Exorcisms with Hypnosis + Narrative Therapy Comments + Frankl Quotes 

Rubin Battino - Matter Class Outline - No. 2

February 5 2024    5 PM EST

(Edited Feb. 6, 2024)

A. Introduction

I have been using the exorcism approach for a variety of client presented issues. It is based on my interpretation of the Narrative Therapy statement of “The person is not the problem, the problem is the problem.” That externalizes the problem so that the client is not the cause of their difficulties. (White & Epston, Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. 1990. Norton.) Although White and Epston use the word “externalize” for the controlling agent for whatever is the client’s presenting issue (or issues) I suggest that this agent is somewhere within the client. It is then my job to somehow remove (exorcize) this controlling agent and then replace it with something helpful and useful. (Details for this approach are in Battino, (2022). “Exorcisms. Brief Therapy with Hypnosis.” The Science of Psychotherapy. Vol. 10, pp. 46–51. A copy of this article will be posted.) Strangely, I have never had a client not accept the idea that their unwanted behavior is some evil or controlling spirit or entity inside them. It is a relief to them that they are not responsible for the unwanted behavior. 

It is interesting to note that probably every Catholic church worldwide has at least one priest who does exorcisms. 

There will also be some comments on Narrative Therapy in this class. In addition I will be reading some segments from my play about the life of Viktor Frankl (Battino, 1999, Meaning, Crown House).

B. Group Experience of the Exorcism Approach

Those who are willing will have the opportunity to experience the exorcism of whatever has been controlling their behavior via a group experience. We start with Mary Goulding’s opening question of “What are you willing to change today?” Pick something to work on. (Used Controller (CON) for controlling entity, and Healing Power (HP) for exorcist.)

C. Comments on the Exorcism Approach

Here are several relevant comments: (1) start with the client’s acceptance that the exorcism is a good idea; (2) it is important that the client go to a Safe Haven (real or imaginary) to which they can go to in their mind, and which provides a  protective environment for the process; (3) provide a name and a  symbol for their controlling entity; and (4) and tell the therapist who or what will rid them of the controlling entity. The exorcism starts with getting the client to relax (usually by paying attention to their breathing), then moving to the safe haven, followed by naming the controlling entity and the healing power, and finally the hypnosis session for carrying out the exorcism. I have chosen to call the controlling force “Controller” and given it the initials CON (this means I can use the word “conning”!). I have chosen to call the exorcizing healing agent “Healing Power” or HP. [Note: The client provides these last two items.]

A few examples of the controlling entity are: Big Red (BR), Depression (Big D or BD), Subconsciousness (SubCon or SC), Addiction (AD or ADD). The client names the controlling entity and accepts the abbreviation which I suggest since the abbreviation does two things: (1) it somehow makes everything more real; and (2) it is easier to use an abbreviation during the hypnosis portion. Examples of the healing exorcist that clients have used are: Higher Power (HP); Mother Earth (ME); Holy Spirit (HS); Hashem; God; Jesus; and relatives living or dead. Please note that the client names all of the important figures and places.

I function as the guide for carrying out the exorcism. The Safe Haven at the beginning protects the client throughout the process. As in all hypnosis sessions it is important to emphasize certain words and phrases and put in pauses of variable lengths. The magic word “somehow” seems to run through the hypnosis session since it invites and allows the client to find his or her own resources and solutions. 

The main idea of an exorcism is that a client is relieved when they are given the opportunity to pass on the responsibility for the behavior(s) they wish to change, i.e., what they have come for help to you! I have used exorcisms for weight control, other “addictions,” and a variety of issues where it appears to be appropriate to remove an inner controlling agent. I have not used it yet for PTS (I dislike using the word “disorder” for it is too psychiatric and implies something difficult to work with) or OCS (again removing “disorder”). I believe it will work for these issues. An attendee recommended using “Are you ready to get rid of your controlling agent?” rather than talk about exorcisms. Your choice.

Exorcism is another example where the therapist elicits unique solutions from the client, i.e., clients tell the therapist how to change them! This is also an example of “secret therapy” in the sense that all I know is/are their listed presenting issue(s). I do not need long histories. Also, expectation and the placebo effect are the center of all of this kind of work. 

