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Exorcising "Demons" I am going back to my office." But he said, "No, let us make a Alfons: So as we were working on all these things, one day a deal. If you cannot calm down or heal the boy with your couple stepped into my office and said, "We are here for our son." method... How long will it take you?" "Fourteen days—it works s six years old, and two psychiatrists had declared he or it doesn't," I said. "Okay," he said, "call me in fourteen days. sessed". If it didn't work, I will come and deliver the boy my way." Willem: Two psychiatrists saying the boy was possessed. By "Okay," I said, "that's a deal." what? By the devil? So I went back to the centre, told the parents that I had made Alfons: "Possessed" implies "by the devil". some inquiries and that we had two possibilities. They were Willem: Psychiatrists? Catholics, and I said, "I have found this exorcist and he can do it. Alfons: Yes. And I had it checked. I told my doctor in charge But I would rather do it myself. It is up to you." They said, "You of the clinical side, "Check this story. I don't believe it. In this do it." I gave the boy some homoeopathic preparations, sent them time and age, I don't believe a story like this. What's going on home and told them to come back next week. They did. You here?" He called the two psychiatrists and they confirmed, "Yes. should know that the boy acted strange not only in my office. At We are doctors at the Catholic University and we have been home, he couldn't be left alone for one second—not on the toilet, taught that man exists of spirit, soul and body. The soul is our not in bed. And when they left him alone for one second, he domain, but the spirit—as in this case—is for a minister or a turned diabolic. He smashed and crashed everything. Terrible priest. And we both aim for a priest. The things. At night he did not sleep, except in boy is possessed." the car, in the back seat of the car. The I told the parents to bring in the boy. They father and mother had to take turns driving came and, indeed, the boy climbed the all night to give the boy eight hours of sleep. curtains, tore everything down, smashed Willem: They had to drive the boy in the everything. At one moment he stood before The boy climbed car, otherwise he wouldn't sleep? me with wide-open eyes. His pupils did not react at all. I took a light from my drawer, Alfons: Right. It was the only way to give him some rest. And they had to avoid the curtains, tore shone it into his eyes and the pupils didn't everything down, traffic lights, because when they stopped for even move. They stayed wide open. Light . a traffic light... had no effect whatsoever. smashed everything. Willem: He woke up... Willem: Scary. At one moment Alfons: ...he tore everything apart. So Alfons: I could have thought the devil you understand the terror these people were was looking me straight in the eyes. It got he stood before me living under—around-the-clock terror. me a on It was terrifying. I cord the with wide-open eyes... aerer Ot course: he wouldn't be left alone parents, "Take your son home and I wil 4 with me, either. But after one week, he think about it. This is new to me." I I took a light from said, "I want to be alone with Mr Ven." had never dealt with such a thing. I my drawer, shone it So that was a change. ; knew a priest who was officially . . Willem: A big change indeed. ordained as an exorcist for the Catholic into his eyes and Alfons: I asked the parents to leave the pupils didn't even move. Church. my office. Then the boy stood in front Willem: The Catholic Church has of me, cried and said, "I have to tell official exorcists? you something. It is about this big, Alfons: Yes. In fact, every priest is huge monster." "What kind of a ordained to perform exorcism. They do monster?" "Well, it is on the cover of a not do it because it is so special. They book." "Where is the book?" leave that to the specialists. And the Willem: So he saw a big monster. real men are instated by Rome. Alfons: He saw a big monster, a Willem: So every Catholic country terrible monster trying to eat him up has its official exorcists? and devour him and doing bad things Alfons: Two or three. Not many. They not only have a degree to him. He said, "That's what I see and what I am so afraid of." in divinity but also in psychology. They are the top of the bill. I He had been unable to confess this to psychiatrists or do know that now, but at the time I knew nothing. They are psychologists. He had kept it to himself. And now he confessed, experts in esoteric matters. In Rome there are fantastic libraries and that in itself was his delivering. "When did you first see the where you can read everything about every spiritual and esoteric monster?" "In the shopping mall. I was shopping with my subject. They are really well-trained people. mother, and I was a little boy of two or three." His mother had Anyway, I went to see him and I told him about the boy. And arked him in his little trolley in front of a bookstand. And at the he asked me, "What are you going to do?" I told him about doing ookstand he had seen this monster on a cover. And there he had a kind of homoeopathic psychiatry at my centre. And he said, this terrible fear programmed into him, which he could not "Oh, interesting, interesting." He kept listening and listening, but overcome. So I said to the mother, "To clear your son's fears he himself did not say a word about the topic. And I said, "We completely, go back to the same mall, go back to the same have now been talking for hours. You know all about me, and I ookstand and give him a nice, nice book. Make sure it is a very know nothing about the way you look at possession or such nice book with a nice, lovely cover." So she did, and one week things." He said, "It is none of your business. We do not talk ater the boy went back to school. about it. It is taboo. Taboo. Do not talk about it." I said, "Why But it is not the end of the story. I had forgotten all about the did you have me come and talk to you?" "Because I wanted to priest, this high-ranking clergyman. I did not call him. It was draw on you." "Nice," I said, "nice. It was a long journey. Okay. very busy at the centre and I forgot. The boy was fine. For me, The boy climbed the curtains, tore everything down, smashed everything. At one moment with wide-open eyes... I took a light from my drawer, shone it into his eyes and the pupils didn't even move. 20 = NEXUS he stood before me www.nexusmagazine.com OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2007