Talk: The Psychology of Possession & Exorcism

Explore the science behind possession, exorcism, and why our brains conjure the paranormal. Followed by Q&A. Millions of people around the world - including in the UK today - believe that spirits or demons can take over a living person's body. But neuroscience tells a very different story. So if a demonic possession isn't real, what's actually going on? It turns out that there's no single answer. Some historical demonic 'possessions' were likely undiagnosed conditions like epilepsy or Tourette's. Others look remarkably like phenomena we recognise today - dissociative identity disorder, hypnosis, speaking in tongues. Then there are the darker cases: possession used as a label against vulnerable people, with devastating results. This talk unpacks the science, the psychology, and the genuinely strange space where belief and the brain collide.