Comments and Questions by Participants

D. Some Viktor Frankl Statements*

1. Colleague: Tell me the story of your meeting with the Pope.

Frankl: My wife Elly was with me for the audience with the Pope, and we were both deeply impressed.  Pope Paul VI greeted us in German and continued in Italian, with a priest as interpreter.  He acknowledged the significance of Logotherapy for the Catholic Church and for all humankind.  He also commended my conduct in the concentration camps, but it was unclear to us what he had in mind.  As he signaled the end of the audience, and as we were moving toward the door, he suddenly began to speak in German once again, calling after us—to me, the Jewish neurologist from Vienna—in exactly these words: “Please pray for me!” ... It was deeply stirring.

2. Colleague: Tell me more lies.

Frankl: There was no way to clean our teeth. Despite that and a severe vitamin deficiency we had healthier gums than before. Imagine! We wore the same clothes for months.  Also, we could rarely wash.  Somehow, the sores and cuts on our hands did not suppurate.  Frostbite was something else.

Colleague:  You survived.

Frankl:  Don’t ask me how. Dostoevski defined man as a being who could get used to anything. We would reply, “Yes, a man can get used to anything, but do not ask us how.”  Do not ask me how.

3. Frankl: You see, I now understood how a man who has nothing left in this world may still know bliss – be it only for a brief moment – in the contemplation of his beloved.  In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his suffering in the right way – an honorable way – in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment.

I did a solo illustrated reading there of selected scenes from the play I wrote about his life. Here are links to the recording of that reading: There are two perspectives (kindly prepared by son David and the church staff) of the November 22, 2023 Frankl talk. (To view closed captions, click the CC button at the bottom of the video.)

    Audience camera:    www.youtube.com/embed/iILVBP-P3-c?rel=0

    Multiple camera mix:    www.youtube.com/embed/rl7ZJ6bzd1c?rel

* In a later master class I will guide the attendees through an exercise on “What is Really Important in Life?”

E. Some Comments on Narrative Therapy

First—read the White and Epston book on Narrative Therapy and other publications by the authors. Chapter 27 in Battino, 2015, “When All Else Fails” gives a brief summary of some of the important ideas in Narrative Therapy.

Acknowledges a sense of authorship and re-authorship of one’s life and relationships in the telling and retelling of one’s story.

Acknowledges that stories are coproduced.

Externalization which entails a linguistic separation of the problem from the personal identity of the client (the heart of exorcisms).

Letters: they are sent to clients about various subjects like predicting outcomes and behaviors, for special occasions, reassuring the client, and giving a client the notes of their previous session.

Diplomas and Certificates: printed on special paper they say something like “This is to certify that_____has successfully overcome depression or anxiety or ....” Certificates are welcome since they attest changes.

Attendees Comments and Questions

F. Some Further Comments

1. Pause Power - Clients need time to process what is going on in the hypnosis portion of the session. Add many pauses so that they can do this internal work. In essence, they drift off when a particular suggestion is significant to them, and then return to hearing you. 

2. Special Words or Phrases - The “magic” word that I like to use when doing hypnosis is “somehow.” That is, somehow these changes will occur: the client then fills in how this happens! Other good word are “and,” “when,” and “then.” In Michael Yapko’s 5^th edition of “Trancework” he emphasizes how the query “how” initiates change. That is, “How do you or how did you do that.” Example: “How are you depressing yourself (changes a noun to a verb—you can insert other difficulties for depression).”

3. Expectation and the Placebo Effect - My expectation, and thus that of my clients, is that we will be able to resolve what troubles them in one session. Also, note that the Placebo Effect is always in the background in ALL therapy sessions, i.e., both clients and we expect change!

4. Mary Goulding’s Opening Query is “What are you willing to change today?” Followed by “Just let that question rattle around the back of your mind during this session.” This is a wonderful way to start a session.

5. Importance of being passionate about being a therapist, and giving your clients your complete attention.

6. Importance of smiling and occasional humor.

7. “If what you are doing is not working, then do something different.” Steve DeShazer

8. “If what you are doing is not working, then do something unusual or unexpected or surprising.” Rubin Battino

NOTE: There was some extra time and a volunteer was available to demonstrate Cheek’s “ideomotor finger signaling approach for rapid therapy.” This demonstration apparently worked—actually took only a few minutes! I will talk about this in more detail in a later session.

G. Next Session: Uses of Metaphor + Guided Metaphor (GM - A way to change one’s life.) + Poetry and Hypnosis: [GM requires those interested to do a lot of writing during the group experience.] Depending on time might add David Cheek’s Ideomotor Signaling approach (see NOTE above).

THANK ROB AND ATTENDEES!  

Closing Healing Meditation