Auctores Publishing – Volume1-019 www.auctoresonline.org Page - 1 The Phenomenon of Demonic Possession: Definition, Contexts and Multidisciplinary Approaches Dott. Giulio Perrotta Psychologist specializing in psychotherapy with a strategic approach, Forensic Criminal expert in sectarian cults, esoteric and security profiles, Director of the Department of Criminal and Investigative Psychology UNIFEDER, SSPL Jurist, Teacher, CT/P, International Essayist. Corresponding Author : Dott. Giulio Perrotta , Director of the Department of Criminal and Investigative Psychology UNIFEDER. Italy. E-mail: info@giulioperrotta.it Received date: June 27, 2019; Accepted date : July 15, 2019; Published date: July 22, 2019. Citation : Giulio Perrotta, The Phenomenon of Demonic Possession: Definition, Contexts and Multidisciplinary Approaches. J. Psychology and Mental Health Care. Doi: 10.31579/2637-8892/019 Copyright : © 2019 Giulio Perrotta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of The Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Starting from the classical definition of "demonic possession" as a psychophysical condition in which a person becomes a victim of a supernatural being, be it a spirit, a demon, an angel, a divine creature or a family ancestor, the analysis continues with the examination of theoretical and practical profiles of this particular event, with an emphasis on approaches that tend to explain it, according to the most significant guidelines: ethno- psychiatric, the socio-anthropological, the cultural, the religious, the esoteric, the psychoanalytic and the clinician, to then re-elaborate everything in an integrated key, according to the neurobiological model, also with the help of the sophisticated investigation techniques used in criminal law. Keywords: psychology; neuroscience; neuropsychology; brain; prefrontal cortex; temporal lobes; frontal lobe; limbic system; pineal gland; paranormal faculties; extrasensory faculties; perception of the sacred; medium; demonic possession; demon; demons; god; bible Index: 1. The phenomenon of demonic possession: definition and general contexts 2. Multidisciplinary approaches 3. The integrated approach 4. Conclusions 5. Bibliography 1. The phenomenon of demonic possession: definition and general contexts The "possession" generally understood: << [...] is a psychophysical condition in which a person considers himself or is considered inhabited by a supernatural being, eg. a spirit, a demon, a divine being or a family ancestor. […]>>. 1 <<[…] This generic definition allows us to introduce the theme by emphasizing the constituent elements of the object under examination: a) animals and people that are interpreted as symptoms of an ongoing possession in the social and religious context of reference. Some esoteric scholars consider it possible to possess even non-living and inert objects, such as the walls and furniture of a house and the means of transport in general; c) the "internal" (or projective) element; or the presence of a spirit entity capable of possessing the physical body of a living being, even without its consent; d) The "external" (or extensive) element; or the loss of psychophysical control of one's body, due to an external force capable of overcoming one's will. In general, therefore, when we speak of "possession" we must refer to the condition that leads the subject to perceive an intrusion into his intimate, personal, emotional and vital sphere, on the part of a spirit entity. 2 The point, therefore, is to try to understand how this is possible and what the scientific implications of this phenomenon are. These steps, therefore, are possible only if the phenomenon "possession" is analyzed and studied according to all possible multidisciplinary aspects, using scientific laws to find the explanations that best fit the analyzed tests and the description of the phenomenon itself, according to the results of the investigations carried out. It is therefore essential, in this field, to abolish the "prejudice" that would lead us not to evaluate even those "border" tests; on the other hand. The term "paranormal" over the decades has found an erroneous place in the collective imagination: if for all it is the term that describes "something inexplicable, something science cannot justify"; in reality, it should take on a completely different and certainly more coherent meaning or "what surpasses the normal beyond", understood as "something that science struggles to explain because it lacks objective knowledge". Nothing mysterious therefore the "paranormal" is nothing but the container that contains polyhedral phenomena, some fruit of the suggestion and the collective imagination, others of "something to be defined". The cardinal principles to be fully satisfied in this survey must be seven: 3 1) The correct answer is usually the most logical (c.d. Logic principle or Occam's razor); 2) The observed phenomenon must be reproducible, according to technical profiles (c.d. Scientific principle); 3) The subject that observes the phenomenon to be investigated must be able to understand and want, to the point of not having compromised judgment (c.d. Socio-psychological principle); 4) The event must be the result of a precise conduct, logically connected causally to the action or omission put in place (so-called juridical or conditional principle or “condicio sine qua non”); 5) The event realized must be the result of an action or omission by a "tangible" entity; therefore a presence that has a physical body or that can interact with physical and chemical forces causing a displacement (so-called principle chemical-physical or materialistic); 6) The event carried out must leave significant consequences in the group to which the passive subject belongs (c.d. Anthropological principle); 7) The phenomenon realized must be explained using the analytical method typical of the investigative investigation (c.d. Investigative principle). Let us try then to think about the single principles, explaining the individual corollaries. First of all, we talked about the "logical principle" (1) or Occam's razor; focusing on the need to search for answers to the questions we ask ourselves according to the parameter of logic and likely probability. Open Access Research Article Journal of Psychology and Mental Health Care Giulio Perrotta, J Psychology and Mental Health Care AUCTORES Globalize Your research