggled with a range of mental health problems, such as seizures, sleep paralysis, hallucinations and violent behaviour. After years of unsuccessful treatment for these inflictions, her condition deteriorated. Anneliese began experiencing pain when going near any religious sites or objects, which led her to believe that she’d been possessed by demons. 

In 1975, Anneliese’s and her family turned to the Catholic Church for treatment. They eventually convinced two Catholic priests to perform an exorcism on Anneliese but the results were far from what they were hoping for.