text: I became a freelance exorcist approximately three years ago. Take that in for a minute. I'm not a Priest, I'm not even religious. The fact of the matter is, I don't even believe in any of it. What I have come to learn is that it doesn't matter what I believe in, only what *they* do. *They* being the person who needs an 'entity' removed, *they* being their family. You see, before I did this gig, I was an entertainer, a magician, a hypnotist, and I've learned a few things about how the human mind works. The typical human mind is a strong, but open. Most people are willing to accept suggestions more than they are willing to admit. I assume they don't like feeling like they aren't in control. The fact of the matter is the better you are at accepting suggestions, the better you are at learning, and nobody likes to feel dumb. When dealing with suggestions, it's important to be in complete control, and exude confidence. If you believe it will work, they will, and it will. Learning the Rite of Exorcism wasn't difficult, a quick search online lead to the text. After reading it, what surprised me the most was the complete lack of demanding to know the entities name. I guess the movies make some things up. I'm not upset, I usually throw it in there anyway. Very dramatic. I also have a robe that I wear. Makes me look very legit. Like hypnosis, the most important thing is the pre talk, the set up. I take the family aside, I walk them through what is about to happen. I explain to them that they need to go to confession first, to cleans their souls, otherwise the entity might attach to them. I explain that their loved ones may act like you've seen in the movies, thrashing etc. etc. But most likely they won't. Typically they simply enter a trance like state. I explain this to the subject I am performing on as well, which, I believe, gives them permission to not ham it up. I also insist that I am the last option. I tell them all that they should have a medical professional check them out before hand. This ensures I'm not going to have to be dealing with a clinically crazy person, but someone who believes they are possessed. Because they believe the problem is spiritual, the believe I can help them. And I do. The entire thing is a bit of a scam, I know, but it seems to help these people. I don't feel bad at all.