The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel (Part 2)

September 24, 2026

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5 min read

The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel (Part 2)

By the fall of 1975, Anneliese Michel was convinced she was possessed by demons. The 23-year-old German university student had spent years cycling through doctors, psychiatrists, and priests, but none of them could stop her downward spiral. She had stopped eating properly, slept only one or two hours a night, and was found crawling on kitchen floors like an animal, eating spiders, biting the heads off dead birds, and licking her own urine off the floor. Her family and a growing circle of religious figures saw demonic possession. What they were actually witnessing was a young woman dying by inches from severe mental illness and eventual starvation—a process that took nine months and involved 67 formal exorcism sessions before she finally died weighing 65 pounds.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Advertisements** - Sponsorships for Prime Video's *Love Hypothesis*, State Farm, and Pantene.
2 (02:13) **Introduction & Studio Update** - The hosts discuss refreshing their recording studio and introduce the topic of Anneliese Michel's exorcism.
3 (05:10) **Father Alt's Involvement & Troubled History** - The narrative returns to Father Alt, who was initially reluctant to perform an exorcism.
4 (09:35) **Anneliese's Decline at University** - Anneliese's life continues to spiral as she struggles with severe depression and social withdrawal.
5 (13:42) **Escalating Bizarre Behavior** - Anneliese's behavior at home becomes increasingly extreme and self-destructive.
6 (16:10) **The Pressure for an Exorcism Builds** - Anneliese's religious paranoia deepens, and a woman named Thea Hein pushes for an exorcism.
7 (21:17) **Anneliese's Conviction & Physical Symptoms** - By mid-1975, Anneliese is thoroughly convinced she is possessed, and her physical symptoms become severe.

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Show Notes

When sixteen-year-old Anneliese Michel began having seizures and hallucinations in 1968, her parents took her to a doctor, who diagnosed Anneliese with temporal lobe epilepsy and depression and recommended psychiatric treatment. Two years later, however, her delusions and hallucinations returned, manifesting in the form of “devil faces” and voices that telling her she was evil and would be going to hell. Believing the treatment wasn’t working and fearing Anneliese was possessed by demons, Anneliese’s family arranged for her to be visited by a local Jesuit priest, who confirmed their fear: Anneliese was possessed and the only way to save her soul was an exorcism.

After nearly fifty years, the exorcism of Anneliese Michel still stands as one of the most shocking and harrowing stories of supposed demonic possession and exorcism in history—not only because it resulted in a woman’s death, but because it also resulted in the prosecution of her exorcists. Yet with all the information that has been released about the case, no one seems to know what really happened to Anneliese Michel.

References

Associated Press. 1978. "Bizarre exorcism draws suspended prison terms." Press-Courier (Oxnard, CA), April 22: 3.

—. 1978. "Exorcists 'tried to save girl'." The Guardian, March 31: 6.

Buschschluter, Siegfried. 1977. "Charges after exorcism death." The Guardian, July 14: 6.

Day, Elizabeth. 2005. "'God told us to exorcise my daughter's demons. I don't regret her death.'." Sunday Telegraph (London, UK), November 27: 15.

Goodman, Felicitas D. 1981. The Exorcism of Annaliese Michel. New York, NY: Doubleday and Company.

Hansen, Eric T. 2005. "What in God's name?" Washington Post, September 4.

Sword, Autumn. 2021. "Seized By the Spirit: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and the Exorcism of Anneliese Michel." Skeptical Inquirer, July 30.

Time. 1976. "Religion: A Phenomenon of Fear." Time, September 6.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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