Hello, I would like to share the story of Anneliese Michel. This story never has seemed to have an exact legitimate answer of the real cause, so I would like to share the story of her fatal seven years and remembering her with all my heart. Some of you may have heard of this story at least once seeing a story written about it, or from the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose which was based on Anneliese.

Click "Spoiler" for a picture of Anneliese Michel.


Born in 1952 of the small town in Klingenberg, Germany, Anneliese was raised to be a strict catholic and described as very bright and likable. On September 1968 when Anneliese was 16 years old, she experienced her first episode of losing consciousness, later that night she felt as if something was pressing down on her chest, pinning her to her bed. Eleven months later on August 1969 a similar event occurred and her mother took Anneliese to their family doctor, Dr. Vogt, and a neurologist, Dr. Luthy, who examined her and ran an EEG (brain scan) and found nothing wrong. They hypothesized it could be a form of seizure.

In 1970 Anneliese experienced another episode and was prescribed an anticonvulsant medication. In 1972 Anneliese had her fourth episode and was prescribed an anti-seizure medication called dilantin. On both occasions, her EEG would come back normal with some minor irregular patterns but nothing that would accurately explain her symptoms. It was in Spring 1973 that things started to become strange. Anneliese would hear knocking sounds in her bedroom, sounds her sister would hear as well, Anneliese also reported hearing a voice damning her to hell. Her mother was further rattled when she witnessed Anneliese furiously staring at a statue of the Virgin Mary with "Eyes turned black, jet black." and her hands seemed to turn to "Thick paws with claws."

In September 1973 in a neurological visit with Dr. Luthy, Anneliese described horrific visions of demon faces that were tormenting her and she stated that she felt "The devil was inside her" she also reported smelling something that had the aroma of burnt feces, a stench that many around her would report smelling at later times. Around this time, Anneliese's mother described these strange occurrences to Dr. Luthy, who according to Mrs. Michel, advised them to consult a jesuit (religious official), a claim that Dr. Luthy would later deny, whether or not the request was denied Anneliese's family definitely searched for a priest, and eventually found one named Father Alt.

In November 1973 Anneliese met with a freudian psychiatrist who diagnosed her as a neurotic with possible epilepsy and another neurologist found that she had "epileptic patterns" and prescribed her with tegretol, a much stronger drug. In July 1975 Anneliese's extremely odd behavior worsened, she barely slept and prayed fervently all night, she ate spiders and flies, and even licked her own urine up from the floor. She destroyed rosaries, crucifixes, and holy pictures on the walls, Anneliese also exhibited strength that was "Close to superhuman" throwing her sister "as if she were a rag doll" and observed effortlessly squeezing an apple with one hand until "fragments exploded throughout the room."

A priest name Father Rodewyk, an expert on exorcisms, was convicted Anneliese was possessed and after deliberation with the bishop an exorcism on Anneliese was formally approved. It was to be carried out by a priest named Father Renz. On September 24, 1975 the first exorcism was performed. Father Renz allowed some of the exorcism sessions to be recorded. (You will be able to find some recordings on YouTube.) Forty-two audio recordings of the exorcism sessions were made in total. There was known to be "six demons" possessing Anneliese.

Anneliese named Fleischmann as one of her demons, and provided accurate details of the real Valentin Fleischmann, who was a priest in the 1500's that was kicked out of the church for bad behavior. These details came as a shock to Father Alt who claimed Anneliese would have no way of knowing Fleischmann. Father Gary Thomas, a famous priest, pastor, and a vatican-approved exorcist talked about the symptoms of knowing if an individual is possessed, all of those things Anneliese had. He mentioned aversion to the sacred, knowledge of hidden things, possessing an inordinate physical strength, and epileptic-like seizures.
By May 1976 Anneliese became even worse, banging her head against the wall and biting herself and others to the point where her family had to tie her up so she can prevent from hurting herself. Most dangerously, Anneliese refused to eat, she described it as "not being permitted to eat." Despite being quite frail likely weighing under 80 LBS she exhibited great strength when people tried to restrain her. By June 1976 Anneliese's entire face was sunken, she also refused a doctor visit even though she had a very high fever.

