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Possessed by Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21st Century
Wanda Pratnicka's book describes an unacknowledged problem with which the majority of mankind is struggling, namely possession by ghosts. Ghosts are the souls of people who have died but who have not resolved to pass through to the other side of death's curtain. By remaining among the living they are the cause of anxiety, depressions, mood swings, explosions of negative emotions, mental illnesses and often also of physical illnesses.
351 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 15, 2008
Possessed By Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21st Century is written by Wanda Pratnicka, world-renowned exorcist and psychic healer. During the thirty years that she has practiced her work, the author has noticed some very alarming trends. Growing up in the wake of war torn Poland, the author discovered that she could see, communicate with, and help troubled ghosts. From these experiences, the author learned that most ghosts simply do not know that they are dead. Furthermore, she also noticed this situation occurred not only to those who died in traumatic situations but also those who died while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medications. Other ghosts were simply people unwilling to leave behind their possessions or family members.
Possessed By Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21st Century outlines some very unique theories about ghosts and their activities after their deaths. The author believes that ghosts purposefully or unwittingly can and do actually cause potential harm, disease, and death to live individuals. Though her theories are no doubt coloured by her traumatic experiences with death and the dead in post World War II Poland, many of the author's ideas deserve some further consideration. At the very least, the author's plea that we grieve without pining for our dead loved ones is a very important message.
Possessed By Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21st Century outlines some very unique theories about ghosts and their activities after their deaths. The author believes that ghosts purposefully or unwittingly can and do actually cause potential harm, disease, and death to live individuals. Though her theories are no doubt coloured by her traumatic experiences with death and the dead in post World War II Poland, many of the author's ideas deserve some further consideration. At the very least, the author's plea that we grieve without pining for our dead loved ones is a very important message.
October 23, 2020
This book reads like a series of conversations turned into blog posts. That isn't necessarily negative, but in this case, the repetition and frequent reiteration of examples/stories/concepts quickly becomes tiresome. The manuscript needs severe editing, and formatting issues (wrong word usage, missing words, typographical gaps, repeating words between pages, homophones) were frequent and distracting. The author and publisher are in Poland, so differing format styles and some amount of language barrier are to be expected, and I factored that into this assessment. It read as if someone fed the manuscript through a program, and skimmed the results.
The book is organized by topic, though that does not stop the author from repeating information, as if each one was written stream-of-consciousness style. In repeated conversations, this would be perfectly fine, but in a book needs paring down. In each chapter, the topic is somewhat defined or explained, a few anecdotes supporting the book's premise are peppered in, all of which result in the author performing miraculous physical cures that astonish all, even experts and staunch skeptics, and sometimes a short disclaimer at the end mentioning that sometimes the problem is just mundane, not spiritual.
The basic premise boils down to this: every problem you or your family might have is likely caused by the spirits of the deceased who have not passed, who will quietly and casually possess people, or your own subconscious manifesting your beliefs into reality. Bad luck, mental illness, alternate sexuality and/or gender, physical disorders/illness, accidents, perpetuation of abuse, being abused....cancer...can all be the fault of the dead. Or you, who secretly wants it. Y'know, could go either way. The author is careful to note that you should still go to doctors, but that whatever problem they try to fix may come back because of these reasons, and the only way to get rid of it is to....go to a spiritual healer, like the author. And especially if you want to buy a house, consult a medium/psychic knower/clairvoyant. Also if anyone around you dies. Also if you want to start a business. (The list continues.) The author helpfully publishes her mailing address at the end, in case you wish to contact her for questions and problems you are having. She also helpfully includes her bank account number, so you can just give her money, if you want to. No phone call or service exchange required!
Trigger warnings are needed, especially for the chapters on rape, homosexuality, mental illness, physical illness, eating disorders, autism, addictions, problems with children--listen, it's just...a lot of abuse is mentioned all over, a few times in detail, including child sexual abuse and rape by living and deceased individuals. Know that going in. There are also many references throughout to the god (and thereby the beliefs) of the Christian faith, as well as a whole chapter on religion, for those sensitive to that topic.
