Are demons real or imaginary? For Exorcist Bryan D. Ouellette is doesn’t matter. All that matters, is belief.

“As long as someone believes that demons exist, they are real. And as long as someone believes that exorcism is what heals them from those demons, exorcism is real,” Ouellette told Nick VinZant during an episode of the Profoundly Pointless podcast.

As a Bishop in the Holy Nicholean Catholic Church, Ouellette says he’s performed over 100 exorcisms. They all unfold in a similar pattern, what he calls the stages of demonic possession.

Stages

Ouellette says he has identified four stages of demonic possession, each with its own unique symptoms and treatments.

Stage 1 - Identification

In the first stage, Ouellette says someone won’t be able to tell if their problem is physical, mental or spiritual.

“You wouldn’t be able to know the difference between anxiety, depression or something spiritual. So, in those cases, it’s best to just keep your spiritual life healthy. Do the things a normal Christian would do and make sure to go see a doctor.”

Stage 2 - Escalation

In the second stage, Ouellette says someone’s symptoms get stronger and harder to explain away.

“It starts to get more severe - but again, not completely different from mental illness. This is where you see suicidal ideation, night terrors, nightmares, a loss of reality.”

Stage 3 - Demonic Obsession

For someone to be in the third stage of a demonic attack, Ouellette says he has to be able to rule out anything physical.

“Here we have to see physical illness that traditional treatment does not resolve. That’s the big factor. They have a long medical or psychiatric history and nothing is working. You talk to their doctor, psychiatrist and counselor…..and they don’t know what else to do. Then, you have some of the identifying markers of a demonic attack.”

Stage 4 - Demonic Oppression

In the fourth and final stage - which Ouellette says is very rare - people start exhibiting exaggerated forms of symptoms typical to possession.

“The ability to speak in languages they never studied, superhuman strength, clairvoyance, their pupils start to look like a snake’s and in every case they have a disdain for religious or blessed objects. Sometimes we even see extraordinary things like levitation, doppelgangers, disturbances in the environment. These are things that just can’t be explained except in a spiritual way.”

To hear more of Exorcist Bishop Bryan D. Ouellette’s interview with Nick VinZant of the Profoundly Pointless podcast, click on the link below. We talk nightmarish exorcism stories, curses and what really happens during a exorcism.