On June 30, 1976 Anneliese had another exorcism only saying "Please... Absolution" the next morning her family went to her room and found her dead. Despite seeking medical attention early on, Anneliese refused to submit to medical attention in the end. As she and her family ultimately placed all faith in recovery into the exorcisms. She died of starvation at the age of 23 after sixty-seven exorcisms, weighing only 68 LBS at the time of her death.

After her death, Anneliese's parents and the two priests, Father Alt and Father Renz were accused of negligent homicide and the case went to trial in 1978. The position of the defense presented eyewitness testimony, and submitted recordings, an idea the court might haven't taken seriously. From a non-religious standpoint, Anneliese was permitted to deny medical treatment, which was her lawful right. Medical treatment might have included tranquilizing, force-feeding, and electroshock therapy "all presumably against her will." Family friend, Thea Hein, mentioned in the testimony that in 1976, months before Anneliese's death, Anneliese reportedly "begged on her knees" for Hein to not suggest medical attention to anybody. Father Alt actually looked for medical help towards the end, and on May 30 his friend, Dr. Richard Roth visited Anneliese at of what he claims is scientific curiosity and not as a physician. In his visit Dr. Roth claims that Anneliese had no external injuries although Father Renz noticed she had several bruises, a swollen cheek, and black eyes. Dr. Roth also denied saying that "there are no injections against the devil." An autopsy revealed Anneliese had a healthy brain, no damage to cause epileptic seizures, "not even on a microscopic level." Even more curious was the court seeming non-consideration of facts of Anneliese's pupils being unusually dilated and the unusual absence of ulcers on her body which are frequently found on starvation victims.

The prosecution argued that Anneliese had epilepsy and psychosis and that the parents and two priests were liable for failing to act to save her life. The defense tore down notions of possession, they questioned the credibility of Father Alt, with the conclusion from two experts that Father Alt exhibited signs of schizophrenia. The prosecution also argued that the medications given successfully suppressed the epilepsy-like seizures and argued that suppression morphed into "A delusional psychosis associated with epilepsy." They argued that Anneliese's psychosis was exacerbated by the exorcisms which only played into her fantasy. Anneliese often went through phases between exorcisms where she behaved normally. Even though she would behave as a possessed person during exorcisms, it's unclear if the epilepsy-like seizures were stopped by medication or if they stopped by medication or if they stopped on their own. Anneliese's psychotic visions predate the alleged medical suppression.

In the end, the court ruled in favor of the prosecution. Sentencing the four defendants to six months in prison, Mr. and Mrs. Michel, Father Renz and Father Alt, with suspension for three years, and payment for all court costs. The court ruled that Anneliese was unable to make decisions for herself and she should have been forced to submit to medical care. Professor Felicitas D. Goodman, associate professor emeritus, Anthropology Denison University, an author of a book on the case notes the theories that Anneliese was epileptic were presented as "A statement of indisputable fact, not conjecture, as in fact, they had been." Father Gary Thomas explains the differences between a mental illness and possession "Sometimes both are going along side by side. You have to determine what is the root cause of the suffering of this individual. You start out with a discernment and the discernment involves myself and a whole team of people. I have a medical doctor, a clinical psychologist, and a psychiatrist, in fact a formal exorcism only happens as the last resort."

The Exorcism of Emily Rose takes place during the time during the trial. I really do recommend watching the movie!

What do you think happened to Anneliese Michel? Was it a mental illness, possession, both, or maybe even something else? Discuss your opinions!

PLEASE DO NOT TALK ABOUT RELIGION (ex. I think Anneliese was possessed because God and Satan are against eachother and Satan sends demons to earth to possess others and attempt to bring them into hell.) IT IS AGAINST THE FORUM RULES AS IT CAN END UP IN FLAMEWARS/ARGUMENTS.

WARNING: GRAPHIC! Anneliese Michel during her rough times. If you are sensitive to these kinds of photos please do not click "Spoiler". I am unsure of the dates of when these photos were taken, sadly.



Lots of credit to BuzzFeedVideo on their video "The Chilling Exorcism of Anneliese Michel". I did gather a large portion of the information from their video! I recommend you watching it.
To watch the video, click "Spoiler"


BuzzFeed's Article

Rest In Peace
Anneliese Michel
September 21 1952 - July 1 1976
To see Anneliese's grave, click "Spoiler"

rest in peace

where is everyone

they're dead

that was a v interesting read

i liked it
honestly i think it was seizures but i'm probably wrong

i looked up like 20 minutes worth of anneliese michel after reading this cause this type of thing is really cool thanks for sharing it
i also think it couldve been seizures, or schizophrenia
or maybe hysteria

Hammyish a dit :

i looked up like 20 minutes worth of anneliese michel after reading this cause this type of thing is really cool thanks for sharing it
i also think it couldve been seizures, or schizophrenia
or maybe hysteria

Yeah, she wasn't being treated medically and things only got worse and worse. This type of thing took me such a long time to figure out, I'm still a little unsure!

all the exorcisms going on must've made her even worse oh god

Hammyish a dit :

all the exorcisms going on must've made her even worse oh god

I've listened to audio recordings on YouTube and I'm not too sure if they were real. Anneliese sounded very aggressive and almost demon-like. One exorcism they were talking about destroying rosaries or something like that... Very strange

Hatemudz a dit :

Hammyish a dit :VoirMasquer

all the exorcisms going on must've made her even worse oh god

I've listened to audio recordings on YouTube and I'm not too sure if they were real. Anneliese sounded very aggressive and almost demon-like. One exorcism they were talking about destroying rosaries or something like that... Very strange

ive been too spooked to listen to the audio or watch the vids since its like 8 pm here but i find the close to superhuman strength and her knowing about fleischmann really strange thats the only way i think that it couldve been something real

well im not sleeping tonight
heres what i have to say-
it's mental illness or delusion- when you have a mentally ill person with extreme religious beliefs thinking they're possessed, and you surround them w/ people reinforcing that fantasy in every single way, it spirals them out of control into what we see in cases like this

Hammyish a dit :

Hatemudz a dit :VoirMasquer

Hammyish a dit :VoirMasquer

all the exorcisms going on must've made her even worse oh god

I've listened to audio recordings on YouTube and I'm not too sure if they were real. Anneliese sounded very aggressive and almost demon-like. One exorcism they were talking about destroying rosaries or something like that... Very strange

ive been too spooked to listen to the audio or watch the vids since its like 8 pm here but i find the close to superhuman strength and her knowing about fleischmann really strange thats the only way i think that it couldve been something real

What if it was both?

Swirlfire a dit :

well im not sleeping tonight
heres what i have to say-
it's mental illness or delusion- when you have a mentally ill person with extreme religious beliefs thinking they're possessed, and you surround them w/ people reinforcing that fantasy in every single way, it spirals out them out of control into what we see in cases like this

Yes! I feel so bad for that lady. From a beautiful girl to ... 68 LBS and looking very bruised. :(

Hammyish a dit :

all the exorcisms going on must've made her even worse oh god

Speaking of that, it must have made Anneliese more distressed just going through all those *67* exorcisms. Poor thing

Sentinel: Multiple posts merged. Please edit your original post next time by clicking on your avatar and pressing "Edit".

Hatemudz a dit :

Hammyish a dit :VoirMasquer

all the exorcisms going on must've made her even worse oh god

Speaking of that, it must have made Anneliese more distressed just going through all those *67* exorcisms. Poor thing

trUe
i find it a lil horrible that a girl with an obvious serious medical condition didn't get the help she needed as well as suffered through it and died thinking she was possessed by demons

also just a lil tip to edit ur post instead of posting twice in a row so the sents dont get all over u

Hatemudz go back to the groupchat i already read this entire thing

Hammyish a dit :

Hatemudz a dit :VoirMasquer

Hammyish a dit :VoirMasquer

all the exorcisms going on must've made her even worse oh god

Speaking of that, it must have made Anneliese more distressed just going through all those *67* exorcisms. Poor thing

trUe
i find it a lil horrible that a girl with an obvious serious medical condition didn't get the help she needed as well as suffered through it and died thinking she was possessed by demons

also just a lil tip to edit ur post instead of posting twice in a row so the sents dont get all over u

idrc tbh

oh my god poor her :(

i tried listening to the audio tapes and the video linked in this thread, wasn't that scary, but then i searched up more and honestly this is really terrifying, imagine if you had to experience this in real life ://

Lolokizka a dit :

i tried listening to the audio tapes and the video linked in this thread, wasn't that scary, but then i searched up more and honestly this is really terrifying, imagine if you had to experience this in real life ://

yeah,, she could have lived such a happy life with the proper help :( also unless you speak German you wouldn't really understand the audio, so I look up ones with English subtitles.