Full disclosure along with more subjective opinions: I am a skeptic, but I very much want to believe in things like spirits, and psychic powers, and hauntings, and energy transfer. Even when I don't believe a story is true, the mystery of it is something I greatly enjoy. There is nothing mysterious about the accounts in this book, because nearly everything reads like a snake-oil spiritualist salesman from the 1850's, including the recurring claims that Client Mysteriously Fully Recovered Overnight! Doctors Baffled! and the consistent undercurrent of victim-blaming and patriarchal reinforcement. Even aside from my extreme skepticism that the author can psychically make tumors disappear, eliminate dementia, cure autism, mend broken bones, etc., often immediately, the way these anecdotes are presented turns into an infomercial of fantastic testimonials from the author's clients. The transphobia and homophobia is not vitriolic, but comes from an assumption that it is abnormal and causing distress to its sufferers, or at the very least, their families. (This was written over ten years ago, in a different country, and I'm sure cultural differences are at play, here.) It is personally distressing to see yet another repetition of the myth that chronic illnesses are 1.) supernaturally based, 2.) intended to teach a karmic lesson, and/or 3.) the fault of the sufferer, really, in the end. We've heard that already, kind of a lot. It is neither helpful nor kind.
This is difficult. The author is not hateful or spiteful or antagonistic toward the people she sees as suffering from these ghost- or psyche-induced afflictions, but well-meaning people can further spread harmful myths, stereotypes, and misunderstandings even farther than hateful ones. That is what is happening here.
tl;dr: Author writes self-help book that boils down to snake-oil sales pitch for her psychic ghost-removal services, disqualifying it as either "self" or "help."
The book is organized by topic, though that does not stop the author from repeating information, as if each one was written stream-of-consciousness style. In repeated conversations, this would be perfectly fine, but in a book needs paring down. In each chapter, the topic is somewhat defined or explained, a few anecdotes supporting the book's premise are peppered in, all of which result in the author performing miraculous physical cures that astonish all, even experts and staunch skeptics, and sometimes a short disclaimer at the end mentioning that sometimes the problem is just mundane, not spiritual.
The basic premise boils down to this: every problem you or your family might have is likely caused by the spirits of the deceased who have not passed, who will quietly and casually possess people, or your own subconscious manifesting your beliefs into reality. Bad luck, mental illness, alternate sexuality and/or gender, physical disorders/illness, accidents, perpetuation of abuse, being abused....cancer...can all be the fault of the dead. Or you, who secretly wants it. Y'know, could go either way. The author is careful to note that you should still go to doctors, but that whatever problem they try to fix may come back because of these reasons, and the only way to get rid of it is to....go to a spiritual healer, like the author. And especially if you want to buy a house, consult a medium/psychic knower/clairvoyant. Also if anyone around you dies. Also if you want to start a business. (The list continues.) The author helpfully publishes her mailing address at the end, in case you wish to contact her for questions and problems you are having. She also helpfully includes her bank account number, so you can just give her money, if you want to. No phone call or service exchange required!
Trigger warnings are needed, especially for the chapters on rape, homosexuality, mental illness, physical illness, eating disorders, autism, addictions, problems with children--listen, it's just...a lot of abuse is mentioned all over, a few times in detail, including child sexual abuse and rape by living and deceased individuals. Know that going in. There are also many references throughout to the god (and thereby the beliefs) of the Christian faith, as well as a whole chapter on religion, for those sensitive to that topic.
Full disclosure along with more subjective opinions: I am a skeptic, but I very much want to believe in things like spirits, and psychic powers, and hauntings, and energy transfer. Even when I don't believe a story is true, the mystery of it is something I greatly enjoy. There is nothing mysterious about the accounts in this book, because nearly everything reads like a snake-oil spiritualist salesman from the 1850's, including the recurring claims that Client Mysteriously Fully Recovered Overnight! Doctors Baffled! and the consistent undercurrent of victim-blaming and patriarchal reinforcement. Even aside from my extreme skepticism that the author can psychically make tumors disappear, eliminate dementia, cure autism, mend broken bones, etc., often immediately, the way these anecdotes are presented turns into an infomercial of fantastic testimonials from the author's clients. The transphobia and homophobia is not vitriolic, but comes from an assumption that it is abnormal and causing distress to its sufferers, or at the very least, their families. (This was written over ten years ago, in a different country, and I'm sure cultural differences are at play, here.) It is personally distressing to see yet another repetition of the myth that chronic illnesses are 1.) supernaturally based, 2.) intended to teach a karmic lesson, and/or 3.) the fault of the sufferer, really, in the end. We've heard that already, kind of a lot. It is neither helpful nor kind.
This is difficult. The author is not hateful or spiteful or antagonistic toward the people she sees as suffering from these ghost- or psyche-induced afflictions, but well-meaning people can further spread harmful myths, stereotypes, and misunderstandings even farther than hateful ones. That is what is happening here.
tl;dr: Author writes self-help book that boils down to snake-oil sales pitch for her psychic ghost-removal services, disqualifying it as either "self" or "help."
October 17, 2021
“When we feel pain, or when we fall sick, is a good time to consider what isn't quite the way it should be in our lives. When we reach for a pill, we ignore this very valuable warning sign.”
Possessed by Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21 Century invites us to a new perspective on how most of the pain we claim to own is not ours. From a big picture, Wanda’s work illuminates the truth that we are all profoundly connected and by understanding the depth of this connection, we can liberate ourselves and others from suffering.
This is a healing book that speaks to the inner world with compassion and clarity. A must-read that will change your way of thinking, but more importantly, it will open your heart to a new way of being human.
It was a wonderful experience to have had the conversation with Mike Pratnicka, Wanda’s husband, in a podcast interview! I love their commitment to healing lives!
Possessed by Ghosts: Exorcisms in the 21 Century invites us to a new perspective on how most of the pain we claim to own is not ours. From a big picture, Wanda’s work illuminates the truth that we are all profoundly connected and by understanding the depth of this connection, we can liberate ourselves and others from suffering.
This is a healing book that speaks to the inner world with compassion and clarity. A must-read that will change your way of thinking, but more importantly, it will open your heart to a new way of being human.
It was a wonderful experience to have had the conversation with Mike Pratnicka, Wanda’s husband, in a podcast interview! I love their commitment to healing lives!
June 12, 2019
Excellent book! Bought this book many years ago and it changed my outlook on life. Bought several extra copies for friends to give away I was so impressed. This book is like no other. Very insightful. I had a chance to meet with Wanda personally during one of her lectures and it was a mind blowing experience.
January 18, 2022
This book changed my life. I know you've heard that said about a lot of books and I'm sure there are other fine books out there. But this one,Possessed by Ghosts, by Wanda Pratnicka, is mind blowing and must read for anyone who starts their spiritual journey. If you life is falling apart, you experience unexplained emotional pain then this book is for YOU!
July 14, 2021
Great Book!
Its very thought provoking and really makes you see the world through a different lens. Reality can change with your beliefs. She explains many things in this book. I highly recommend to all people who want new knowledge.
Its very thought provoking and really makes you see the world through a different lens. Reality can change with your beliefs. She explains many things in this book. I highly recommend to all people who want new knowledge.
May 22, 2021
Got my book delivered. Can't stop reading it. Also came with a free bookmark with interesting pictures on it!!
May 21, 2010
This is a differant book it is a must read . She just came out with another book about the Circle of Life . She is also making Perfect Science Formula 's in a factory in Poland .
Read
May 21, 2010Excellent book which discusses the spiritual reasons for emotional and physical illness. It will open your eyes. A must read for anyone that works in the spiritual realm.
September 24, 2012
Wanda Pratnicka is a world-famous lay exorcist and parapsychologist, her first book is POSSESSED BY GHOSTS - EXORCISMS IN THE 21ST CENTURY.
December 25, 2015
A tremendously important book for anyone involved in healing, whether as an energy healer, a patient, or both. Wanda is a contemporary master with a very important message.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews